Battle Field Illinois

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Soldier Field is a fantastic name for a sports stadium. An ancient tone to it, intimidating for guests, illustrative of the events taking place on the pitch. The construction is equally original with its Greek (or maybe Roman) style. May it never change its name to "Coca Cola field" or "Pepsi Stadium"...It is the venue for the second round of the 1994 World Cup Soccer game Germany-Belgium. Turns out to be a terrific game. I decide to root for the Belgian side, considering my Walloon roots four generations back. Unfortunately Germany goes for the knock-out from the very start. Up 3-1 after the first half. The most efficient duo Völler/Klinsmann sees to that. Germany rarely lose a lead like that. This is no exception. Even though it SHOULD have been a penalty when the Belgian striker went down in the box. Even though the elegant defense-man Philippe Albert reduces the score in the last minutes, giving the Red Devils a last chance. Maybe the Idiot deprived them of this opportunity. A wide shot ends up in the crowd, and a spectator, apparently completely non-aware of soccer ethics, grabs the ball. Traditionally, the ball is to be thrown right back on the field. This guy decides to HOLD the ball for a moment. He lifts it up and holds it like a trophy, smiling, hoping for a few seconds of fame. Had this been in Greece, Italy, Spain, Brazil, or any other place where fans are fanatics, his body would be in severe jeopardy of serious deformation, possibly extinction. Idiot.

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