Final Fan Preparations For USA-England

Unlike yours truly, Bob Dillon has already sorted out the details of what he'll be doing and where he'll be during Saturday's USA-England match.  Here's a look at how one fan is preparing for one of the most anticipated games in USMNT history:

I’m tired of reading previews, and I’m tired of watching the commercials. I am ready for the big show to start. It is time to cleanse my memory of 2006, and begin my journey into World Cup 2010. For me, there are a number of last minute decisions leading up to Saturday. As a player, I was always quite superstitious. I wore the same socks, unlaundered, for an entire season. I had the same routine warming up in goal, touching each post and the crossbar right before kickoff. So as Saturday approaches, here are the final items to figure out.

First, where do I watch the game? It is a huge question. I watch most of my EPL action at home on Saturday and Sunday. I watch Championship League action at a bar far enough away from work that I can play hooky if necessary, and there isn’t THE place in Saint Louis to watch USMNT games. In 2006, I watched each game in a different location, and all of them have bad karma now, so I have decided on a new pub with a decent football atmosphere that has good specials.

With that big decision out of the way, the next thing is who to invite to the game? I have a bit of a segmented football crew in Saint Louis. It is mostly guys that get it, watch the game with knowledge of play, scream when appropriate, and order more pints as needed. I don’t think that these guys are my World Cup crew though. I don’t see them getting up at 8:30 to watch Paraguay or North Korea, so if you can’t count on them for the whole tournament, then they can’t be a part of the team. I’m actually thinking about watching the game with some neophytes, guys that know enough that I’m not explaining offsides the entire game, but that haven’t experienced IT. The “it” that comes from watching 95 minutes against Spain in the Confederations Cup, total exhilaration, total exhaustion.

Another big question is… what to wear? I’ve never had a USMNT jersey, but I have hats (an old one and a new one). I think that I am going with the old one. I like it. It has wins under the belt, but new one doesn’t have any baggage. It is the like the Churundolo hat versus the Buddle hat. I guess that I could wear them both. Shirts…I love my Croatian National Team Jersey. I get some awesome conversation out of it, but it is a risky move in Saint Louis as we have a huge Bosnian population, and I am always afraid of a drunk religious, political conversation that is a loser from the beginning. I could wear the old-school Arsenal jersey, but it has Rosicky thoughts in it, and that was a problem from 2006, so I think that it will end up being a red shirt with the old hat.

The final consideration is what to drink during the game. I have a bad habit of being a nervous drinker. Lots of beer going down in close games, and there have been moments when I look up, it’s halftime, and I’ve had four pints. I need to be deliberate, a National Anthem beer, a first goal beer, a half time beer, and a substitute beer (60-75 minutes in). If things go perfect, then all plans are out the door following the game.

Having sorted these things out on Monday before the game is a huge relief, but it gives me lots of time to start getting wickedly pissed at the English side. Wayne Rooney got a yellow in a friendly against a pub side. John Terry messed with Wayne Bridge’s wife. Ledley King has no knees. Stephen Garrard is a huge diver. I don’t like these guys for club, and I’m going to be primed to hate them for country on Saturday.

No matter how you are going about your final preparations, I wish everyone the best experience possible. These are the best few moments leading up to the best tournament in the world. Go USA.

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