Isn’t it ironic how one of the least appreciated sports in America is far and away the most popular sport around the world? I am of course referring to soccer, not tennis (although I would argue that the latter falls under the same category). As I did in my previous sports post concerning tennis, I will begin with the local scene and move on to the international level.

This weekend I attended a charity tournament in which my organization, Cheshire Homes, was being represented by one of the teams who happened to advance all the way to the finals. The team was comprised of members from a local drinking club who love to donate things to Cheshire. Yes, they are in fact a drinking club with a social conscience. It was a fun event to be at, especially because they won, but mostly because the whole group would sing and dance after every goal. They allowed me to join in some of the excitement, and no fewer than ten inebriated old guys hugged me and said how happy they were to win the prize money for Cheshire. It was also enjoyable because I was able to share the experience with my favorite co-workers.

The weekend prior to this, I went to WorldCup Qualifying match with my friend Trevor. It was Swaziland versus Zambia. The whole country has been very excited about the possibility of moving forward in the qualifying rounds. We arrived at the national stadium plenty early and were rewarded (or punished depending on which way you look at it) with seats smack-dab in the middle of the soccer hooligans section. Craziness ensued. We both almost got crushed at one point. Thankfully the score ended in a draw which is probably the only reason why we survived.

And finally, the biggest international game in the past month was the UEFA Championship between Manchester United and Chelsea. Obviously I didn’t attend this one, but I did watch it on TV. The main reason why I mention it, though, is to tell about the friend who watched it with me. His name is Wamukelwe and he has been going through rehabilitation at Cheshire Homes since February. He is a young guy who likes to joke about things, so we get along quite well. We even used to play wheelchair basketball together, but as you can see from the pictures below, he’s progressed to the point where he no longer uses a wheelchair. So now we just joke together and quote rap lyrics. We also talk about girls. And by the way, he’s an amazing dancer…even when he was in a wheelchair.

his name is pronounced MOO-GHELL-OH

one of his famous dance moves