One Obstacle Overcome
August 15, 2007 by Mark Block | View Comments (5)
Northwind defeat Revolution, August 4th, 2007
Canada (45) def. U.S.A. (32)
Cross border footy certainly has been a touchy issue for Canadians as of late. Ask any Northwind player about their success against the Revolution and you would have likely heard nothing but snarls. Although this match-up has always been close, until August 4th 2007, the Northwind had not beaten the Revolution in an official international competition. A record like that weighs heavily on a team. In Vancouver, B.C. however, the Northwind finally shed their past, and delivered a great performance in beating the U.S. side.
This marquee match was part of an expose of Australian football hosted at Thunderbird Stadium. From the grandstand, this spectacular venue offered spectators an impressive view of international footy played on an oval in pristine condition. The weekend was a jam packed 2-day schedule of non-stop footy, featuring not only the senior mens' national teams, but also Canada and U.S.'s junior, and womens' teams as well as teams representing Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Portland; even players from Japan who battled for the B.C. Footy Cup. Everything from newspaper and radio coverage, event programs, beer and meat pie concessions, even music and commentary ensured this to be the greatest amateur 'Footy' event that has ever been held in North America.
Saturday's 2:00 pm feature match was the senior men. It started with the Revolution entering the field accompanied by Bruce Springstein's "Born in the USA" while the Northwind followed by BTO's "You Ain't Seen Nothin Yet" blaring over the stadium's P.A. system. After the teams lined up for national anthems, the battle was on. What an exciting start!
