He has a problem with his calf. That evens things back up. Normally I’d pick Germany, but Spain has been playing so well. And you’ve gotta favor Casillas in goal as opposed to Lehmann.

Oh, and espn.com has a front page story about how the stadium in Vienna… was used as a gigantic prison to hold Jews at the beginning of the Holocaust. Way to set the tone, guys.

I woke up at 8:00 on a Sunday for the first time in I don’t know how long in eager anticipation of the game, which started at noon. Normally I drive to Estadio RFK, but since there was going to be a big crowd (plus a Nats game), I took the Metro. It was great to see so many United jerseys on the platform (one little girl was wearing a Beckham jersey, and I shot her a sneer). I kept listening to “If the Kids Are United” by Sham 69 on my iPod to pump me up.

I got to the tailgate only about an hour before gametime, but still managed to drink a goodly number of Sam Adams Summer Ale and Bell’s Ale in the parking lot. Gotta say, the Screaming Eagles tailgate was in fine form, starting at 8:00 AM and offering mimosas, as well as kegs of Guinness, Bass, Stella, and those other beers I had. Throw in a couple brats, and it’s a good day’s eating and drinking before noon.

We made our way into the stadium, and it was a great sight to see the upper bowl filled as well as the lower bowl. All told, there were 36,000 people on hand for the game. There were some particularly good signs taunting Beckham. One had a picture of Victoria, and said, “I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER?” I thought of shortstop. The best was one that said, “Shouldn’t you be in Austria?” The Barra Brava, one of the other supporters clubs, unfurled a new giant banner which had a picture of a lion flanked by the number 14, to honor Ben Olsen. Olsen is the kind of scrappy, gritty player that is drooled over in many a pressbox. He’s the heart and soul of the team, and made MLS’s Best XI team last year. But he’s been out all season after undergoing ankle surgeries. So for that much effort to honor a guy who hasn’t even played this year—it gave me goosebumps.

The crowd was so worked up. I was standing on my seat and jumping up and down when it started to give. I thought to myself, “Fuck it,” and jumped as hard as I could, snapping the seat off. It was the first time I’ve ever damaged part of a stadium, but I would hold the seat up in triumph every time United scored.

The game got underway, and United immediately took a lead. Santino Quaranta was pushed from behind in the penalty area (legitimate foul, no dive), and Jaime Moreno calmly slotted home the penalty to add to his MLS record of goals scored. Edson Buddle drew the Galaxy even on a ball that the United defense whiffed on. Buddle has bounced around from four different teams in the last four years, but has put it all together this year. The goal was his 10th of the season, putting him in second place, behind teammate Landon Donovan.

But United have their own goalscorer. Last year’s MVP, Luciano Emilio has been on fire, and ended up scoring twice in this game. That put him level with Buddle at 10 goals on the season, but nine of Emilio’s goals have come in the last six games. Astonishing, especially considering how terrible he was playing for the first half of the season. Now he’s back in goalscoring form and United look unbeatable.

Marcelo Gallardo scored the other goal for United, who won the match 4-1. Gallardo is United’s “designated player, ” and was signed using the so-called Beckham Rule. He actually played against Beckham in World Cup ‘98, where Beckham got a red card for kicking an Argentine player on the ground, and Gallardo converted one of the penalty kicks that helped eliminate England from the tournament. Gallardo got the better of him again today, and also backhanded Landon Donovan, drawing blood.

The best moment came in the 75th minute when the crowd noticed Ben Olsen warming up on the sidelines. Yup, the injured heart of United was going to play! He came on for Jaime Moreno, who passed him the captain’s armband, and the stadium erupted in cheers. The lion banner started flying again, along with the words “Ben Olsen has the heart of a lion.” Again, goosebumps. It was a brilliant move. How do you counteract the Beckham effect on a crowd? Bring in your team’s most beloved player for his season debut.

It was a fantastic game, and some of the most fun I’ve ever had at any sporting event. I know I can go on about soccer a lot on a baseball blog, but games like this really illustrate why I love it as much as I do.

And oh hey, the Reds won. Excellent.