Weekend Matches: May 19-20

I would like to begin today with a quick note about an invention called the “DVR” or Digital Video Recorder. I have commented to friends that said device has literally “changed my life” since it allows me to watch anything I want, when I want to watch it, without commercial interruption. This is a great thing especially for football fans, since many of the best matches come on the weekends when we should be mowing the lawn or taking our wives shopping or some such thing. (I presume, nay hope, that I might have one or two female readers; please excuse the sexism of the previous sentence.) Anyway, a DVR is great, since I can tape the games of a Saturday afternoon and watch them at my leisure, which is usually midnight on Sunday since I pretty much don’t have leisure time. However, there is a flaw in the DVR system. When you record a show, you essentially record a block of airtime on a channel; this is a system that works well for regularly scheduled programs that run at set schedules. It actually also works well for soccer, which rarely has “overtime” as American sports fans understand it. The exception, of course, are cup finals.

Which is what we had Wednesday with the UEFA Cup final held in Glasgow. Sevilla and Espanyol kicked off at 2:30 (EST) but I turned on my recording around 4. I saw an exciting game and the recording ran all to way to Kanute’s extra-time goal 105 minutes in. My recording then ended (ARRGGGHHH!) but I presumed Sevilla won. Of course I missed Espanyol’s classic equalizer and Sevilla’s eventually win in the shootout. The lesson: live by the DVR, but die by it as well.

This weekend has a great slate of games. If you are a fan of Spanish football, you get to see three in a row on Sunday that could determine the fate of the league. Either block off five hours mid-Sunday, or set your DVRs, and hope for no extra time.

I have also heard rumors that there is to be some sort of important football match in England this weekend. I shall look into and report back to my readers if I discover something significant.


Saturday

10:00am FA Cup Final - Chelsea vs Manchester United PPV

4:00pm Milan vs Udinese GolTv

8:30pm Huston Dynamo vs New England Revolution FSC


Sunday

9:00am Atalanta vs Inter GolTv

9:00am Cagliari vs Roma FSC

11:00am Deportivo La coruna vs Sevilla GolTv

1:00pm Recreativo vs Real Madrid GolTv

3:00pm Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona GolTv