United States Australian Football League

The last time the USAFL Western Regionals was in Sacramento, the high temperature reached 101 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees C); by noon, we could’ve had our own sausage sizzles in the parking lot.  Literally.

Topping out at around 100 degrees again, Sacramento, or rather the western suburb of Davis, welcomes in a dozen footballing entities from up and down the Pacific Coast.  The weather may be hot, but the footy will be hotter.  The longest running Regional Championships has always produced thrilling games and even better footy, and this weekend looks to be no exception.

Footy in the US is a summer sport.  It's a complete 180 from the climate in Australia, where it is dead in the middle of their winter and that's where the game thrives.

That's why the game here is a completely different beast, and last Saturday in Nashville the winners were those who could handle not just the teams in front of them but the neigh-triple digit temps that greeted them at Metro Soccer Complex.  With planes landing at Nashville International behind them, 13 teams from the breadth and width of the Midwest came in search of a cup.

They say that Boston is the hub of New England, such that all roads seem to lead there.   Tennessee, it might be argued, is the hub of the south.  No fewer than seven states border her, and smack dab (nearly) in the middle is the city of Nashville.