I must admit, this World Cup has started off really slow for me. Whether it’s the lack of scoring in the first round of group stage matches or the constant buzzing of the vuvzela, something just hasn’t been like I wanted it to be. I remember watching the games from Germany 2006 while sitting in my little apartment and thinking, “this is perfect.” I just don’t know why it’s changed so much for me.
Maybe it started with the 1-1 stalemate between England and the U.S., but it should have gotten better. I’ve also got some loyalty issues that I didn’t have back in 2006, since I had barely done any traveling at that point. Since then I’ve had spells in the U.K. and France and have absolutely fallen in love with Europe and all the history there. This doesn’t make me too popular with all my friends who are diehards and still believe the U.S. has a chance to win this years Cup.
To make it short, I do support England even though I am an American. Am I conflicted about this? No. My favorite footballers play for the Three Lions and I’ve spent a lot of time there so I think I’m totally justified in my unwavering support of England.
Maybe this weird feeling about the Cup is just part of supporting England. I remember during Euro 2008 hearing all the media outlets in England saying that the tournament would be much more fun and enjoyable since their home country didn’t manage to qualify for the Finals. I think I’m just now starting to understand how those people felt while watching Spain beat Germany. They could truly enjoy it because they had nothing to lose in it.
To be clear, I’m really enjoying the Cup so far but I really feel I may have way too much tied up in it to be truly objective about the whole thing. I’m really far away from getting a Three Lions tattoo or anything, but I won’t rule out shaving my head if England somehow manages to lift the trophy on July 11th. In any case, Mexico just beat France 2-0 which effectively took one of my loyalty conflicts away. Maybe things are starting to look up.
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