Manchester City vs Sporting (July 23, 8 p.m.)

We rested for a little while at the hotel (and took another shower) before heading over to the second game of our trip, Manchester City vs Sporting. Our hotel was filled with people wearing City jerseys...probably 15-20 were in the lobby before the game. I met a guy in a City jersey who had flown in from Arkansas. Rumor has it that the hotels in the area were full due to people traveling in from all around to see their team play. There were many people who had done the same thing as we had done.

The previous day, while riding in the hotel shuttle, we were joined by a man (and his wife) who was wearing a Manchester City jersey. Later I found out they had flown in from Toronto for the tournament. Coincidentally, the other passenger in the van was also a Spurs fan from Chicago who had flown in to watch the Spurs game. He was heading to the airport and the City fans were heading into Manhattan as we were. We later ran into the couple from Toronto in New York. I helped them with some directions since this was their first day in Manhattan. When we got to our seats at the game that same couple had seats right next to us. I was able to talk to him throughout the game about City and Spurs. It added to the occasion.

The other team playing in this game was Sporting. They are from Lisbon, Portugal. Most of the fans in attendance wore the green of Sporting because the area of Harrison, NJ has a strong Portuguese influence. They were great fans...singing, starting "the wave", etc. The atmosphere they created was great and much more what you'd find at a meaningful game across the Atlantic. I really like how much the crowd enhanced the experience of watching the game.

I'm sure the Sporting fans loved this game because they absolutely destroyed Man City. I think it was 2-0 to Sporting in the end. Later I found out that they had an important Europa League qualifying match a week or two after this tournament, so they were obviously taking the game seriously in preparation. The speed and skill (not too mention the goals were great) with which they played were impressive. It was definitely entertaining. It was so good and felt much more like a real match then the game the night before that even my Dad (who isn't really a fan) enjoyed it. Seeing this in person really allows you to see what's happening on the field and appreciate the game.

It was good to get to see the likes of Hart, Bridge, Kompany, Lescott, Richards, Zabaleta, Barry, Johnson, Viera, Bellamy, etc. They had a lot more of their 1st team playing then Spurs did. Oh, and check out the Mancini haircut! I guess it's too warm in the summer in New Jersey (stadium location) for the long hair and neck scarf.