Deadspin: champions league final

Sometimes It's Good To Be A Policia

DAULERIO — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:30:58 EDT

In Rome, Barca fans soaked in the victory at the Trevi Fountain and the police were on-hand in riot gear to make sure that if these two ecstatic young women started to kiss each other or disrobe, they'd be safe from bullets and billy clubs. (Courtesy WSJ's Awesomeness)

The weekend is upon us, finally. It's time to sit back and think about nothing for a full 48 hours. That is, of course, you have some sort of family emergency or relationship issue or fatal illness. That's probably a bit cumbersome on the weekend too.

Tomorrow: The Superstar Intern Ben Cohen earns his free pizza for working Saturday.

Sunday: Idiot Barking Dog.

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The Faces (And Belly) Of Disappointment For Man U

Dashiell Bennett — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:45:45 EDT

We've all been there—just be glad a professional photographer wasn't around to capture your lowest moment as a sports fan. (Caption: Disappointment was clear on the faces of Manchester United fans during the final minutes of the team's game against Barcelona Wednesday.) [Photo: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters/Wall Street Journal]

Barcelona and Manchester United Fight Over World's Remaining Marbles

Dashiell Bennett — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:00:00 EDT

I think I can say without hyperbole that for soccer nuts, today is like Christmas, Fourth of July, and the Super Bowl all rolled into one—only 100 million times bigger. It's the UEFA Champions League Final Day ... and you stupid Yanks are stuck at work!

How big is this game? The man you see in the picture here is the referee for tonight's match. He got to meet the Pope. The freakin' ref gets an audience with the Pope. That's how big.

(Also, there have been at least two stabbings in Rome today because of this game; one of the victims being an American who was mistaken for being British. Man, U.S. citizens just can't catch a break over there.)

Man U is the defending champion, has a 25-game league unbeaten streak, and the FIFA Player of the Year in Cristiano Ronaldo. Barcelona has two titles of their own, are reigning Spanish champs, and have the FIFA Player of the Year runner-up in Lionel Messi. Imagine if Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were on teams that were good enough to actually reach the pinnacle of their sport and it would still be nothing like this.

And that pretty much exhausts my knowledge of international soccer, but it's still exciting because I will watch any competition as long as it's on TV, especially when there's a chance that players, fans, coaches, announcers, and possibly a monarch or two will completely lose their shit at the outcome. (Just ask Chelsea.) So rejoice, hooligans! The comments belong to you now.

Gamecast: Barcelona vs Manchester United [ESPN GameCast]
Manchester United supporter stabbed in Rome [Guardian]
Champions League final one for the ages [The Roar]