A lot of us think that we work hard for our teams. We show up to as many matches as possible, travel to away matches, buy every iteration of every jersey released, and sometimes dress up as buffoons while sober. But there’s something I saw that surpasses all of that. I give you South Korean fans at the World Cup. (more…)
I thought he was joking. Several months ago, my cousin suggested that we fly to Kenya, get a bunch of people together, rent a bus, drive to South Africa, attend the World Cup, and then sell the bus and fly back to the States. I was tempted. Very tempted. But at this stage in my life, and his, the trip was never very likely to happen. Ten years ago, it definitely would have happened. In fact, I’d be on that bus right now making one bad decision after another. (more…)
The Yanks are coming; you could hear them coming for months. For most of the U.S. players’ lives, they would have told you that they couldn’t have chosen a more splendid life, but it’s times like this where climbing the ladder to the highest echelons of the game almost shatters the nerves.
The U.S. lined up against England in a traditional four-four-two, an unsurprising development to anyone familiar with U.S. Men’s National Team coach Bob Bradley. But at that moment, none of us were particularly concerned with tactics. We were just excited to finally get started with our World Cup adventure. (more…)
Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton were on hand as President Obama wished the U.S.Men’s National team well at the White House today (see video below). The players should be grateful that the President made time to send them off; after all, he is in the midst of the biggest crisis of his young administration with the BP oil spill. The President told the boys that he was proud of their accomplishments thus far and that he would be watching their games from afar on ESPN. (more…)
Inter Milan and Bayern Munich square off in today’s UEFA Champions League final live on your local Fox station. The fact that the final will be shown on regular network television, on the people’s television, shows how far soccer has come in a relatively short period of time in the United States. (more…)
Rewarding love is a worthwhile endeavor. A reward signifies acknowledgment that the recipient is seen and appreciated. The South African World Cup is an exciting time for South Africans who have been loving soccer for decades. But if you look closely at how Africa has reacted since 2004 when South Africa was awarded the World Cup, you will notice that much of Africa has been acting as if they are co-hosts, as if this is the first communally-hosted World Cup. If this concept is difficult to grasp, just think of how excited Canadians would be if Mexico won the right to host the World Cup, or how excited the French would be at the prospect of an Italian World Cup, (more…)
Not too long ago, Jason Davis over at Match Fit USA wrote an interesting piece about the American identity crisis in the announcers’ booth.
When it comes to the issue of identity in U.S. soccer, Davis hit the nail on the head. U.S. soccer doesn’t quite yet have a fully-formed identity, which leads us to look to outside influences a bit too often. In certain respects, this isn’t a criticism, but rather just the reality of a relatively new league and a nascent supporter culture. We are in a state of cobbling it together as we go along. But as we cobble, we have to be weary of losing ourselves and ensure that we focus on developing a means of expressing ourselves on our own terms. (more…)
Since the 1996 season, D.C. United fans have been trekking to RFK, experiencing the highest of highs, periods of consistent mediocrity, and some pretty underwhelming lows. United’s home opener last night ranked somewhere between mediocre and underwhelming. But for this piece, I’m going to ignore United’s performance because it was a performance worth ignoring. The one thing, however, I can no longer continue to ignore is RFK. It just has to go. (more…)
Being a soccer fan in the United States is a recipe for relationship destruction. Focusing on just European football is manageable. If you just like watching MLS, that’s also workable. But let’s just assume that you’re a greedy bastard like me. You want it all. Well that’s just a logistical nightmare. It’s like inviting a close friend to live with you and your significant other. Anyone who partakes in cohabitation knows that additional long-term roommates are out of the question unless you are consciously trying to sabotage your relationship. Let me explain how we do it on this side of the pond. (more…)
U.S. international DaMarcus Beasley’s BMW 6-Series was torched outside his home in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland a week ago. Although the midfielder was unhurt and is taking the event in stride, his club team, Rangers, have issued a statement describing the event as a “disturbing and deplorable incident.”
Some fans suspect that the Rangers midfielder is not without blame. These fans believe that the fire bombing of the midfielder’s car may be meant as a form of retribution. It is reported that DaMarcus may have inadvertently stoked the flames of the Old Firm rivalry when he posted the following joke on Twitter: (more…)
If you love perms or Didier Drogba, you’ll love the Les Éléphants shirt …
Spain is trying to conquer the world again. This time, they might succeed.
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