What? Or should I say, “¿Qué?”
Today, in addition to the usual European league action, we have the first leg of the Copa Libertadores Final.
To the unfamiliar, this is the South American version of the Champions League. While the Champions League crowns its champion in one game held at a neutral site, the Copa Libertadores requires a Home and Away two-legged final.
The two teams in the final this year are Boca Juniors and River Plate, both from Argentina, both from Buenos Aires, both started in the same La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires, and both a part of the greatest rivalry in South American sports, if not the world.
This is like Madrid-Barça, PSG-OM, or América-Chivas but in the same neighborhood with all the class, political, and sporting divisions those other rivalries entail.
Boca was the club of Diego Armando Maradona. It is the club of the poor working class. It is known for the toughness of its players and for the suffocating atmosphere in its stadium, La Bombonera (the chocolate box), the site of today’s game and named for its box-like shape that keeps in and amplifies the sound of the fiery Boca fans.
River is nicknamed Los Millonarios, the millionaires, and play their games in El Monumental, a massive stadium (the largest in Argentina) that regularly hosts the Argentinean National Soccer Team. The fans are stereotypically upper class or wannabe upper class but in reality just as passionate and just as fierce as Boca’s.
You can see where this is going.
Books have been written about this rivalry. If you watch one game today, I highly recommend you watch this one. South American fútbol is crazy enough as it is, but the intensity and emotion for this game will be at an all-time high.
Did I mention that this is the first time in history they have faced each other in the Copa Libertadores Final?
The game starts at 11 AM Pacific, 1 PM DFO time on Fox Deportes.
Here’s something to help you decide who to root for:
Here is the rest of today’s schedule (all times Pacific):
A close second for Match of the Day is the Borussia Dortmund – Bayern Munich clash on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Deportes. On any other weekend, this is the one to watch. Luckily, the timing works such that we can watch both, back to back.
I think we all know which channel I’ll be tuned to all morning, huh?
As if I needed to provide you any more motivation to watch Fox Deportes, I present to you:
Enjoy the games!
That’s AWESOME!
This Dortmund-Bayern game is pretty awesome!
Bayern is winning 0-1 at half.
In other news, the Boca-River game has been moved to tomorrow due to torrential rain coming down in Buenos Aires making the field unplayable.
24 more hours of hype? Can’t possibly end badly…
At least Harry Fuckface Kane is getting rained on by the bucketload
Dude I gotta work on my spanish. Fox deportes you now have my attention!
Don T and I will be happy to help!
I think I’m going to go buy Argentinean empanadas for lunch. .
Seems West Ham can’t put one past that vaunted Huddle House defense. Just fucking spiffy.
Also, who was the Bama RB who ran over Te’o on his way to the end zone on the first drive of the championship game that year. Henry? Richardson?
ETA: WOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2VEbdqo-Uw
He makes my giggle bone work.
@Hippo…
popped Cherry on the pitch
There’s a Boca Juniors restaurant/steakhouse in Queens. That is all I know about them.
Step 1: Buy a River Plate shirt
Step 2: Go get a steak
Step 3: BotG!!
But I like not being torn limb from limb!
That must be some good steak!
Can I have dibs on the middle lady? She seems fun. Probably has pill coneciones.
If she is in to bum stuff then I am sure Balls has her marked.
Hippo can have her. I’m more into blondie on the left.
Jamie Vardy…OFF the line??
/Looks for Copa in Canada. Nope
/you ready for some viruses computer?
Last year’s Championship viruses must be feeling pretty lonely by now.
Very true, don’t worry there will be next year against such world class sides as Rotherham and Bristol City….
/hold hand to imaginary earpiece
“I’m contractually obligated? Ok then.”
“Lesser Footy?”
ah’m a River Plate man!!
/because Everton bought a player from them once, and he was a right crazy fucker
River Plate? Is that like catfish and crawdads? – A. Reid
I don’t mean to be a bad influence, but I feel like this temperance thing is actually quite good for my health. I feel very good when I wake up in the mornings and my back has been hurting less than usual.
[huddle forms]
“I don’t know about this.”
“Shhhh! Keep your voice down!”
“He does contribute on a regular basis…”
“You heard him. Sober! SOBER! Consult the agreement.”
“I forgot it.”
“There’s no written agreement.”
“That’s what I forgot.”
[several rolling of eyes]
“We’re thru the looking glass here, folks. If he’s never hungover then why would he ever drink again? I’m scared. For him.”
“Leave him be. If he doesn’t come back we’ll just say he went upstate for a while. If he does come back no one will remember that he ever went away.”
“Remember what…?”
“Shhh! Here he comes..”
“Hey, RTD. What’s up? We weren’t talking about you.”
[sounds of groans]
THIS!
Cardiff City has to play Brighton *and* Hove Albion? That’s two against one! Just patently unfair.
That is why a Brighton or Hove or Albion player got sent off when he clearly got ball 1st. Refs trying to even it up smgdh.
Since I have given up on teh Mighty Whites I turn to see who our Young Boys will be vanquishing this week and it’s St. Gallen. That sounds like a normal name for the Swiss League.
Come on Young Boys! Wait, that doesn’t sound right.
Again- and I hate to be a stickler about this- you really need to stick a comma in there when you write “Come on, Young Boys.”
Would that be a cumma?
That could be a perfectly innocent reference to teenagers masturbating!
Stick a what in where now? – Marc T., Parts Unknown
In World Friendly news, Namibia is playing with itself again. Stop it, Namibia, just stop it.
That’s how Namibia went blind!