EURO 2004 ended the same way it started; with a match-up between the host nation Portugal and the Cinderella upstart - Gonzaga team Greece, who prior to this tournament had never won a game at a major international tournament. And like that initial meeting the Greeks once again came away victorious against the favoured Portuguese side. The Greeks victory is perhaps even more shocking then Denmark's EURO 1992 win when they entered the tournament as last minute substitutions for worn-torn Yugoslavia. While the final game certainly wasn't the most interesting or attractive game to watch, the end result proved to be fitting for a tournament full of surprises, disappointments, and plenty of headlines that ranged from 18-yr old Wayne Rooney's international emergence to Francesco Totti's spit heard round the world. EURO 2004 certainly had it all; let's remember the past three weeks with a recap.

British Announcers are an absolute must for all soccer games; the two go together like an overachieving performance in a contract year. When there are lulls in the play you can always count on hearing a phrase you would never hear from a North American announcer. For instance instead of stating the defence is playing poorly, a British announcer will say, "They're too loose in the back end". Interestingly enough if you say something like that in earshot of a girl you'll be singing in a higher key for a few weeks. Some of my other favourites: "The balls aren't being serviced well today", "What a cheeky finish that was", and "The players are simulating and going to ground very easily today."

Speaking of broadcasts, TSN did a fantastic job of covering the tournament in Canada. Now I applaud their desire to add a little Canadian content by adding a former Canadian national player but was Carl Fletcher the only one available? It has to be said, he simply didn't add a lot to the telecast with his analysis. Dick Howard and Vic Rauter were great, providing terrific insight into strategies, formations and individual battles. Of course how many well-known former Canadian players are there? Maybe TSN would have had more options with the current Canadian soccer players but they were busy defending their no. 95 world ranking against countries that I'm not even sure can field teams with soccer cleats. You have to love how high men's soccer registers in Canadian sporting importance. The men's program could take a real lesson from the ladies on this one.

	If only Totti had better control of his saliva glands.

EURO 2004 will also be remembered for those who failed to meet the high expectations bestowed upon them and their countries. Italy's Francesco Totti and England's David Beckham were two such stars that failed to deliver for the countries when they were most needed. Totti was poised to dominate the tournament. He was groomed as the centrepiece of a new attack-oriented Italian offense that the Azzurri deployed throughout the qualification phase. Alas the new offense never took stride because a degrading spitting incident in the Italian's opening game left Totti on the sidelines with a three game suspension and ended the crown prince of Italian football's tournament before it could really begin. David Beckham could not be faulted for his conduct and sportsmanship during the tournament. Instead it was a kick that normally comes all to easy and often to the English captain that sank English hearts everywhere. One of the best dead-ball kickers in the world, Becks was stopped by Fabian Barthez in England's opening game against France and then altogether missed a penalty kick against Portugal that helped seal England's fate. I guess with all the headlines dogging him this past year for his extracurricular activities away from wife Posh it's appropriate for Beckham to once again be associated with a miss, although this time it's not Miss Loos or Miss Marbeck, it's Miss Penalty Kick.

Is there anything more menacing than the term "Group of Death"? It's the term used in each soccer tournament to represent the group seeding that's stacked with quality teams. Too bad this terminology couldn't carry over to other sports. We could be calling both MLB's American League Central and the NHL's Southeast Divisions the "Group of Life." This year's Group of Death was Group D with Latvia and three of the world's top soccer nations in Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands. Speaking of the Netherlands, on name alone without the connotation with death, they sound menacing enough. Whenever I hear "Netherlands" I always associate it with imagery of the nether regions or underworld. Perhaps that's why the use of Holland is also used; it helps people like me conjure up a more stereotypical and friendly interpretation of the country complete with clogs, flowers and windmills.

	Ronaldo has emerged as the new face of Portugese football.

Tournaments like the Euro championships and the World Cup provide a national arena for stars to emerge and this tournament was no different, led by a trio of young players that showed their rightful place on the international scene. Eighteen-year old English phenom Wayne Rooney captivated soccer fans with his fearlessness and calm demeanor while playing for a country that breeds soccer hooligans by the thousands just because of the country's tremendous passion for the sport. Rooney's 2-goal performance against Croatia in the final game of the round robin phase cemented his assertion into football lore. British announcer Martin Tyler said it best of Rooney, "In this tournament a true international star is born. His name: Wayne Rooney." Joining Rooney in making an international splash was 19-yr old Portugese hero Cristiano Ronaldo who plays his club ball in the English Premiership for Manchester United, a club interestingly enough that has inquired about purchasing Rooney from Everton. Ronaldo earned his way into the starting lineup and injected a much-needed dose of pace and creativity down the midfield flanks for Portugal. While not as heralded as the other two, 20-year old Arjen Robben was a key player and major contributor in leading the Dutch to a semi-final berth. Like Ronaldo he brings an electric pace to the midfield and simply makes things happen when the ball is on his feet. The young Dutchmen recently signed a contract with Chelsea thus joining Rooney and Ronaldo in the Premiership for the upcoming season.

After watching some of the great skill and ball dribbling in this tournament it has become clearly apparent to me that soccer needs to run an And 1- type street soccer skills tour in North America. Just get Esclade from the basketball tour to come over and call the action: "Oh Baby, Oh Baby the Professor Del Piero has got my man Figo spotted up. The Professor, The Professor! Ohhhh Baby!"

Is there anything more embarrassing and humiliating than scoring on your own goal? Not bad enough that you accidentally scored into your own net but unlike hockey where if you score into your own net, ala Oilers defenceman Steve Smith, the goal does not get credited to the last opposing player that touched the puck. Instead in soccer your name shows up on the other teams scoring sheet. I'm pretty sure that's a moment most would like to forget but no, no, no, soccer will not let you get away with something that quickly. I guess they feel it's better for a player to live in infamy then to chalk it up as a forgettable mistake.

Soccer fans need not worry. The next World Cup will be played in Germany in two years time and extended lunches and too-tight soccer jerseys will once again reign.

Cheers for reading!