Weekend Watch: Turn on, Tune in

Good gravy it is about time for the weekend to roll around. Those hours toiling away for the man are fun and all, but it is time to get down to the serious business of watching football. Here is a randomly selected group of games that you should keep an eye on while you root, root, root for your favorite team.

Saturday

Stenhousemuir vs. East Stirling – Your Wikipedia fact of the week about Scottish Third Division club Stenhousemuir: Founded in 1884, they play at Ochilview Park (capacity 3776 of which 626 seated). Their nickname is “The Warriors”, and the team’s mascot is “Wullie the Warrior”, a viking-like figure with round shield and horned helmet. Through much of its history the team has languished in the relative obscurity of the lower leagues of Scottish football. They are currently in seventh place in the 10-team league.

AlbinoLeffe vs. Brescia – In 1998, two clubs from neighboring Italian towns, Albinese Calcio and S.C. Leffe, merged into one Serie C2 club. The merger has done AlbinoLeffe well and now they are in Serie B where they are flirting with a promotion playoff. The club, by the way, plays its matches in Bergamo because the stadium in Leffe only hold 2,600 people.

O’Higgins vs. Lota Schwager – Through five games in Chile’s Premier Division Lota Schwager have not shown a lota swagger. They are in last place with just a mere two points to their name after returning the Primera for the first time in 18 years.

Sunday

Numancia vs. Vecindario – Somebody has to finish in last place in the Spanish Second Division and that somebody is likely to be Vecindario this year. Players from other teams around the league will be disappointed next year when they don’t get to go to the Canary Islands to play the team, which is based on Gran Canaria.

Melgar FBC vs. Total Clean – Coming off their historic first ever win in Peru’s top flight, the club formed by a local cleaning company goes on the road to face a Meglar club that has one of my favorite crests ever.

Luis Angel Firpo vs. Nacional 1906 – Club Deportivo L.A. Firpo plays in Usulutan, El Salvador. The club is named in honor of Luis Angel Firpo, who was a famous Argentine boxer who became the first Latin American heavyweight champion when he knocked out Jack Dempsey in 1923. Interesting to name a football club after a hero from another country, but Firpo must have been the man back in his day.

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Category: World Football