By Kirsten Schlewitz / Senior West Coast Beer and Aston Villa Correspondent
Whooohoo, we’ve reached the international break. Aren’t we
all excited? I know I am. And yes, I know this is a blog primarily devoted to
American soccer, but let’s face it, the USA are playing friendlies on Friday
and Tuesday, and there’s likely to be many more stories around here devoted to
the games against France and Slovenia.
I’d like to talk about the games that
matter – and players have left their
clubs for reasonable reasons. There are Euro 2012 playoff matches (France
qualified, Slovenia failed, hence the friendlies), as well as CONMEBOL 2014
World Cup qualifying. Therefore, it’s my job to give you a couple matches to
watch while you’re waiting for the USA to play, and the beer to drink with
them.
Friday, November 11
Uruguay vs. Chile - 4:00pm CT on your computer (boooooooooo)
Raise your hand if you’ve heard about all the drama
surrounding la roja. No? Well, let’s
cover that quickly. Five players (Arturo Vidal, Jean Beausejour, Jorge
Valdivia, Gonazlo Jara and Carlos Carmona) returned late to Chile’s training
base, breaking curfew after supposedly being at a baptism. Coach Claudio
Borghi, intent on instilling discipline, suspended the players, and has now
said they will not play again for the national team. That leaves Chile without
two significant starters – Vidal and Valdivia (Jara is out with a knee injury)
– in a significant match against the reigning South American champions. This…is
not going to go well. Did I mention Alexis Sanchez is hurt once again?
Nectar Ales "Red Nectar" (Paso Robles, CA): clearly we need a pretty red beer to
hold up for the poor Chile national team, and this one pours a red honey color.
The smell is appropriate to a beer called nectar, with plenty of roses, as well
as toasted malts. The taste is much like
the smell, with mostly citrus and floral hops, finished with just a bit of
sweetness. Plus, for some reason I feel little Alexi resembles the hummingbird
on this bottle, and his spirit needs to be present for this match.
Tuesday, November 15
Croatia vs. Turkey - 1:05pm CT (also on your computer)
After USA – Slovenia on Thursday, why not continue your long
lunch (and drinking session) by watching Croatia host Turkey in Euro 2012
qualification? This promises to be a pretty fantastic match. Turkey finished
runners-up to my personal favorites to take the crown, Germany. Croatia had a
bit of a meltdown, losing to Greece and missing out on the top spot in Group F.
But Ryan Rosenblatt assures
me that Luka Modric will save the Vatreni, which is actually a pretty awesome
sounding nickname. Plus, the absence of Real Madrid’s Nuri Sahin means the
midfield will essentially be controlled by little Luka (although some credit
should be given to stand-in Belozoglu Emre of Fenerbahce). So a small beer for
the little Croatian – not a real small beer, as I find no point in those, but a
nice session that’ll keep you going for another two hours.
Pike
Brewing "Kilt Lifter" Scotch Ale: In honor of an action I’m sure RyRy would
take for precious little Luka, I bring you this lovely red pour, with plenty of
head…it smells absolutely delicious, like pure butterscotch, which I can
totally imagine Modric smelling like. That and freshly mown grass and, ok, moving
on. This one also tastes of caramelly goodness, with a hint of spicy chili at
the finish. No, I’m not going there in relation to Mr. Modric. Sorry.
I may be a law student at Lewis and Clark, but soccer is my true love, with beer coming in a distant second. That's not to say I don't love beer--I've tasted over a thousand different brews, and listed many of them onRatebeer. Living in Portland, Oregon, I attend quite a few festivals and tastings, and am able to argue passionately about the merits of Cascade hops vs. Chinook.
As for the soccer, I'm the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Aston Villa site, 7500 to Holte, the Italy Editor for SB Nation Soccer, and cover the Seattle Sounders on SBN Seattle (don't judge--I'm from Seattle!) Finally, I write for Two Footed Tackle when I find words worthy enough for the site. Want more? Follow me on Twitter!
Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com
Hey what a brilliant post I have come across and believe me I have been searching out for this similar kind of post for past a week and hardly came across this. Thank you very much and will look for more postings from you. Beer Garden Table, beer tables and chairs set, bear table and Bench, beer garden table and benches, beer garden bench
ReplyDeleteOnline casinos offer players a few chances to improve their gameplay and up their stakes, for example, through competitions or point by point games like multi-reel openings. While it is tempting to play for large bonanzas, you should initially know the restrictions of your abilities and experience. Greater stakes mean more pressing factor, and new card sharks can be especially vulnerable to basic entanglements more experienced players know to keep away from. If you want to know more, Please check out here - agen bola88
ReplyDeleteHey what a brilliant post I have come across and believe me I have been searching out for this similar kind of post for past a week and hardly came across this. Thank you very much and will look for more postings from you Best soccer team tracksuits service provider.
ReplyDelete