Champions League

Soccer here is big - no surprise. We heard that Real Madrid, the New York Yankees of soccer, was playing a German team on TV, so last night Bryce and I went out to the Red Bar across the street to catch the last part of the game. It turns out that Real Madrid, along with their rivals FC Barcelona (the Boston Red Sox of soccer), are contending for the Champions League title. Bayern Munich and Chelsea are the other two teams left.

Watching in the bar is a great way to enjoy the game, and Bryce and I have now been out twice - tonight we saw the end of the FC Barcelona and Chelsea match. Watching in a public place is definitely more fun, and since kids are allowed in bars here, Bryce gets to enjoy the action too.  This bar was relatively unpacked, and we order food/drinks while we watch.  It's a lot of fun for us, and I get to explain soccer to Bryce, who hasn't played much and doesn't know a lot of the rules.  He enjoys watching the games though, and he's particularly keen on asking why players get yellow cards. 

I researched the Champions League, and it's pretty interesting in how it works. After a World Cup style round robin group of four, the top two teams in each division advance to elimination rounds.  Two games are played, one in each teams home stadium, and the scores of both games are combined to determine the winner.  If it's tied, the team with the most "away goals" - goals scored while playing as a visitor - is the winner. If there is still a tie, they go to a penalty kick playoff. The final two teams play a single game on May 19, and this is apparently the single most watched sporting event in the world. The tournament starts in November.