I played plenty of footy as a kid, but finally got into the professional game in the build-up to and during the 2002 World Cup. From then until the invention of highly available illegal internet streams circa 2006, I was resigned to reading about European football on the internet. After the 2006 World Cup, I paid my parents to add Fox Soccer Channel and GolTV to their cable package and started watching Copa Libertadores on the internet.
In addition to association football, I'm a fan of just about every sport on the planet.
Italy dumped Japan in absolutely heartbreaking but ultimately entertaining fashion on Wednesday. Brazil and Italy will play for the group lead while Japan and Mexico will play a consolation game.