The Finish of Finishes

So what if I told you, that there was the equivalent of 1 minute and some change left in a basketball game, and a team was trailing by 10 points? What if I also said that those 10 points were what were standing in the way of a team winning a championship or going down in history as probably the biggest choke artists in the history of sports? To put the cherry on top, what if I told you that the team that this squad was down to are the equivalent of the Washington Wizards, sitting near the gutter of its league?

What would you say? What would you think? What would you expect? Yesterdays performance by Manchester City answered every one of those questions, and left no room for interpretation. You see Manchester City was fighting all year for the English Premier League title, probably the toughest league title to win in all of soccer. With a defeat of bitter crosstown rivals, Manchester United, about a week earlier, City just had to win their last game to seal their first title in 40+ years. In their way? A team that was in danger of being booted from the top ranks of English Football in the Queens Park Rangers, QPR. Easy enough task for the Boys in Blue and White playing at the Etihad; their home stadium, right? How boring you must say, how much easier could things get? Manchester City will coast to this win.

Only that is not what happened. Far from it actually. The first half had just ended, Man City was up 1-0. What's more, they were completely controlling the game, with 81% of the possession, and about 4 times as many shots on goal as their opponents. City and their fans had to be feeling great, they would get to celebrate on their home field; get the bubbly ready, there would be a party in Manchester. But wait. QPR decides that they are not ready to leave the top flight of English Football.

See they are fighting. Fighting for the notoriety, and lets face it overall cash, they would lose should they be booted from top flight English football. Quickly, QPR puts in two goals. And in a blink of an eye, the entire mood in the City of Manchester changes. You see City is now down 2-1, and their rivals, are up 1-0 in there game. A City loss or draw, coupled with a United win could spell the unthinkable for Man City. They would lose the title on the last day of the season, to their hated rivals, having beaten and battered Manchester United both times they played in league play.

The 90th minute comes, and the referee tabulates stoppage time to be put on at the end of the game. 5 MINUTES. Already Twitter, and the social network universe have erupted, completely blasting City for the loss, or other being completely ecstatic for a United League title.

On the phone with a good friend of mine, and die hard Manchester United fan, I hear a huge string of profane language. I should have known by his response what was about to happen. But I didnt realize it. I thought QPR will hold this lead as I chatted up with my friend and even going as far giving United the title, and talking about how Roberto Mancini, the city boss, will lose his job.

And then BOOM. 91st minute. Goal Manchester City off of a corner kick. Tie game 2-2. The crowd in Manchester cheered, but there was more work to be done. A draw would not be enough. City needed the win to be crowned champs.

Then it came. 3 minutes later, basically in the last gasp for City, Sergio Aguero takes what looks like a broken play and turns it into an amazing goal in traffic assisted by EPL bad boy Mario Balotelli, off of the equivalent of a give and go in basketball. SLASH! The ball finds the back of the net and the entire park, and city of Manchester, well the blue side any way lose it. United fans can only hold there heads and think what could have been had last place QPR been able to hold on for less then a minute.

And so it was. Manchester City were crowned champions of the English Premier League. In what I think is, the most dramatic fashion possible in soccer (I hate penalty kicks). I cannot describe what the scene looked like at the Etihad, but it was everything I would have expected. The only thing I can compare it to is the pride and happiness that I felt when USA Soccer won its 2010 World Cup Group  in the last seconds, but maybe that was not even enough, as those fans in Manchester take soccer more serious than even the most die hard of American fans.

Enjoy the video linked below, I cannot embed it, to see a bit more of the scene in Manchester. You may not like soccer, you may not like sports, but you always have to love the underdog. City played second fiddle to United in Manchester for years, and they probably still do, but this year they are the top dog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=f8b8RNCwbhY

Remember, soccer is a beautiful sport. You have to give it a chance. I devote a lot of my blog to this, partly because I am disgusted with what is going on in the NBA in these playoffs, but mostly because I am here to increase awareness about soccer in the states. And remember, I know more about this than you, so just trust me. Give this sport a chance.