USA 1 : Italy 0

Patrick and Sam checking out the field before the match.

LAST WEDNESDAY PATRICK and I got to do something really fun.  My friend Dave (family blog here) called me last Monday and suggested we take our oldest sons to the USA-Italy soccer match that was taking place just a couple hours from here in Genoa, Italy.  Because I was scheduled to take an 8:00am flight to Geneva on Thursday and I knew we wouldn't get home from the match until about 2:00am, I said I probably wouldn't be able to go.  Dave -- appropriately -- suggested I was being a pansy and said I should go anyway.   I changed my mind  (it's stunning, actually, to see how easy it is to get me to do sports-related things).  That was a great decision.

Patrick and I after the match (notice my home-made
American flag shirt.  Classy).

We had a blast!  We drove together -- munching on unhealthy (and some not so unhealth) food, talking sports, listening to music, and generally teasing Patrick and his son Sam the whole way to Genoa.  Once the match started we sat back and enjoyed a little bit of history.  We watched as the United States defeated Italy for the first time...ever.  A nice second-half goal by Clint Dempsey was the winner. The stadium in Genoa is called Stadio Luigi Ferraris and it was first opened in 1911.  And while the seats were a bit small and there was absolutely no leg room, every seat was great (including ours) and the atmosphere was terrific.

What a great night in Genoa.

Italy (left) and the US (right) during the national anthems.