<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>I arrived safely in Zurich this morning after almost 24 hours of traveling from the States. I’m exhausted but so glad I’ve made the trip.Surprisingly Zurich hasn’t caught football fever yet. The city is pretty silent although the city centre and shops are busy with tourists. So far, though, it seems that most of the football fans haven’t arrived. With Romania scheduled to play France tomorrow in Zurich, I’m expecting tomorrow will be a different experience entirely.After arriving in Zurich this morning around 9am local time, Oleg Zhovnir (winner of the free ticket to accompany me on the trip) and I walked from the train station to the hotel, checked in our luggage and then proceeded to tour the city.The first stop on our tour was the Fan Zone, where the two matches today will be shown on giant screen televisions (one of which is suspended on the water of Lake Zurich). Vendors selling beer and food line the Fan Zone area, but it’s still several hours before kickoff between Austria and Croatia.We decided to get a bite to eat and something to drink at a vegetarian cafe near the lake. Without a doubt, the weak American dollar is killing us. A glass of tap water was $3.50 and a sandwich $7.50. But I’m not surprised.Walking through the city, we saw very few football fans. A few Romanian fans wearing jester hats, a German wearing his national shirt sipping coffee in a Starbucks and a few supporters of Czech Republic. If it wasn’t for all of the Swiss stores with their Euro 2008 themed window displays, a tourist dropped into the city wouldn’t realize that the biggest tournament in the country’s history is taking place right now.I asked the hotel receptionist what the atmosphere was like yesterday and she replied that it has been very calm so far, and confirmed with me that everything seems very Swiss, i.e. sedate and organized.We took a few minutes to walk through the Euro 2008 Official Superstore alongside the Zurich Stadt Haus. Official replica shirts here are $120 for Portugal and $100 for other countries such as Sweden. Everything, as I mentioned before, is super expensive.The headlines on the newspaper stands here are all talking about Frei, who was taken off at half-time in yesterday’s opening match due to his injury. The sight of Frei crying his eyes out due to the realization that his Euro 2008 tournament was presumably over is on the front pages of some of the leading newspapers.I’m planning on taking a nap for a couple of hours to rest up for the Fan Zone festivities tonight which are only 1,000 yards from my Helmhaus hotel. Feel free to post any questions you have about the atmosphere in the comments below. But suffice to say, everything here is ghostly quiet and calm thus far.View the <a href="http:\/\/www.flickr.com/photos/epltalk/sets/72157605494538962/" target="_blank">slideshow of Euro 2008 images from Zurich</a>.

Euro 2008 Adventure: Day Two (Zurich) - World Soccer Talk

Euro 2008 Adventure: Day Two (Zurich)

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>The opening match of Euro 2008 has finished with Czech Republic winning one-nil against Switzerland in Basel. Here are some statistics from the match:Czech Republic 1. Petr Cech&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 11.26 (top speed; kph) &nbsp;&nbsp; 3840 (distance; metres)2. Zdenek Grygera&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.68&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 96743. Jan Polak&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.05&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 110094. Tomas Galasek&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.65&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 96106. Marek Jankulovski&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 23.67&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 97157. Libor Sionko&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.05&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 105559. Jan Koller&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.96&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 599314. David Jarolim&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.59&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1058020. Jaroslav Plasil&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 24.32&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1123921. Tomas Ujfalusi&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.68&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 901422. David Rozehnal&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.28&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 94385. Radoslav Kovac&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 13.55&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 73010. Vaclav Sverkos&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 23.82&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 439011. Stanislav Vlcek&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 24.46&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1307Switzerland&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1. Diego Benaglio&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 12.41 (top speed; kph) &nbsp;&nbsp; 5347 (distance; metres)3. Ludovic Magnin&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 23.20&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 89244. Philippe Senderos&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 18.94&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 92045. Stephan Lichtsteiner&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 21.88&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 80768. Gokhan Inler&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.52&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 97309. Alexander Frei&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.71&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 475011. Marco Streller&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.84&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 977815. Gelson Fernandes&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 21.67&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1121216. Tranquillo Barnetta&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 19.15&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 971519. Valon Behrami&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.52&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 983820. Patrick Muller&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 18.56&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 934210. Hakin Yakin&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 20.79&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 505112. Eren Derdiyok&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 11.80&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 107122. Johann Vonlanthen&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 22.35&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 2000Powered by <a href="http:\/\/www.Castrolindex.com" target="_blank">Castrolindex.com</a>

Match Statistics From Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic - World Soccer Talk

Match Statistics From Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Newark isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you picture Euro 2008, but EPL Talk’s Euro ’08 Adventure has to begin somewhere. After being jarred by my 4:45am wake-up call today, I kissed the wife and kids goodbye and jumped on the plane from Palm Beach International Airport in Florida heading to New Jersey.Due to the “wonders” of modern airlines, I now have a ten hour layover until my flight leaves from Newark to Zurich. I feel like Tom Hanks in that movie where he gets stranded at the airport (“The Terminal”). I’ve been strolling around the terminal looking for a sports bar that’ll show today’s opening matches of Euro 2008. I’ve found one but it isn’t open yet.Problem is that the sports bar has just one TV set. There’s no guarantee that they even get ESPN Classic, and I’m guessing there’s some major American sports event on today that people would rather watch than soccer. I may end up calling my wife to plug in <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/watch-euro-2008-with-slingbox/2125" title="Slingbox Euro 2008">Slingbox</a> so I can watch the Euro 2008 games from the airport via the WiFi connection.It’s hard to believe than in less than 24 hours I’ll be in Zurich. Before then, though, I have today’s matches to look forward to as well as meeting up with a new friend, Oleg Zhovnir (winner of the extra Euro 2008 ticket I have to the Italy against Holland game on Monday night in Berne).The realization that I am, in fact, going to Euro 2008 is beginning to settle in. It helps when I look at the Swiss Francs that arrived on my doorstep yesterday and of course my ticket to Monday’s match. My seat for the Italy against Holland game is near the corner flag (section A3, see <a href="http:\/\/www.oleole.com/wiki/Image:Stade_de_suisse_wankdorf_seatingchart.gif" target="_blank">seating chart</a>).Berne’s 32,000 capacity stadium probably has the funniest name ever: Wankdorf Stadium. What’s the name of the club who plays at the ground? The aptly named BSC Young Boys.Follow my European adventure between now and Tuesday via this site. You can also <a href="http:\/\/twitter.com/epltalk" target="_blank">follow me on Twitter</a>.

EPL Talk&#039;s Euro &#039;08 Adventure: Day One - World Soccer Talk

EPL Talk's Euro '08 Adventure: Day One

Udinese&nbsp;fullback Andrea Dossena has become the first Italian international to sign for Liverpool. <div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
The players agent has confirmed that Dossena has passed his medical at Anfield earlier this week and expects the move to be&nbsp;finalised next week.
Liverpool have paid £7 million to capture the exiciting fullback and he had a clutch of suitors chasing his signature. Dossena earnt rave reviews for his perfomances on the left flank throughout last season and becomes manager Rafa Benetiz’s second signing following the&nbsp;free transfer&nbsp;of the Swiss right back, Philipp Degen from Borussia Dortmund.
The move for Dossena seems to spell the end of John Arne Riise’s Liverpool career after 348 appearances.

Dossena joins Liverpool - World Soccer Talk

Dossena joins Liverpool

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>It’s not easy being a soccer crazy fan living in South Florida where the closest Major League Soccer team is exactly 1,000 miles away. Believe it or not, but the last professional match I attended was way back on November 25, 2006 and that was <a href="http:\/\/epltalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=155200" target="_blank">Fulham against Reading</a> in London!
Thankfully my drought will end in seven days when I travel to Switzerland to watch Italy against Holland, two of the best teams in the world, play each other in Berne at Euro 2008.
Planning a trip to Europe is easier than ever thanks to the Internet. Or so you would think. I depart on Saturday from West Palm Beach to Newark, where I have a long layover. I’m hoping to try to catch the two opening matches on Saturday in an airport bar. Later that day, the next leg of my journey takes off with an overnight flight to Zurich, where I arrive early on Sunday morning.
So far, so good. I’ve secured a hotel near the Fan Zone in the Zurich city center. I’ll have a chance to drop off my bags and watch the two matches that day on giant screen TVs — one of which will be placed on a <a href="http:\/\/euro2008.uefa.com/countries/cities/city=3241/news/newsid=701564.html" target="_blank">floating platform on top of Lake Zurich</a>. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen for the Swiss authorities.
The itinerary for Monday will include the one hour train journey from Zurich to Berne, the Swiss capital. The match doesn’t kick off until later that night so there’ll be plenty of time for sightseeing, taking in the atmosphere and watching the crazy Dutch fans who I will never forget from my first interactions with them from World Cup 1994 in Orlando.
The tricky part about the travel plans is trying to find a hotel in Berne after the game. It’s impossible. The Dutch and Italian fans have bought every possible hotel room in the vicinity of Berne. The city itself only has a population of 127,000 so you can imagine how few hotels are even in the area.
There are trains running through the night from Berne to Zurich, so I contemplated returning to Zurich that night after the match. Easy, right? Except that every single hotel room in Zurich is booked that night too in preparation for the Tuesday match between Romania and France. I even tried booking hotel rooms near some of the train stations that have stops along the way from Berne to Zurich, but all of those are booked too.
What I may end up doing is staying up all night. My flight leaves on Tuesday morning at 10:30, so I could party through the night in Berne with the Dutch and/or Italian fans. After going so long not experiencing a real live soccer match, the thought of staying up all night doesn’t bother me at all.
Depending on Internet connection, I’ll try to report live from Switzerland via this blog and the EPL Talk Podcast, so be sure to follow my journey to Europe and back. My plan is to capture what the atmosphere is like in Switzerland and describe it to you through words and sounds as well as photographs. It’s going to be one hell of a trip and I can’t wait.

Available Hotel Rooms Almost Impossible To Find At Euro &#039;08 - World Soccer Talk

Available Hotel Rooms Almost Impossible To Find At Euro '08

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Euro 2008 Adventure: Day Two (Zurich)

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Match Statistics From Switzerland 0-1 Czech Republic

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EPL Talk's Euro '08 Adventure: Day One

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Dossena joins Liverpool

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Available Hotel Rooms Almost Impossible To Find At Euro '08