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Spain wins World Cup

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Blogs by Johanna Donovan

July 12, 2010 9:29 PM

Dispelling World Cup Hangover

While the excitement of a months worth of soccer begins to dim many of the fans in Montreal are already missing national coverage of their favourite game. Now they will have to go back to making an extra effort to follow their teams on the internet or other channels that sometimes cost a little extra.

At least in Montreal there is plenty of excitement to be had and to distract oneself until withdrawal symptoms fade.
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July 11, 2010 8:30 PM

Within touching distance

The phrase "within touching distance" was said many a time by the commentators of the games during the World Cup. So many dreams fell because of an inch or made it through to one more stage because of that same inch. And today it was Spain and the Netherlands that were in true touching distance from the ultimate goal.
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July 11, 2010 12:11 AM

Hula hoops and painted faces

Taking a break from the Montreal bar scene I headed out to Saint Michel where normally circus oriented TOHU was putting on the game on a giant screen. The striped circus tent peaking out from behind the screen and the distracting giant trapeze in the middle of the park told the story of the day. 
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July 10, 2010 11:52 AM

The girl in the men's dressing room

In honour of Soccer Day in Canada I'm going a little off the World Cup theme to just plain old soccer. I have often found myself (and I know this is not an experience unique to me) on the ice or the soccer field or in various athletic arenas the only female in sight. On this day I was on a mini soccer field in England again the only girl.
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July 9, 2010 8:30 PM

Favourite Montreal fan quotes

Soccer and the World Cup always provide great moments and great quotes! Here are some from Montreal fans throughout the tournament so far!
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July 9, 2010 2:56 PM

Favourite soccer and fan moments

Travel back through the tournament and savour the great and not so great memories. They will need to last you four years!
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July 7, 2010 7:41 PM

Braving the heat!

It wasn't just the stress of supporting their teams in the semi finals that fans in Montreal had to brave today. In the feels-like-40 weather Germany and a few Spanish fans sat on sunny terraces to watch the Euro final all over again.
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July 7, 2010 1:12 PM

All about Europe

This years World Cup went from South America dominated to being all about the European teams. No matter how the game today goes it will be an all European final. 
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July 6, 2010 6:18 PM

Hup Holland Hup

I don't know if it was the hazy heat in Montreal today or the fact that I was in sleepy Point Claire village out in the West Island but it was a slow start to the World Cup semi finals. Hanging out with Oranje fans at Clydes, a barn like bar, to watch the game it was a small river of orange taking over the bar.
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July 3, 2010 6:06 PM

Que increible!

What an incredible World Cup quarter finals. First the Dutch took down the mighty Brazilians. Then Ghana put up an incredible fight against Uruguay but went out in controversy. Today instead of the Dutch it was the Germans who took down the mighty Argentinians. And then this afternoon, in an emotional roller-coaster of a game, Spain finally made it through to the semi finals over Paraguay.
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July 3, 2010 5:22 PM

Soccer watching culture grows

Ever since the last World Cup, suddenly Germany has a fun, lively soccer watching culture, even all the way in Canada. In 2006, German fans turned out in droves to proudly wave their flag, something that hadn't really happened before, said Andreas Krätschmer, from the German-Canadian cultural organization StereoKultur. 
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July 2, 2010 8:30 PM

Goodbye Ghana

"It wasn't meant to be," said one fan a little dejectedly in the silence after the game. The Ghana fans took the loss better than I did, clapping for their team and quickly swallowing the bitter taste in their mouths to be proud of the last African stand in this World Cup. Only in 1990 did another African team, Cameroon, make it so far. It is unfortunate Ghana had to bow out in such a controversial, makes-your-blood-boil way.
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July 2, 2010 1:34 PM

Contagious Brazilian beats silenced

"I'm going to be Brazilian for one morning," said Marcel Jutras sipping a Brahma beer and standing just next to Le Bloco drumming group keeping the atmosphere alive.

Even the camera man from RDS was bouncing to the beat of the drums as he watched the crowd with one eye on the game to see when to film.
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June 29, 2010 1:58 PM

Feeling close to Paraguay

Passing around the terere, friends from Paraguay watched their team play against Japan. Some had only just arrived in Montreal in the past few days and in the midst of all the changes here at their friends Fatima and Daniel's house they could feel close to home again.
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June 28, 2010 5:52 PM

Bar divided

In many a World Cup game watching at various bars all over Montreal the crowd is often of one colour. Sometimes both teams are represented in the bar though usually one side outweighs the other. At Champs on St. Laurent today there was a healthy mix of Brazil and Chile fans trying to out cheer each other.
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June 27, 2010 5:16 PM

Becoming a fan

So far in this World Cup I have met fans from all walks of life who often have interesting stories as to how they became a fan of soccer or a particular team. One waitress this morning became a fan of England because "when England does well, I do well," she said. It was the same story for her during the playoffs with Les Habs.
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June 27, 2010 1:01 PM

Not a day for England

Many a time it's the people that come to something later in life that are the most passionate or devout, whether it's religion or the religion of soccer. My old soccer coach, Justin Genest, only started playing soccer at 17 years old and that's when he discovered the England side and Liverpool's (at the time) Michael Owen. Since then his life has revolved around soccer.


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June 26, 2010 7:16 PM

A day for Ghana

"When you're hungry you go play soccer and you feel free."
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June 26, 2010 11:41 AM

Staying local

What a great way to start my morning. I heard some young voices from the back of the bus I take every day to get to the nearest Metro singing the K'naan song Waving Flag. I went to the back and found four- year-old Quasy and five-year-old Camdyn singing together and they were (thankfully) not shy to sing for the camera. 
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June 25, 2010 5:22 PM

A family affair continued

I was delighted to see the Romero family again, this time supporting their real team among their own people. What a culturally aware and culturally exciting family.  
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June 25, 2010 12:59 PM

A family affair

Portuguese and Brazil families, mixed families and even families from different cultures turned out to watch the game with the Portuguese. Some were following their favourite players, others just soccer culture.
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June 24, 2010 7:56 PM

Fan sightings

In Little Italy in Montreal I had my first sighting of Paraguayan fans. A good group of them paraded on the street taking pictures in their colourful apparel. I will hopefully be watching Paraguay's next game with them at one of their homes. Paraguayans don't have a central spot to go to in Montreal and are a little spread out so this group makes an effort to come together.
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June 24, 2010 12:42 PM

Shades of blue

The streets are empty. The stores are closed. There is activity in the east of the city as the parade of giants gets ready to start. It's St. Jean Baptiste, Quebec's national holiday, and the city is shut down to its bare essentials. T

he parks have picnics and barbecues and little stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, Quebec themed and home made. Parts of Montreal are populated with hoards of people in blue and white and the fleur de lys painted on their cheeks. 

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June 21, 2010 10:00 AM

Access denied

Many World Cup fans have been taking advantage of the live streaming on the internet on their phones and computers during work hours but some have lost that privilege. 
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June 20, 2010 12:54 PM

The Aussie-Kiwi connection

New Zealand's tie with Italy felt like a win in the small pie shop in Montreal. Tourtiere Australienne (TA) is only three months old but is creating a buzz and a hub for the Aussies and Kiwis living in the city. Saturday the small shop was packed for the Australia vs Ghana game. Today with Father's day only a few fans showed up for New Zealand vs Italy, but the pie eating contest after the game drew a crowd.
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June 18, 2010 12:58 PM

An American fan

St. Laurent, nicknamed The Main in Montreal, is blocked off for several blocks, but not for the World Cup. Finding empty cafes, bars and restaurants I followed my ears to the bar playing the soccer game the loudest. Two people were watching the game and one of them was Jake, a masters student at McGill, from Chicago cheering on his team. I settled in to watch the game with him.

"They'll make the quarters," he predicted. "And if they finish at the top of this group - the semis." 
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June 18, 2010 12:20 PM

How refs can rule the game

Two games into the day and the surprising stories abound. I went out to check the Montreal famous Cafe Olimpico to try the coffee and watch the game. I arrived late to find Serbia up by one and Germany's Klose out of the game! The line up in the cafe was for the coffee not the game, but even the non-soccer fans were reacting to the cards dolled out by the referee. 

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June 17, 2010 12:45 PM

The Grandpas of soccer

Most of the crowds at the bars and community centres are young, but at Cafe Cozmos the average age is over 50 years old. The signs in the bar are written in Greek and the barmaid knows how her regulars like their coffee without having to ask.
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June 16, 2010 5:35 PM

A Spanish and emotional day

When I first arrived at Bar Enigma, the furthest up St Hubert I've ever been, I was excited to meet some Uruguayans and watch a good soccer game. Thinking in Spanish by this time of day after being surrounded by Chileans and Spaniards I chatted with the owner Gino Deni, born in Uruguay to an Italian and a Spaniard, in Spanish until we switched to French.

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June 16, 2010 1:17 PM

Some Tapas with your soccer?

I'm sitting by a metro station being serenaded by an accordion playing "Oh Champs Elysses." I feel like I'm in France, and that I'm arriving after just being in Spain, when really I've just come from the Club Espagnol du Quebec and I'm sitting outside Mont Royal Metro in the Plateau of Montreal.

By the end of the World Cup I might not know which country I'm in anymore since I keep finding little pieces of the world in every nook and cranny of the city.

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June 16, 2010 12:33 PM

Three ways to culture

There is no better way to start the day than in a little Chilean restaurant, Coins du Canard, eating a cheese empanada and listening to the soccer game in Spanish.

The fans were a bit sleepy but a few bouts of "Chi - Chi - Chi - L - E - Viva Chile!" occasionally livened them up. I asked one fan what he was eating and he told me it was lomito, a sandwich with Chilean bread, pork, avocado and mayonnaise.
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June 15, 2010 5:02 PM

Finally some fans! Part 2

During the second half of Brazil vs North Korea I finally found the real action. At Bayou Brazil restaurant it was a constant party throughout the game. Packed to overflowing people were dancing to the drums even in the cramped space.
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June 15, 2010 2:50 PM

Finally some fans!

The day started off a bit slow. I watched the first game of the day with one Slovak fan and only a few more turned out for Cote D'Ivoire. At least at La Maison D'Afrique I got to try some bissap, a juice made from boiled dried hibiscus flower with added sugar, vanilla and almond.

Then, in the tiny café Chez Brésil in Montreal, I finally found a good group of fans who gathered for the afternoon game against North Korea.

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June 15, 2010 10:11 AM

Unlikely pair

I went looking for some New Zealand fans and ended up finding an unlikely pair watching the game at Champs Bar in Montreal. Brano Krehel visiting from Slovakia for the Grand Prix was watching the game with Jesse Rangel from Panama. Jesse works at the hotel where Brano has stayed many times on his visits to Montreal, an avid hockey, nascar and soccer fan.
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June 13, 2010 5:52 PM

Cultural awakenings

When running into German Literature professor Jürgen Heizmann on the metro as he was on his way to watch Germany play Australia, we got to talking about culture, Montreal and soccer. Many ethnic groups congregate in certain areas in Montreal until they create places like Little Italy, Little Maghreb and China Town. But where is Little Germany? There are thousands of Germans and German descendants in Montreal but perhaps because they are not a visible minority and "blend in" better they are more dispersed.
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June 13, 2010 5:23 PM

World Cup interference

In Montreal there are so many festivals and events going on that it can be difficult to choose what to do first, or instead, or at all. The Grand Prix is bringing in fans of soccer but taking their attention away from the games.
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June 13, 2010 10:37 AM

Rhythms of Algeria subdued

The cafes in Little Maghreb, a strip of Jean Talon street in Montreal, were full of Algeria fans for this mornings game against Slovenia. The drums often got the fans clapping to the beat, or the other way around.  The street, the cars, the cafes were decked out in Algeria's colours and when the game was on, the streets were empty.
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June 12, 2010 6:39 PM

Footie and Charity

"This is insane," said Paul Desbaillets, one of the managers of the two-year-old Burgundy Lion in Montreal, as he squeezed through a crowd to bring food to a table. The pub is an openly, unashamedly England supporter hub, though they do show the rest of the games because if there is anything above the England squad, it's football (oops! soccer) in general. 

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June 12, 2010 8:30 AM

Korean for the day

"Dae Han Min Kuk! Dae Han Min Kuk!"

I couldn't help cheering along this morning at Atti Cuisine Coreenne: "Republic of Korea!"
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June 11, 2010 3:09 PM

The French vibe

I was curious to see whether I would be hearing fluid France French or lively Quebecois French when I went to watch France vs. Uruguay at La Barouf in Montreal. Instead I found a mix, even an Englishman and Spaniard switching between French and English with their French friends. It was a different vibe going from hanging out with a slew of Mexicans to a slew of les francais
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June 11, 2010 12:11 PM

Mixed emotions for game one

From where I watched game one I was torn between cheering with the passionate Mexico fans in Montreal and being ecstatic for South Africa on a great performance. 
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June 11, 2010 10:00 AM

First game first goal

It took Mexico fans in Montreal a minute to realize that their team's goal was called back because Carlos Vela was called offside, and the bad news (for Mexico) continued after South Africa scored the first real goal of the World Cup 2010.
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June 10, 2010 5:19 PM

Useful World Cup links

It's rainy, ugly weather in Montreal today and with The Grand Prix and TransAmerique and Francofolies festivals in the way, most World Cup fans are probably glued to their TVs or computers to find out what's going on. Thankfully, there are so many ways to follow the action that, except for atmosphere and face-to-face human contact, you never have to leave your screen.
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June 9, 2010 3:22 PM

Movement, masks and metaphors

An art exhibit isn't the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the fast approaching World Cup. But, taking a step back from all the excitement provides an interesting look at the world's favourite game pre-mayhem.

Just in time for the great event, Montreal-born artist Eugene Abrams put together "The Soccer Ballet," an entire exhibit dedicated to his favourite childhood game.
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