The French (Soccer Players) ... in New York?

3438640391?profile=original

Thanks to New York in French, I, like 2000 other members got free tickets to the French soccer Super Cup, the 2012 Trophée des Champions, which came to the Red Bull Arena for the first time ever in the United States this past Saturday, July 28th.

 

3438640529?profile=originalThe game, pitting Montpellier Hérault SC and Olympique Lyonnais was the annual kickoff to the French soccer season. Although it was the fourth consecutive year that the match was held outside of France, it was the first time that the match was played in a country that is not French speaking. 


Not only was the game my first soccer match, but it was also the first time that I had experienced such an animated crowd at a sports event: by the French chants and cheers, one could imagine himself actually seeing the game in France. Even those who were not French and those who did not even speak French were enthusiastically watching the game, including myself, who although never played or actively watched any sport in her life, decided to root for both teams, particularly after Montpellier scored the first goal of the game and I felt badly for Lyon - To my satisfaction and excitement, Lyon quickly tied the game right before halftime, leaving the crowd with enough anticipation to hardly move from their seats.

3438640635?profile=original 

If I knew more about the sport, I could probably go more into specifics about how the rest of the game played out; however, instead of pretending like I am a sports journalist, I am going to tell you what I think happened afterwards: both teams desperately tried to break the tie before the official end of the game, and by not doing so, left the outcome in the hands of the goalies, who would prevent the players from the opposing team from scoring penalty shots and winning the game. This is something that Lyon did well, winning the game with a final score of 2-2, defined on those penalty shots, 2-4.

3438640665?profile=original 

For me and perhaps for many others, this was the highlight of the game, creating a suspenseful end to the match and a wonderfully entertaining two hours. Thanks again, New York in French!   

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of New York in French to add comments!

Join New York in French

Comments

  • Merci tout le monde! - @Eric, thank you for your pictures and for filling in the gaps! :D

  • The best part the shoot out decides the match!
  • merci Earlene pour ces belles photos et ce post tres bien ecrit

  • Les échanges entre nations passent aussi par le sport; à cette occasion les distances linguistiques, culturelles sont oubliées pour réunir dans un même élan sportif tous les "fadas" du ballon rond et ceci dans la bonne humeur ( rare à notre époque où - même le sport- souffre de violences verbales et physiques ).

    Miracle de ce sport et de sa nouveauté en Amérique, même les indifférents,se sentent entraînés grâce à l'ambiance de ce moment si particulier: cris du public, bruits divers des supporters français venus soutenir leurs équipes. Beaux souvenirs.

  • new york in french merci c etai un bon match

  • I attended the match. My very first Ligue 1 live. Am a fútbol fan (not soccer, e.g. MLS), mostly EPL, and mostly follow Marseilles in Ligue 1. It was great. Thank you for the tickets. Sat by a corner flag. I wish I spoke French so that I could've had a friendly banter with some of the players doing a corner kick. Didn't know who to root for in the beginning, but when I realized there were more Lyon fans than Montpellier, I rooted for Montpellier. But it was a great game. Although Montpellier controlled the possession throughout the game, Lyon made the most of theirs and deserved the win. Both of Lyon's goals were beau-ti-ful. Will be watching more of Ligue 1 this season, esp. with PSG being the target for most of the teams.

    Some pics from the match. Merci, again.

    3439380925?profile=original3439379193?profile=original3439380940?profile=original

  • Great blog post! Thanks Earlene. Don't know much about soccer either but very interesting match! 

  • I went with 2 friends and also had a great time. We were so close to the action we could have reached out and touched the players - well almost. : ) Thank You to french in NY.

  • I went with my father and 2 friends. We had a great time. Thank you!!

  • Thank you, French in New York!  My son (soccer player for 19+ years) thoroughly enjoyed the treat. What a great offering.

This reply was deleted.

Visit our bookstore

 

 

Visit our store

Learn French