Interview with Allyson Latta

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Villa's warm-up show

I went online in a desperate attempt to obtain tickets to the Aston Villa friendly against Toronto FC Wednesday night at BMO field in Toronto; a club I have yet to watch fully and completely but look forward to taking in. MLS, Los Angeles, Hollywood entertainment shows etc have been blind-sided by the arrival of Beckham but I find it so much more exciting that the Galaxy hosted a friendly against my favorite side Chelsea on the weekend and tomorrow Aston Villa will be on the pitch against Toronto FC and then on to play Columbus on Saturday. I think these friendlies can do more for the game in North America than the arrival of good ol' Becks. I like Beckham, I do, despite the fact that he played for Man U, a side I was simply born to abhor, that's the way it is for Chelsea supporters. I think Beckham is a master at what he does, sets up goals, drives the perfect corner kick, free kick and was a superb skipper, fair and generous, but he's not a patch on experiencing a full-on Premiership side, even if they are going to be a little rusty. If Aston Villa plays their starters tomorrow night it could be an exciting match. The team has an excellent mix of Danish, Czech, Irish, Scottish and English players, and the ex-Man U midfielder Cameroon's Eric Djemba-Djemba could be on the verge of a comeback year, could it start here. Many of the Villa players are familiar with their Toronto FC opponents and it should be a good game for all involved.

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