Weekend Watch: Who Turned out the Lights?

By: Bob | June 22nd, 2007

In the slow days of summer you could theoretically spend your weekends exercising, lounging on a beach or even reacquainting yourself with the family you abandoned during the previous football season. But that wouldn’t be any fun. Instead, roll up your sleeves, fire up the Internet and satellite dish, and search for games involving grown men in shorts kicking a ball. Here are a few that might be worth a glance this weekend.

Saturday

Sevilla v Getafe - They might have been edged out for the top spot in Spain, but UEFA Cup winners Sevilla can still secure a double with a victory over Getafe in the Copa del Rey final. Sevilla have won the trophy three times but haven’t lifted it since 1948. Getafe have never won a major trophy.

Metapan v Once Municipal - In the first leg of the Primera Division de El Salvador semifinals Once Municipal came out on top 2-1. Now they must close out the deal on the road against Metapan, a team that was founded in 2000 and who has a jaguar as a mascot and whom I know nothing more about than that.

Netherlands v Serbia - If you haven’t been following the European U-21 championships you’ve missed out on dramatic penalty kicks and racist chants controversies. Will there be more excitement in today’s final? Probably not, but the Dutch have plethora of young players who might just amount to something some day.

Sunday

Godoy Cruz de Mendoza v Huracán - Once a premier team in Argentina, today Huracán is playing a promotion playoff to regain a spot in the country’s top division. Your Wikipedia fact of the week: “Huracán’s fans are also called Quemeros (”burners”) because years ago there was a garbage burning station at the present location of the Stadium.”

Kansas City v Houston - If you tune into only one MLS game on Sunday tune into this one. Ok, that isn’t fair. This is the only MLS game on Sunday. It still should be a good one with Kansas City fighting for first in the east and Houston starting to come on strogn in the west. Plus you can play the always entertaining game of “count the fans” at Arrowhead Stadium. That usually takes at least five minutes.

United States v Mexico - It isn’t the dream Canada-Guadeloupe final that the tournament organizers wanted, but having these two rivals square off for the Gold Cup should be just fine. The US are the tournament holders and have won it three times. Mexico has won it four times. Neither team was especially impressive in the semifinals. The US is playing on its home soil but that doesn’t seem to matter when you have more Mexican fans in the stands.