A doubleheader

I'm going to attend Thursday's semifinal doubleheader in the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Soldier Field, but it doesn't look like I'll see West Ham defender Jonathan Spector. The Chicago Tribune's Luis Arrovaye, who interviewed Spector this week, reports on his blog, Red Card, that Frankie Hejduk is likely to remain in the starting XI.

These will be my first international football matches. I'm definitely excited to see the U.S. and Mexico teams play, although not against each other. Canada and Guadeloupe, respectively, are the opponents. They aren't the most glamorous opposition, but I think it's fair to say that CONCACAF isn't a particularly strong region anyway. I have a lot of relatives in Canada, so it will be fun if, as expected, the U.S. wins the match and makes their way into the finals. I wish I could go on Sunday, too, but I have to travel out of town. I'm planning to bring my camera and take some photos that I can share here.

TMG pointed out that interview of Spector to me. She was disappointed to learn that Spector is a Cubs fan, as we both root for the (pathetic) White Sox, but Spector remains her favorite Hammer. Now she knows that he's not perfect, she joked.