Wild American Gooner

When Sports Are More Than Just Sports

Author Archives: etfaust


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What I’m Watching at the Emirates Cup

Now back from a memorable five day trip to Scotland, I’m getting fully pumped up for the Arsenal season to start. Tomorrow will be the first of three straight weekends I’ll see the Gunners play before I head back to the states. While the Emirates Cup may only be a preseason match, that hasn’t tempered my excitement for my second ever trip to the Emirates. Getting to see Wolfsburg take on Villareal beforehand is a welcomed bonus for what should be a fun day. (Can we also note how weird the marketing for the event is this year? Those robot eyes are downright creepy.)

There’s been relatively little in the last few days about the squad for the tournament, so anything about who the team will be is merely guesswork at this point. The starting XI I’d like to see would be Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Wilshere, Ramsey, Özil, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott, but I suspect it’ll be a mixture of presumed starters and squad players. But given that this isn’t my only chance to see the team this summer, I’ll be happy with whoever is out there.

The depth across the board right now is truly ridiculous, as Arsene Wenger could field two legitimate XIs without having to dip into the academy. We could just as easily see Ospina, Debuchy, Gabriel, Chambers, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini, Welbeck, Cazorla, Rosicky and Giroud. And that’s before factoring in the likes of Serge Gnabry, Gedion Zelalem and Chuba Akpom, who probably will feature in some role this weekend. I haven’t even mentioned Alexis Sanchez, who will be returning from his post-Copa America holiday at the start of August. That depth is a large reason why I’m so optimistic about the season right now.

While Manchester United and Liverpool have been throwing around the cash, Arsenal has quietly built a very strong squad around their marquee signings of the last few years. Liverpool and United both still have obvious holes in defense, but the Gunners squad has none. Even at forward and in the defensive midfield role, Arsenal have two or three legitimate options. I’m not saying Wenger couldn’t add an even better player in the coming month, but any other business in the transfer window would augment an already strong squad. Even Chelsea is looking a little thin in midfield right now.

As far as this weekend, it’ll be a vital last bit of a rushed preseason before the FA Community Shield next weekend, which while many call it a glorified friendly, I doubt Wenger will want to lose to Jose Mourinho again. He will have his team ready. So this weekend then offers the final chances to many to impress. The name being thrown around the media this week as needing a strong Emirates Cup is Chuba Akpom. While I agree, I don’t think he will start a game given how close we are to meaningful games. If he isn’t loaned out, he will be required consistently to make immediate impact off the bench if he wants to contribute. So perhaps bringing him on late would be better preparation. I just don’t see a scenario in which he is starting Premier League games this campaign.

For me, the player with the most to prove is Mathieu Debuchy. With Debuchy being Wally Pipp’d last year by Hector Bellerin, he never got a chance to show his worth. Everybody seems to want Bellerin back in the side straightaway given how much promise he showed, but I wouldn’t bet against the French international Debuchy. If he shows he’s the same player he was at Newcastle in the early going, the right-back spot might be his to lose. I think we’ll see a lot of rotation between the two of them this season, but it will ultimately come down to form. Making a good impression in the final preseason games wouldn’t hurt.

I’m also quite interested in how Wenger sets up the midfield. Will he push Jack Wilshere wide again? Will he pair him with Aaron Ramsey in the middle? Where will Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott start? These are all crucial questions in the buildup to the season. Remember that last year Wenger deployed Tomas Rosicky as a false-9 in the first preseason games, so I’m not convinced he’ll stick with Wilshere out wide. However, one of he or Ramsey needs to play wide if they hope to start, because I don’t see Santi Cazorla being dropped next to Francis Coquelin. And up front, I’d stick with the Ox out wide and give Walcott another few chances through the middle. Altogether, we’ll learn a lot about Wenger’s thinking this weekend.

On another note, I’m thinking about getting a new jersey tomorrow to mark seeing Arsenal play a few times in person. I’m not especially in love with either the home or away though, so I’m going to wait to see them in person to make that choice. The next choice of which player to get though is even tougher. With Walcott’s contract status up in the air and Alexis likely sitting the three games I’m attending, I am now picking between Coquelin, Ramsey, Bellerin, and the Ox. I was given an Özil shirt from last year, so he’s out of the equation for this one. I’d go with Coquelin, but I’m afraid he won’t stick with the number 34 for long. I used to say Ramsey was my favorite player but I’m not so sure anymore. He’d be the safe choice. However, I might still be leaning Coquelin’s way. I might have to flip a coin between those two. If you have any advice, put it in the comments.

Anyway, this is a great time to be in England. Away from the miserable Red Sox and still able to follow all the NBA drama, I’m in the heart of soccer country as the season gets going. And by the time I get back it’ll be nearly football season. I get more excited about Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks every day. It’s always this time every year where I start watching Youtube videos of great Razorback games and listening to the networks’ college football theme songs. For the record, I think putting the offensive line on the media guide is extremely cool.

I can’t believe the news about the three Arkansas basketball arrested for forgery. Beyond being stunned by the impact to the program, I’m astounded by the stupidity of their actions. The evidence sounds pretty convincing to me, so I suspect they won’t play for the Hogs again and will spend the next few years in prison. What a shame.

Lastly, to end on a happier note, I want to congratulate former Davidson basketball star Tyler Kalinoski on signing with Elan Chalon in France. I can’t say I know much about that team, but they’ve got themselves a real winner and a heck of a basketball player.

I hope to write again this weekend about my day at the Emirates Cup tomorrow. Thanks for reading.


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Sunday at The Open

In the midst of exploring Scotland, I have a few minutes now in my hostel in Oban to write about my experience at St. Andrew’s. A friend and I got tickets for the final Sunday in late May, but due to the high winds of Saturday and the rain of Friday, the final Sunday turned out to only be the 3rd round. That would be the only disappointment of the day.

Before I get to the golf, it’s worth mentioning how terrific the public transportation was getting there. We were staying in Edinburgh – which isn’t all that close – but there were many comfortable trains to Leuchars Station, which is about 5 miles away from the Old Course. I was expecting to catch a local bus, but instead, when we arrived at the station, there was an army of close to 20 busses waiting for us. For only five pounds, we got a round-trip fare on these busses that not only were conveniently located and ran every couple minutes, but also had a police escort. Seeing the four policemen pull out in front of the bus on their motorcycle and lead us through the rain by beautiful Scottish scenery was the perfect prelude.

The course was so peaceful and quiet when we arrived that when we first followed signs for the 1st hole and crossed a fairway, I had no idea that the players on the green nearby were playing for real. I thought it had to be practice. However, moments later, Lee Westwood and his caddie walked right by me and suddenly I realized I had just crossed the famed 17th fairway and was right next to the 3rd. There was very little separation. Moments later, Ernie Els was teeing off right behind me. This was too cool.

After getting our bearings and checking out the 1st hole, we decided to follow Jim Furyk for a little while. Because it was early in the morning and the contenders weren’t starting for another five hours or so, we were able to follow Furyk’s every shot without having to fight any crowds. I was first struck by how difficult it was to keep track of what was going on, but once I got the hang of the course, it was quite fun. We left him at the 7th to watch Rickie Fowler, who drew a much bigger crowd. By this point, there were noticeably more people there, but it still was easy to get right next to him for each shot.

The course itself was stunningly beautiful. So green after a particularly wet season, the grass looked as pristine as The Emirate’s. And but for one mid-day shower, the weather held up. It was constantly changing from warm to windy to cold and back, but I had enough layers to always be comfortable.

Once the crowds arrived in full, we followed Phil Mickelson around for a while with all the Americans. The atmosphere was a lot more boisterous around Phil. But even for him, people stayed silent with no exceptions from the moment he took his club out of the bag to when his shot had landed. Much like at Wimbledon, the silence showed how invested the crowd was in watching the golf. Nobody shouted “get in the hole” or anything like that.

We left Phil for Jordan Spieth and Sergio Garcia, stopping to see a few of the players behind them on our way back up the course. By this time, the crowds were so thick that it was hard to get places, especially at the far end of the course where so many holes are close together. But by the time we found Spieth, the atmosphere was electric. We were able to get to good spots for many of his shots, and it was incredibly exciting. I loved the wait to see if the putt was going to drop.

At this point, watching the leaderboard became as much of the experience as watching the golf. The collective awe as players posted birdie after birdie enhanced the buzz and pressure everywhere. So eventually we went ahead of Spieth to get a spot on the 17th green, which ended up being the perfect place to end the day. There, we watched everybody come in – seeing their approaches and putts on 17 from barely 10 yards away, then seeing the tee-shots on 18.

We ended up seeing the final players a little further back up the course to allow us to beat the traffic, but we were able to see every player we wanted to see hit at least one shot. I felt myself rooting for everybody except Dustin Johnson. By the end of the day, I had spent 10 hours watching these guys. It was a full-day sporting experience like none other. I can’t say I predicted Zach Johnson’s victory the next day, but the way he and everyone else was playing, I would have been happy with anybody winning.

Now, I’ve never been to any professional golf events, so I’m not sure if what I liked about Royal St. Andrew’s was unique to the course or simply just watching golf. But I can’t imagine there’s a course that does it much better. It was beautiful, intense, and wonderfully old-school. Instead of big-screens everywhere were the old buildings that surround the course. But it was the silent intensity and the leaderboard watching I loved most. I left wanting more, hoping one day I could return to this course. At the very least, I now feel like a real golf fan.The Masters now sits atop my bucket list.


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Arsenal Excitement

Despite being in England, this was the first men’s final at Wimbledon I have missed in many years. I looked everywhere around Cambridge and online, but no success. So I can’t offer much analysis of that one.

However, in the heart of soccer country, the excitement is building quickly for the upcoming Premier League season.I’ve been checking everyone’s websites on the regular for updates on ticket info for games on the opening weekend. At the moment, the hope is to see Norwich-Crystal Palace on the opening Saturday and Arsenal-West Ham the following day. But all of that could quickly change if the games sell out too quickly. Wish me luck.

I do have a ticket to the opening day of the Emirates Cup secured, which I am extremely excited for. Every time I’ve rode the train to King’s Cross, the Emirates comes into view and I can’t help but smile. Because in less than two weeks, I’ll be there seeing the boys take the field, even if only for a preseason competition.

I wrote about this pretty extensively last year, but I love watching preseason games much more than the average person. To me they are fascinating for many reasons – foremost the chance to watch the youngsters like Gedion Zelalem and Chuba Akpom. Rarely do we get a chance to see the young talent mixed with the current team, and it provides a glimpse of what could be. Even when players like Kris Olsson and Thomas Eisfeld get sold, summer tours made me fall in love like with any other Arsenal player, so I continue to check up on them as they play elsewhere.

This season, I’m particularly interested to see Dan Crowley and to get an opportunity to see if the hype is for real. I’m quite skeptical at this point I must say, but I hope to be wowed. Zelalem and Akpom too need to make some sort of mark if only to remind Arsene Wenger that they have promising futures that deserve reward. Last year, Hector Bellerin helped claw his way into the mind of the manager with some confident preseason displays. Sure he wouldn’t have gotten a chance without the injuries, but because he’d already played well with many of the first-teamers in preseason, the transition was easier.

I haven’t yet written about any of the summer goings-on with the club, but that does not mean I wasn’t ecstatic about the arrival of Petr Cech. Unlike Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and Pepe Reina, Cech doesn’t leave Chelsea a formerly great goalkeeper. He wasn’t let go because he was getting worse with age like the other three, who have all left their famed clubs in recent times. Rather, Cech was a victim of Thibaut Courtois’s brilliance last year, and was dropped through no fault of his own. We have no reason to believe he isn’t the top-5 goalkeeper he has always been. Getting him for only 11 million pounds is a steal.

For me, he is the automatic starter when healthy. And if Wojciech Szczesny is willing to take a back seat to learn from the veteran, everybody will be all the better for it. Szczesny would make for a top of the line backup. I feel as if David Ospina has to leave though. Having all three of them around wouldn’t foster competition so much as jealousy and unhappiness. It’s an interesting debate as to who Arsenal should keep around, but for me, the choice is clear if Szczesny is willing to be mature about being second choice.

I haven’t gotten too caught up in the transfer rumors recently, but that’s largely because I believe there won’t be another signing made. I wouldn’t be shocked if someone else came in, but looking at the squad as a whole, there is depth across the board at every position. Especially in the midfield and wide-forward areas, this team is loaded. The only positions I think could use extra help are striker and defensive midfielder. However, I wouldn’t buy a striker unless they were guaranteed to start over Oliver Giroud. And I wouldn’t buy a defensive midfielder that is going to start ahead of Francis Coquelin. He deserves a chance to continue his dominance in the side.

There are a number of interesting choices Wenger will have to make from day one. But I wonder if he’ll finally feel comfortable enough with his depth to make better use of squad rotation from game to game, something he really hasn’t done in recent years. Especially with Alexis Sanchez being so overworked, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he started a game on the bench every now and then. Between Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Welbeck and others, there are plenty of players who can fill in when needed.

The one I’ll be watching closely is the battle at right-back. If it were me, Bellerin would be first-choice until he falters. Again, I would rotate Mathieu Debuchy in every now and then, but I think Arsenal should mirror what Chelsea did with Cesar Azpilicueta and give the youngster a real chance to develop into a star at a young age. However, I think Debuchy will be preferred, if only because Wenger will want to redeem his buying the Frenchman. And don’t forget about old Carl Jenkinson. He wouldn’t be a bad option, though he’s likely off on loan again.

And lastly, this summer has seen the departure of some formerly beloved figures. It’s never easy to say goodbye, but for me, Lukas Poldoski was a favorite. I will always wonder what could have been had he really been given a chance to succeed. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a truly loyal athlete – one who loves their team and club as much as I do. And Podolski was that player. I’ll miss him dearly. And sadly, this was the end also for Abou Diaby. There is no story more tragic in football than his. I wish him only the best as he goes forward, and I hope Arsenal fans treat him as one of their one forever.

Until next time. Football season (of both kinds) is close.

 


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The Magic and Allure of a Day at Wimbledon

Studying in Cambridge, England for the remainder of the summer as of a week ago, I am now devoid of the means to watch sports. I knew time zones would be an issue for watching baseball, and none of the legal streaming sites would work overseas, but I figured I’d be able to find Wimbledon and the World Cup on TV at pubs. Little did I know, the concept of a sports bar does not exist in Cambridge. I can follow free agency on Twitter to my heart’s content, but forget about trying to watch a baseball game.

However, this past Saturday, I made my first ever trip to Wimbledon. I got up at 6:30, put on by far the dressiest clothing I’ve worn to a sporting event, and headed for the train. Three hours later, and three highly functional and pleasant train rides away, I stepped off the train at Southfields Station to a find a sea of people eagerly heading for the grounds. I knew Wimbledon was not a large city, but the small-town feel as I walked along the sidewalk surprised me a little. I was expecting Foxborough, but it wasn’t even close.

Queuing is a concept I became quite familiar with at the London Olympics in 2012. The Brits love their queues. But “The Queue” at Wimbledon blew my mind. Imagine Krzyzewskiville times a hundred. The lines behind gates stretched what had to have been a half-mile. I was both impressed and dismayed by the magnitude of it. Americans wouldn’t dream of a set-up like this, because who has the patience to spend more than a day in lines for a ticket that doesn’t even guarantee you will get to see a match you’d like. As I walked on the other side of the gate, I felt particularly grateful to have a ticket waiting for me.

I had to pick my ticket up at The Wimbledon Experience tent, which turned out to be a tea room connected to The Gatsby Club. A particularly pompous looking group of people in their blazers and straw-hats queued outside it, waiting to be served their English breakfasts. I got inside the gates to the grounds maybe four minutes after they’d opened, but didn’t know that if I wanted to see any tennis on the side courts, I had to act fast. Within seconds, Court 2 was full. Then I went to 3 and that line was full. Even the courts without much seating were quartered in by spectators watching 10-year olds play. Resigned to defeat at my hopes for watching play for the hour before I went into Centre Court, I headed for the museum. Highlights there included a 3D video that sent chills through my body and a display that claimed lawn tennis was invented “to give young boys and girls the opportunity to meet and flirt.”

I expected Centre Court to feel a little bit like Fenway Park. An old building devoid of the modern innovations designed for comfort, but pleasantly intimate. But as I climbed the steps and went into a hallway devoid of concessions and bathrooms, I felt like I was in another age. The white walls and low ceilings led me to my section where I got my first glimpse of the grass. That feeling of first seeing the court and getting an indescribable rush is one only a most ardent sports fan could understand. A friendly Canadian couple wearing matching purple Roger Federer polo shirts and hats were in the seats next to me as I arrived, and they proceeded to talk to me nonstop up until the start of the first match. I was hoping to see some royals or celebrities in the Royal Box, but instead it was a day for famous British athletes. Justin Rose, Luke Donald and Graeme Le Saux were the ones I recognized.

Up first was Federer against the powerful Aussie Sam Groth. As the match began, I was struck immediately by the behavior of the crowd. Everybody was absolutely silent. And I mean everybody. The chair umpire did not have to say, “Thank you. The players are ready” even once. When Roger stepped up to serve, we watched. At the US Open, people shout out “Let’s Go Roger!” in the seconds leading up to the serve, but not here. It was only respect. That respect carried across all matches, male and female. I can count on my hands the number of times somebody yelled out in the middle of a game. Even change-overs were relatively quiet. One thing that surprised me was that apparently you aren’t supposed to cheer at all when somebody misses a shot. We were only supposed to cheer for winners.

One of my favorite things about the crowd was that it felt like we were in this together. All 15,000 of us. Everybody was on the edge of their seat for the points, even if the cheers weren’t especially loud. When the Australians began to sing a song for Groth during a change-over, there was a collective shushing from the crowd, not the ushers. And when there was cause to laugh, we all laughed. It was entirely unlike America. Perhaps it was because no music played or there was no big-screen to steal attention, or perhaps it was because everybody was really into the tennis, but I felt for the first time at a sporting event that the crowd was an entity rather than a group of individuals.

Despite dropping the third set to the dismay of the Canadians next to me, Federer impressed me. I’d seen him play once before, but that didn’t temper my excitement for watching the greatest Wimbledon champion ever play on his home court. He is the most graceful athlete I’ve seen. It’s all so clean and classy, yet powerful and overwhelming. As I watched him leave the court, I had the sudden realization that this was likely the last time I’d ever see him play. This was my goodbye to an athlete that might be the greatest to ever play the game I love.

Everyone cleared out for tea but I stayed in my seat for the Petra Kvitova match against Jelena Jankovic. I wasn’t too excited about this match comparatively, but it turned out to be a thriller. Down and out, Jankovic crawled back and ground her way into a third set, before breaking the spirit of Kvitova late on and taking her down. I was quite entertained by the way the man in front of me, dressed in coat and tie, kept referring to Kvitova as “our Wimbledon champion,” a title she’d earned last year.

Last but not least was British and Wimbledon hero Andy Murray taking the court against Andreas Seppi, a match I was looking forward to since I saw the draw and knew I might see. I wondered what seeing him in front of his adoring fans would be like. I expected roars for every winner, passionate standing ovations and general enthusiasm. And in the warm-up, I could feel the buzz crescendoing. Yet when the match started, the crowd went quiet. Everyone cheered for Murray, and the support was undying and boundless, but still, it never boiled over like it would have in America. Beyond hearing a “Let’s Go Andy!” from a little kid every few points, one wouldn’t have known he was the sporting hero of nearly everyone in attendance. They’d clap for a Seppi winner in fact. It was fascinating how they showed their support, even as he dominated and advanced.

As the sun set, and I left the grounds, I thought about how un-American my 4th of July had been. Nothing about Wimbledon reminded me of home. The charm was undeniable, and the experience of it all was a one-of-a-kind. I don’t think I could stand the queues, and I like moments at sports events where passion erupts in the stands. But I hope this place never changes. I want to bring my future kids there some day and hand our tickets to the active serviceman who act as ushers. I want them to see the grass and the whites for the first time. I want it all to stay the same.

Now my sports bucket list is one crucial item shorter, with another being crossed off in two weeks time when I will head to Scotland for the final Sunday at The Open at St. Andrew’s. I’ve heard I should expect a similar crowd there, so I am eager for another British sporting experience.


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Pixar Returns to Its Glory – My Review of Inside Out

[Some spoilers included]

I am not a movie guy except when it comes to Pixar. When one of the main honchos came to Davidson this fall to talk about the math behind their animation, I dropped everything to get to the lecture. I even wrote a college essay about my love for Pixar, talking about how Woody helped form my identity and personality. But maybe because I haven’t loved any of their last three films, I have been quite skeptical of Inside Out since I first heard about the concept years ago. And with the release of the worryingly bad trailer of The Good Dinosaur, the next film – and the one that was scheduled to come out in 2014 before getting scrapped and entirely remade with a different director – I was beginning to accept that the end was coming for the Pixar dynasty. A lot rode on Inside Out.

In an age with increasingly few original ideas in filmmaking, notably at Pixar, Inside Out was refreshingly different in every way imaginable. This was an idea up with the very best. Somebody hit gold. But while the idea and backdrop for the story were so interesting and clever at every turn, the movie stood out to me in how it made its larger points.

Those larger points the film made about life, emotion and memory never felt preachy, as the questions the movie asked weren’t explicit. The film separated itself from its own plot, which felt strangely secondary, instead offering these questions by approaching its characters in a unconventional way. The characters represented concepts and thought patterns more than they did typical characters. Characters such as Anger, Disgust and even Riley, the subject of the film, hardly left a mark, and weren’t developed like in a typical movie. But as suggested by the characters being humanized emotions, the film was about emotion itself rather than its characters, which was embodied by the entire cast and the design.

So when Riley’s imaginary pseudo-elephant Bing Bong sacrificed himself for Joy’s sake, the sadness I felt wasn’t about the loss of his character, but rather about the stark realization in one’s own mind that some of our most treasured childhood memories and possessions are meant to be left behind. One criticism I’ve heard of the movie is that it’s slow at times. But I appreciated that in a way, because impactful scenes like the one described above weren’t followed by another action scene. Rather, they were followed by moments when I as a viewer could allow myself to reflect.

And I thought the message was rather astute, and one not often spoken about. Sadness is not all bad after all. Being happy is good, but we need the full range of emotions in order to appreciate what is most meaningful. And without being sad, we would lose some aspects of our ability to communicate. When does Hollywood ever tell us that?

This was not your typical movie for many reasons like that. The pacing was funky with the two and sometimes three parallel storylines. The characters didn’t all need to be developed. But everything was intentional and made to allow people to think about their own childhood and relationships. I left wondering what my pillars are and which memories are at my core. How does that shape me? And how does time work into this all? I found the scene were she was asleep and the train of thought stopped particularly intriguing in that sense.

I certainly won’t remember this movie for the characters. There’s no Woody for toddlers to love. Joy was not especially compelling. And without those characters, I would imagine that this movie won’t be as meaningful for the younger crowd. But this is so much more than a kids movie. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it was not made for kids, despite its label. This is a film for everyone willing to think and reflect.

But none of that took away from the emotion in the film itself, which had moments that rivaled those of the most tear-jerking Pixar films. Between Bing Bong’s disappearance and Riley’s return home, this film made you feel the emotions it commented on. And those scenes were doubly powerful in that aforementioned connection everyone can feel to similar situations.

The film easily could have felt gimmicky. With every new place the characters ventured in the mind, there was more potential to make jokes and do things that no films had done before. But I thought the director toed, who also did Monsters Inc. and Up that line perfectly, utilizing the land that was made but rarely letting it distract from the point of the movie. Notably, impressive and clever things like their looks into the minds of animals were saved for the end credits. Sure there were a few gimmicks thrown in at times to show off, but it didn’t get distracting. And there were quite a few funny moments through it all.

In the box office in its opening weekend, the film was a smash hit, breaking records for the highest opening weekend for a film with an original idea of any genre, surpassing Avatar. Despite losing out to Jurassic World for the top spot, the film is Pixar’s 2nd highest grossing at this stage, behind only Toy Story 3. It seems people are eager to refill the void there’s been since Pixar stopped making truly great films a few years ago.

Looking forward at the wave of sequels on Pixar’s upcoming schedule, I am especially grateful that Pixar took a chance on this one and made something truly different. They knocked it out it of the park, putting it alongside Wall-E, Toy Story, Finding Nemo and the greats of the last two decades. I thoroughly enjoyed everything that Inside Out did.

What did you think of the film? Please comment below.