highs, lows...

11 Oct 2009
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Good night, soccer fans. It’s been a good ride.

Honduras broadcasting peeps, get your ish together stat. Please see Nevada Smith’s post:

Honduras v U.S.A. is PPV

Yes, somebody dropped the ball, in fact somebody forgot to bring it all together. Our great game is finally making inroads in the psyche of Joe Public and the match that might put Sam’s Army in the Greatest Show on Earth will not be shown on television in the United States of America.

The Honduran FA apparently wanted to much money for this little trifle and therefore after two years and more than twenty games the match will only be available on a PPV basis at a select few commercial establishments.

Nevada Smiths will of course be one of them. There will be a $20 cover at the door payable to Innovative Sports who are the Honduran FA’s broadcast provider. Nevada Smiths does not receive a cent from the door charge.

All that aside, it promises to be a great match with 45,000 fans packing the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano hours before the kick off, and with something similar happening in Nevada Smiths we hope that the game will match the occasion and show the number crunchers at our esteemed broadcast networks that its not just about money and advertising.

Every U.S.A. game should be televised on free tv especially when qualification for the World Cup is on the line. The great moments of life, once experienced are consigned to history and memory and so, only the few will witness eleven proud men as they hope to take the next step on the road to South Africa.

11 Oct 2009
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Some smart people are working for the USA 2018/2022 bid.

Sent from my mobile device … killer.

11 Oct 2009
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Guess who just qualified for South Africa!!!

World Cup 2010, here we come.

Photo from flickr.

They will not be mistaken for players from the two giants of Italian soccer — Inter Milan and A.C. Milan– who call the same northern city home. Still, eight committed soccer players were in New York on Wednesday night to take part in a two-day training camp as they prepared to represent the United States in the 48-nation Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy.

- U.S. Team Headed for Milan and the Homeless World Cup - Goal Blog - NYTimes.com

2 Sep 2009
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I saw this movie a year and a half ago at the Tribeca Film Festival. It follows a few national teams on their way to the Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. Fast forward to today, when the lovely Guest of a Guest email informed me that the USA National team has qualified for this year’s Homeless World Cup in Milan, Sept. 6-13. Amazing!

Even more amazing? Kicking It is now available to watch online. Hotness. I highly recommend it. Watch here.

From TFF Film Guide: Kicking It, directed by Susan Koch. (USA) - New York Premiere, Documentary. All athletes are invested in the games they play, but none more than those in Kicking It, a look at the 2006 Homeless World Cup. For these guys, it’s about more than national pride. Narrated by Colin Farrell.

31 Aug 2009
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Bill Simmons on his trip to Azteca

My trip to Mexico quickly morphed into one of those “I’m going to remember everything that happened 40 years from now.”

I stood on the field at Azteca, grabbed a few strands of grass and put them in my wallet.

I rode in SUVs with bulletproof windows and security guards.

I asked a hotel concierge if there was a good place to get coffee, followed by him pointing me toward a Starbucks to our left, then saying, “Whatever you do, don’t go right.”

I got trapped in one of Azteca’s oppressively hot elevators and saw my life briefly flash before my eyes.

I watched one of my bosses get nailed by a flying burrito after the game.

I drank enough tequila to kill Salma Hayek.

I got rocked by Montezuma’s revenge on the way home, which was strange because I am absolutely positive I have never done anything to Montezuma.

None of those memories matched the game.
Full article here.

30 Aug 2009
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2 notes

“Americans are obsessed with sports. We currently sustain four major professional sports leagues, as well as NASCAR, the MLS, MILS, the WNBA, every conceivable NCAA sport, dozens of golf and tennis events, boxing and UFC cards, the WWE and even the Little League World Series. Can you remember a sporting event making us feel as if our national pride was at stake? Me neither.”

— Bill Simmons on Mexico City soccer game - ESPN

30 Aug 2009
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“Have you ever gone on a trip where your wife said to you beforehand, “I think you should make a will”? Have you ever been told in explicit terms, “Do not leave your hotel and walk around at night?” Have you ever had someone tell you in all seriousness, “We don’t want to sit in the stands, we would get hit by bags of urine”? Ever mention wanting to wear your team’s jersey into another team’s stadium and have someone answer without a trace of humor, “You should just wear a jersey that says ‘KILL ME’”? This was like a cross between a Raiders game and the Pistons crowd at the tail end of the Artest melee, only if it had lasted three straight hours.”

—

Bill Simmons on Mexico City soccer game - ESPN

If you like soccer or have ever considered trying to start liking soccer, read this article. This is basically my dream experience.

12 Aug 2009
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In honor of today’s game. Photo by me.

12 Aug 2009
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“The Americans have never won a soccer match in Mexico. At Azteca, they are 0-18-1. Futility is not the sole province of the United States. In four decades, Mexico has lost only one World Cup qualifying match at Azteca — to Costa Rica in 2001.”

—

In Mexico City, a Soccer Stadium Where Visitors Rarely Breathe Easy - NYTimes.com

Okay, so the odds are against us. On the bright side, we shouldn’t have beat Spain either. The game is now earlier than originally scheduled making it impossible to watch at Nevada’s. I do work only three blocks away. Hmmm…