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US GAF: Support your national soccer team

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N

NoRéN

Member
Apologies for the source. Not what I normally browse but i thought this was cool.

Team USA -- Please Hold for Obama

TMZ just obtained this pic of the entire soccer squad gathering by a speakerphone tonight at the team hotel in South Africa -- where we're told Obama informed them, "that while he was meeting with General Petraeus in the Oval Office, he could hear the rest of the West Wing erupt when Landon Donovan scored the game-winner."

Obama also asked about Tim Howard's ribs and Clint Dempsey's lip.

We're told the team was super stoked about the phone call and can't wait to kick some more ass when they play Ghana on Saturday.

USA! USA! USA!
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2yo2xro.jpg
 
G

Get'sMad

Member
You know what I hate the most about the World Cup? It's that we get flooded with a bunch of retarded articles by American writers from mainstream news and sports sites who have to smugly "remind" us that soccer is never going to be number 1 here.
 
T

TheLastCandle

Member
modernkicks said:
You know what I hate the most about the World Cup? It's that we get flooded with a bunch of retarded articles by American writers from mainstream news and sports sites who have to smugly "remind" us that soccer is never going to be number 1 here.
Click to expand...

Indeed. It's almost like they are threatened by the fact that the World Cup is getting more people talking than the NBA Draft. :lol

Whatever, let them bitch.
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
modernkicks said:
You know what I hate the most about the World Cup? It's that we get flooded with a bunch of retarded articles by American writers from mainstream news and sports sites who have to smugly "remind" us that soccer is never going to be number 1 here.
Click to expand...
I treat it as a tradition like Christmas lights! Wouldn't be the WC without it!
 
N

NoRéN

Member
modernkicks said:
You know what I hate the most about the World Cup? It's that we get flooded with a bunch of retarded articles by American writers from mainstream news and sports sites who have to smugly "remind" us that soccer is never going to be number 1 here.
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I believe it was after the Algeria match, I left it on ESPN and some show came on where they had a bunch of people discussing the match. One of the people featured was some L.A. Times writer who is famous for being anti-soccer, despite him knowing nothing of it(this guy was happy when Becks got injured in his first season here and laughed at his "lack of goals"). While all the other people were praising the performance and team effort, etc. this guy jumps in to bash the US for not beating Algeria by more goals and needing the stoppage time winner. Guy was going off rankings, did not even take the disallowed goal into account. The more he talked, the more apparent his lack of soccer knowledge.
 
N

NoRéN

Member
TheLastCandle said:
Indeed. It's almost like they are threatened by the fact that the World Cup is getting more people talking than the NBA Draft. :lol

Whatever, let them bitch.
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How could they not be threatened?

U.S-Algeria sets record for viewers

The United States soccer team's dramatic victory over Algeria was followed by a record number of people online and on mobile devices.

ESPN said 1.1 million people watched at least some of the USA's 1-0 win as it was streamed on ESPN3.com Wednesday. The match, which was also watched on ESPN by 6.2 million people, lasted from 10 a.m. to noon ET, during working hours for most of the United States.

The network says it was the biggest online audience for a sporting event, beating the Duke-Butler NCAA championship basketball game on a Monday night from earlier this year.
Click to expand...

Where's that article someone linked to earlier where all these conservative dinosaurs bashed soccer and called it a "poor people" sport or something like that?
 
T

TheLastCandle

Member
NoRéN said:
I believe it was after the Algeria match, I left it on ESPN and some show came on where they had a bunch of people discussing the match. One of the people featured was some L.A. Times writer who is famous for being anti-soccer, despite him knowing nothing of it(this guy was happy when Becks got injured in his first season here and laughed at his "lack of goals"). While all the other people were praising the performance and team effort, etc. this guy jumps in to bash the US for not beating Algeria by more goals and needing the stoppage time winner. Guy was going off rankings, did not even take the disallowed goal into account. The more he talked, the more apparent his lack of soccer knowledge.
Click to expand...

I believe you are talking about Bill Plaschke, and yes, he's a buffoon.
 
N

NoRéN

Member
TheLastCandle said:
I believe you are talking about Bill Plaschke, and yes, he's a buffoon.
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Thanks! Yeah, it was amazing to watch him talk. Can't believe this guy earns money to talk about something he knows nothing about.

:lol "Durrh, they beat Spain so they should beat anyone, durrh"
paraphrasing, of course.
 
D

daoster

Member
Re: EPL beating NBA ratings...I don't see that ever happening. EPL games are on way too early, and while World Cup games in the group stages have been relatively early (for the West Coast peeps), it's only a month as opposed to several (long) months.


Didn't Love That? Check Your Pulse

Jason Gay said:
If you weren't completely, utterly thrilled, exhausted and satisfied by Wednesday's 1-0 Team USA World Cup thriller over Algeria, you're a lifeless sports corpse. You are banned from all future U.S. World Cup matches and hereby ordered to spend the rest of the season watching the moribund Baltimore Orioles, eating cold oatmeal in a Slanket.
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:lol :lol
 
N

NoRéN

Member
The_Inquisitor said:
It would take until October to get a Landon Donovan blue jersey. That's absolutely ridiculous. :lol :lol

Anyone know the quickest option to find this?
Click to expand...
Checked World Soccer Shop and USSOCCER, holy shit!!!!!
Sorry, dude. Onion Bag gave me a 500 error, :lol
 
N

NoRéN

Member
daoster said:
Re: EPL beating NBA ratings...I don't see that ever happening. EPL games are on way too early, and while World Cup games in the group stages have been relatively early (for the West Coast peeps), it's only a month as opposed to several (long) months.


Didn't Love That? Check Your Pulse


:lol :lol
Click to expand...
:lol
Great quote.
As for EPL ratings, yup, the time difference affects it. Also, I believe MLS ratings were better than EPL ratings this past season/year.
 
N

NoRéN

Member
jjasper said:
Pretty much. I wonder though if it is similar in Europe/South America every time the FIBA happens.
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Hmm, wonder that too. I don't think so only because Basketball isn't the world's most popular sport trying to overtake whatever sport is most popular in those countries. Here, there's the soccer hate because people don't want it overtaking American Football and the all-american past-time: baseball.
 
C

Clydefrog

Member
That's pretty cool that Obama called the team and said all that. Obama's got shit to do so Bill Clinton is our on-site supporter :D

I'm sure the USA - Ghana match will break another viewer ratings record. I hope we winnnnnnnnn

2629iky.jpg


:lol
 
A

AstroLad

Hail to the KING baby
So how long before a Ghanaian takes the first dive in the box? I just hope there is a winner. If the match goes to PKs I doubt I'd be able to sit through that although rationally speaking I'd take my chances with Howard any day.
 
Guileless

Guileless

Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
Subitai said:
I'm sure this was probably linked before, but this ESPN article about David Vanole shows how far soccer has come in America.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/5308513/ce/us/david-vanole-esophagus-saved-us-soccer?cc=5901&ver=us

I didn't realize how fragile the situation was before hosting the World Cup in 1994. When I was a kid in 1990, I knew we had a team that really wasn't that good, but I didn't know how unpopular the game was in the rest of the country.
Click to expand...

Good read. I played soccer through high school and it was by far my favorite sport to play. But I literally didn't know international soccer existed until the '94 WC. (This was pre-internets, things were different back then.) I guess I thought kids just played it everywhere else....:lol

I've been hooked since we beat Colombia that day in June back in '94. FIFA was smart to bring it here, I'm sure it wasn't a popular decision internationally.
 
S

Slizz

Member
I got my red USA "Don't Tread On Me" shirt from Sports Authority about a week before the World Cup started and they didn't have much stock of anything at that time, I can only imagine now.

I digress:

I cannot wait till tomorrow, 2:30 start time is going to kill me, since I'll be awake way before that lol.....I want a win so bad, so bad I can fucking taste it.
 
J

jamesinclair

Banned
jjasper said:
Pretty much. I wonder though if it is similar in Europe/South America every time the FIBA happens.
Click to expand...

Nah, most other countries arent threatened by other sports. And why the hell should they? Whats the damn point? They realize that you can infact enjoy more than one sports.

In fact, when I was in Brazil in 2006, EVERY FIBA game was aired live. Meanwhile, ESPN will ONLY air the USA games, even though USA probably wont win again.

People also say that the US is unique in that theyre the only country to follow multiple sports, and that couldt be even more wrong. Brazil follows soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball track and racing (for example).
 
N

NoRéN

Member
Guileless said:
Good read. I played soccer through high school and it was by far my favorite sport to play. But I literally didn't know international soccer existed until the '94 WC. (This was pre-internets, things were different back then.) I guess I thought kids just played it everywhere else....:lol

I've been hooked since we beat Colombia that day in June back in '94. FIFA was smart to bring it here, I'm sure it wasn't a popular decision internationally.
Click to expand...

Quote from OP section i wrote up:

1989: In 1989, FIFA named the United States hosts of the 1994 World Cup, but it did so under significant international criticism because of the perceived weakness of the national team and the lack of a professional outdoor league. This criticism diminished somewhat when a 1–0 win against Trinidad and Tobago, the U.S.'s first away win in nearly two years, in the last match of the 1989 CONCACAF Championship, earned the United States its first World Cup appearance in 40 years.
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E

East Lake

Member
jamesinclair said:
In fact, when I was in Brazil in 2006, EVERY FIBA game was aired live. Meanwhile, ESPN will ONLY air the USA games, even though USA probably wont win again.
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Erm, you're talking about this World Cup right? Every single game that has been played so far has been aired on either ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC, not just US games.
 
S

sazabirules

Unconfirmed Member
Antimatter said:
Erm, you're talking about this World Cup right? Every single game that has been played so far has been aired on either ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC, not just US games.
Click to expand...

FIBA is the International Basketball Federation.
 
C

Clydefrog

Member
Schmitty said:
Where would the World Cup be located in the US if we got the bid for 2018/2022?
Click to expand...

Around the country. The venues in '94 were:

Los Angeles
Detroit
San Francisco
NYC
Orlando
Chicago
Dallas
Boston
D.C.
 
N

NoRéN

Member
Clydefrog said:
Around the country. The venues in '94 were:

Los Angeles
Detroit
San Francisco
NYC
Orlando
Chicago
Dallas
Boston
D.C.
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Bring it back to the Rose bowl!!!!!

hey, what's that football stadium with the big ass tv?
 
C

Clydefrog

Member
NoRéN said:
Bring it back to the Rose bowl!!!!!

hey, what's that football stadium with the big ass tv?
Click to expand...

I don't know the name of it but I think you're thinking of the one where the Dallas Cowboys play! HUGE screen
 
N

NoRéN

Member
See! Come on, FIFA! Bring it back here! only good things can happen! Nothing like seeing some exceptional diving on that big ass screen!
 
M

Mindlog

Member
Clydefrog said:
Around the country. The venues in '94 were:

Los Angeles
Detroit
San Francisco
NYC
Orlando
Chicago
Dallas
Boston
D.C.
Click to expand...
Dropped Detroit for Seattle (PENDING REAL GRASS). Baby, we got a stew going.
 
N

NoRéN

Member
Nothing like a World Class player praising the Yanks! :D

World Cup 2010: Fabregas Tags USA For More Thrills: The Spanish midfielder is impressed with Bob Bradley's side.



It caught all of the attention in the United States, but apparently the USA's last minute victory over Algeria has become the talk of the tournament. In fact, Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who today helped his side reach the knockout rounds as group winners themselves, said that the game was the best of the tournament so far.

"The best moment for me at the World Cup so far was that nail biting end when the USA scored in the last minute against Algeria," Fabregas told The Sun. "It was an incredible finale and was the most memorable one for me.

"Everybody is talking about it. That was a great moment and they are a great team."

But the Arsenal star wasn't done with his praise of the USA and went on to say he felt the team could make a deep run in the competition while mentioning that his team found out how good they were at the Confederations Cup.

"I wasn't surprised at all they finished top of the group. They are fit and strong and dangerous on the counter-attack.

"They have spirit too - they came from two goals down against Slovenia to get a draw and scored in injury time against Algeria to go through. The USA never give up. That's why I believe they can go much further because they fight to the end and work so hard.

"They are in a good side of the draw now - they have Ghana next, then maybe Uruguay in the quarter-finals.

"So I can see them reaching the semi-finals and then who knows what might happen."

The USA will get their next shot at glory on Saturday when they take on Ghana in a crucial final 16 clash.
Click to expand...
 
Meus Renaissance

Meus Renaissance

Member
Personally as a European I'm unsure as to how I'd feel a WC being hosted in the US again. After seeing the reaction of the American fans celebrate the Algeria winner, it was an emotional sight and I would love to see them - people as passionate as them - host the beautiful game. But the truth is the vast majority of Americans don't care and some even look down upon it for some reason. Maybe a WC on their doorstep would change all of that? But then that's just an uncertain question. What isn't uncertain however is that there are competing nations more passionate about the game and more desperate to host it than the US. It would be unfair to reject them on the basis of trying to show and tell the game to a nation that isn't so enthusiastic about it as a whole.

One of the defining things of this World Cup has been how precious the natives view the tournament as; it is an "honour" and prestigious moment for them they feel. It is the most popular sport in Africa, certainly the world, and to see children huddle around a small TV with goats and chicken in the background captures that heart of it all. It is why FIFA finally realised it was time for Africa to host the tournament.

I hope the USA go far in this WC, heck I hope they win it. There would be no better way to introduce a new generation of American kids, and adults, to the sport. And when they as a country show their love for the game, then watch the world embrace the sight of an American World Cup.
 
D

Dresden

Member
Meus Renaissance said:
Personally as a European I'm unsure as to how I'd feel a WC being hosted in the US again. After seeing the reaction of the American fans celebrate the Algeria winner, it was an emotional sight and I would love to see them - people as passionate as them - host the beautiful game. But the truth is the vast majority of Americans don't care and some even look down upon it for some reason. Maybe a WC on their doorstep would change all of that? But then that's just an uncertain question. What isn't uncertain however is that there are competing nations more passionate about the game and more desperate to host it than the US. It would be unfair to reject them on the basis of trying to show and tell the game to a nation that isn't so enthusiastic about it as a whole.

One of the defining things of this World Cup has been how precious the natives view the tournament as; it is an "honour" and prestigious moment for them they feel. It is the most popular sport in Africa, certainly the world, and to see children huddle around a small TV with goats and chicken in the background captures that heart of it all. It is why FIFA finally realised it was time for Africa to host the tournament.

I hope the USA go far in this WC, heck I hope they win it. There would be no better way to introduce a new generation of American kids, and adults, to the sport. And when they as a country show their love for the game, then watch the world embrace the sight of an American World Cup.
Click to expand...
I don't know, any country would be an improvement after the Vuvuzela debacle.
 
G

GoldenEye 007

Member
Meus Renaissance said:
Personally as a European I'm unsure as to how I'd feel a WC being hosted in the US again. After seeing the reaction of the American fans celebrate the Algeria winner, it was an emotional sight and I would love to see them - people as passionate as them - host the beautiful game. But the truth is the vast majority of Americans don't care and some even look down upon it for some reason. Maybe a WC on their doorstep would change all of that? But then that's just an uncertain question. What isn't uncertain however is that there are competing nations more passionate about the game and more desperate to host it than the US. It would be unfair to reject them on the basis of trying to show and tell the game to a nation that isn't so enthusiastic about it as a whole.

One of the defining things of this World Cup has been how precious the natives view the tournament as; it is an "honour" and prestigious moment for them they feel. It is the most popular sport in Africa, certainly the world, and to see children huddle around a small TV with goats and chicken in the background captures that heart of it all. It is why FIFA finally realised it was time for Africa to host the tournament.

I hope the USA go far in this WC, heck I hope they win it. There would be no better way to introduce a new generation of American kids, and adults, to the sport. And when they as a country show their love for the game, then watch the world embrace the sight of an American World Cup.
Click to expand...

Isn't the all time record for World Cup total and average attendance held by the 1994 World Cup? It apparently did well for the sport last time. Couple that with the amount of stadium buildings/renovations since that time, and you have a recipe for something to even eclipse that.
 
Meus Renaissance

Meus Renaissance

Member
GoldenEye 007 said:
Isn't the all time record for World Cup total and average attendance held by the 1994 World Cup? It apparently did well for the sport last time. Couple that with the amount of stadium buildings/renovations since that time, and you have a recipe for something to even eclipse that.
Click to expand...

Maybe it was because the average stadium back then had a higher capacity than what many European football stadiums are built for? Regardless, you're right a lot of people did attend the 94 games and yet it's barely had an affect on the national perception of football/soccer. It's still dominated by NFL, NBA etc. When it's not even a national sport much less one loved by a significant amount, why choose the USA over other nations such as England who want to host the games? You need to earn it by showing the passion on a national level. What's to say soccer wouldn't still be a minority sport in the US in 2030? Hosting the tournie won't change much IMO - you can't roll the dice on this because there are countries more passionate and that want it more.
 
D

dabig2

Member
GoldenEye 007 said:
Isn't the all time record for World Cup total and average attendance held by the 1994 World Cup? It apparently did well for the sport last time. Couple that with the amount of stadium buildings/renovations since that time, and you have a recipe for something to even eclipse that.
Click to expand...


Indeed it is. Our stadiums were just that much bigger than everyone else's and the population at large attended the games in droves as well despite it being soccer. And I think this was before they expanded the tournament too, and the record still holds despite that fact.

Anyways, I have no doubt by 2022 (Europe is getting 2018) that Americans will be even more in love with the sport by then to warrant another WC. I'm just pissed that they left Chicago off the list of host cities. It's the home of the US soccer federation and opened the WC in 94! Committee can fuck off
 
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