A proper feast on the Fourth with my little friends Chloe (L) and Jasmine (R).
Much to my surprise there were American flags and a 4th of July banner waiting for me back at the Waverley when I got home from work. The best part about it was eating Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Corn on the Cob just as I would have back home. It was a great meal and I couldnt have been more satisfied. I was really surprised that Cherryl and the family went out and did that for me. It was a nice gesture and it really meant a lot to me. They are great people and have made me feel welcome into their home. I would recommend them to anyone who decides they want to visit Southend. I really cant say enough about them.
Play On:
+ Southend recently sold their best player, Freddy Eastwood to Wolverhampton Wanderers. It is a move with mixed emotions. He had expressed his interest to move away from the club, so at least they made money off of his sale (£1.5-£2 mil estimated)instead of him leaving the club for free at the end of the season. There is also the sentiment that the team lost its star player, a great goal scorer that led the team to the Championship for the first time in team history. He also scored a goal last season in the Carling Cup that was the decider when Southend scored a famous victory over eventual Premiership champs Manchester United. That was actually his undoing for Southend. He received a ton of press after that beautiful goal (which you can find on youtube if you type in 'freddy eastwood manchester united' in the search box). Larger teams were exposed to a quality little known player and as a result it was only a matter of time until he left Southend. Wolves really wanted him and made multiple bids for him until this one was finally agreed upon. I was looking forward to having the chance to watch him play in person but unfortunately it was not meant to be. Hopefully the club takes the money from his sale and invests it in some quality players.
Wont be seeing this guy in a Southend jersey any longer.
+ For all the naysayers of football that claim it is too low scoring needs to watch the Copa America. The Copa America is a smaller World Cup-esque tournament that features all of the South American national teams as well as two invited wild cards. The two invitees were the US and Mexico. Both teams headed to Venezuela (the host nation) right after their clash in the Gold Cup final (the North American version of Copa America), which the US won. The games are on at like 1:30 AM here but I did stay up to watch the US play perennial powerhouses Argentina. The US were acutally leading at one point but ended up losing 3-1. They crashed out fairly early of the competiton but it was good experience for the club. Sorry I am rambling but the point of all of this is that over the course of the tournament, the average amount of goals scored per game has been 3+. It has been free flowing and highly attacking. Really fun stuff to watch. Two teams have scored 6 goals in one game and there have been a few penalty shootouts to boot. The final is on Sunday between Brazil and Argentina, which is no small surprise because these two are the most dominant in South America.
+ If you prefer a more global flair to the game of football then dont fret. The Under-20 World Cup is taking place right now in Canada. These games have been highly entertaining like the Copa America. The American squad, led by Freddy Adu have made it to the quarterfinals and have a legimate chance of winning it all. They beat an extremely talented Brazil side in group play and feature many talented youngsters. The best part about these games is watching how much it means to the players and its also a chance to watch the future stars of tomorrow today. If you get a chance (I think they are on either ESPN or FSC) take a moment to sit down and watch a few minutes.
+ Most importantly I am meeting up with my good friend from home, Ian, and we are flying out to Holland for the weekend. He is spending a few weeks at Oxford University and its always a good time when the two of us get together. It will be nice to have someone to talk to instead of just throwing on the ipod hah. I am really looking forward to visiting the Dutch nation as it has always been on my lifetime travel list. We fly from London Stansted Airport to Eindhoven and then from Eindhoven we are taking a train up to Amsterdam, where we are spending the weekend. I am really excited to do some travelling again and it will be my first time in a country where English is not the first language. I really dont know what to expect, but if the Disney ride 'Its a Small World' taught me anything, there should be a lot of blonde girls with pony tails and wooden clogs in Holland. Thats ok with me.
I'll be back after the weekend to let you know how things went and hopefully with good pictures to boot.
