Monday, August 17, 2009

Soccer for the people

This weekend the Chelsea/Hull game was broadcast on ESPN2. Tomorrow, not only will Fox Soccer Channel be broadcasting UEFA Champions League games, but games will be shown live on the regional sports broadcast networks, and DirecTV has set aside a series of channels to show those games as well.

It seems that US TV has taken notice of the sport, and it seems that they believe that an English speaking American audience wants to watch. I'm still stunned at the amount of viewing options that have suddenly appeared on the scene. This is gonna be fun.

Friday, August 14, 2009

I still don't hate Mexico...

...but I hate losing to them.

The U.S. played the best 10 minutes of soccer I've ever seen them play in Azteca. Then they scored, and something switched off. I kept watching the midfield back off time and time again, and conceding the ball to Mexico. That can work when you're a fast passing counterattacking team, but for that game they weren't. Mexico made them pay for it.

For the love of God, step up and challenge players on the ball, especially when teams are attacking up the middle. Crosses for the wings tend to be Gooch's bread and butter to break up, but I've seen Rossi and now Castro nail blasts from right outside the penalty area because no one steps up to them quickly.

Charlie Davies looks poised to be our latest great forward. I hope he can sustain his form. His goal was positively cool, calm, and clinical.

It was probably the altitude, but some of their decisions were atrocious. There'd be open folks, but the back line wouldn't see them, and started hoofing the ball upfield. Or Landon would try to use his speed to run by players, only to get caught when he didn't have anyone to pass to. In a place like this, you've got to let the ball do the work, because running around will leave you gassed. I've never seen Donovan get passed like he did during the lead up to Mexico's second goal. This team seemed to run out of fuel pretty quickly.

Oh well, this game wasn't a must win, but the next one is. This home game against El Salvador is huge now that the hex has become a log jam. In fact, they'd better win these next two. T & T away might not be the cakewalk people keep assuming it will be.

On the flip side, Mexico/Costa Rica in Costa Rica is gonna be a fun game to watch.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

I don't hate Mexico

The biggest soccer rivalry in North America adds another chapter tomorrow afternoon in Mexico City when the U.S. Men take on Mexico for a World Cup qualifier in Estadio Azteca.

I fully admit that nothing would please me more than to see the Yanks finally get their first win against El Tri on Mexican soil. A trouncing by the U.S. would bring a wonderfully Grinchy smile on my face as I walk around in my U.S. jersey.

However, I will also say that the rhetoric surrounding any game with Mexico by some of my fellow supporters can be problematic. I can recall hearing an individual yelling "Mow my lawn!" in the Sam's Army section in Columbus during the 2005 qualifier. I usually challenge such bigoted stuff when I hear it live, but memory fails if I managed to find the culprit that time around. There's a lot of racism and xenophobia when it comes to this game, and there are a fair number of U.S. fans who let their fear of brown people color their feelings and language around this matchup.

People, you need to let it go. Spending the last decade here in the Bay Area, being around communities of color, and of course being a soccer fan has given me respect for Mexican fans and their passion. I had Mexican co-workers at my previous job, and our passion for our respective national teams never clouded the respect we had for each other as people. I'll miss the bet we usually had, especially for this game. Last time I had to grow out what hair I had left for a month.

I got to see the Chivas supporters Legion 1908 put on a full display last Saturday at Candlestick Park. It was incredible to see. Did they sneak most of that stuff in? Probably. However, that wasn't where my head was. Most folks would find that display frightening. As for me, I wondered if the Casbah took notes. :)