FORZA AZZURRI!!!

This is what it's all about. The World Cup. This is how I would like life to be all the time.

My flat has become the official World Cup den. I started with a World Cup kick-off party on Friday, and it's the regular spot everyday. Today was insane. How great was that Italia/Ghana game? I could barely handle it. Italia is my team - despite the disappointments of the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups, I stand by my boys. Today I had about ten people over, and only two of us were supporting Italy. OK, I usually always go for the underdog team too, but not today. While I'm happy that Ghana has made it to the World Cup for the first time, I'm not going to turn my back on Italia.

This was the first really good, high spirited game I've experienced thus far in this World Cup. This game really meant something to me. After four years of waiting for this energy again, coupled by the intense indoor heat in London without air conditioning, the tenseness of the first half of the game was almost too much for me to handle. But after the first goal I knew we had it. And it was a kick ass goal, too - I must say. And that second goal, I just lost it there. It's been a while since we've seen a goal like that - so easy and and calm. What a game. But I must give Ghana props - while their strikers were well off the mark every single time, they did a good job midfield throughout the game.

And just to make things all the nicer for me, just before the second goal they brought out Alessandro Del Piero. Del Piero is my man. I have loved him for years (and he's nice on the eyes too). That was just the icing on the cake for me.

After the game we walked down the street to Frith Street in Soho - a.k.a. Little Italy. Hung out around Bar Italia eating gelati and I was just in heaven, surrounded by azzurri shirts and happy Italians. For a while I felt like I was out of London and back in Italy - the country in which I have spent the last two World Cups. I hate not being there now. But London is fine because you find fellow supporters no matter what team you're with. I didn't know Bar Italia had a TV showing the games so that's where we'll be on Saturday night - on Frith Street, watching the game against USA. Gotta surround myself with my fellow Italians and Italo-philes, wearing my Del Piero shirt and cursing out the refs in Italian.

FORZA ITALIA!!