Scratch One Off The Bucket List
Last Monday, I was able to scratch a big item off my bucket list. I attended a Liverpool Football Club game in person. Liverpool FC came to my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri on August 1, 2016 to play a preseason game with AS Roma. My daughter Caity attended the match with me, which made the day extra special.
I worked with great guy named Mike in 1998. Mike was a Londoner, who moved to the United States. Mike convinced me to watch the 1998 World Cup, which turned me into football fan. During the 1998 World Cup, I followed England because Mike was an Englishman.
Caity and Me After Liverpool vs. AS Roma in St. Louis
In 1998, an 18-year-old Michael Owen was one of the featured strikers on the English team. Michael Owen played for Liverpool, which became my team, when I started watching the English Premier League during the 1998-1999 season.
Caity was only 4 years old but she started watching football, or soccer as we call it in the United States, with me on Saturday. As she got older, she adopted Liverpool as her team too.
A few years ago, St. Louis began hosting club preseason games between European clubs. A couple of Premier League teams came to St. Louis but not Liverpool. Caity and I always said we had to go if Liverpool came to town. On August 1, 2016, Liverpool did indeed come to St. Louis.
I bought us tickets next to Big Mac Land in the New Busch Stadium. We had dinner at Fitz’s Root Beer in the Delmar Loop before heading Downtown. It must have felt like a home game for Liverpool because 80 to 90 percent of the fans were wearing Liverpool jerseys or red t-shirts with Liverpool scarves.
The first half of the game was exciting. AS Roma scored first, when Edin Dzeko exploited a hole in Liverpool’s central defense to score the first goal. I didn’t want Roma to win but they played a pleasing style of football.
My first and hopefully last selfie. I’m not a good picture taker like Tam and Caity.
Liverpool was playing hard and matched Roma’s intensity. Sheyi Ojo, who stood out on the field during the first half, scored the first half equalizer at the beginning of stoppage time.
When the team came out for the second half, Liverpool had substituted the whole first team. AS Roma still had many of their first team on the field. I told Caity we may not be able to hold the draw. A few minutes later, AS Roma went up 2-1, which was the final score.
I wanted Liverpool to win but was hardly crushed. I shook hands with an AS Roma fan sitting in the same row. We agreed it was a good game.
If Liverpool had lost 5-0, I would have been excited to see them in person. Watching the game with Caity meant it would be a memorable day for us no matter the outcome. A competitive and well-played first half was a cherry on the cake.
Liverpool vs. AS Roma will be a great memory for Caity and I for many years to come. And I think Liverpool FC TV has two new subscribers.
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