Photo Essay: FBM Match Day Two

The Free Beer Movement hosted its second "Free Beer Match Day" this past Saturday and turnout was great. FBM founder Dan brought eight guests to the Nomad Bar in Austin, Texas before the Aztex faced off against fellow United Soccer League-1 bottom-feeders FC Miami.

Guests enjoyed a variety of pre-game brews including: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bridgeport India Pale Ale, Lone Star, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Dos Equis, and (regretfully) Bud Light.

Thoroughly sudsed-up the FBM moved onto the match at Nelson Field where the home side Aztex proceeded to notch a much needed 1-0 win over the Blues.

Good times were had by all as the FBM snagged James, Spencer, Patty, Page, Analisa, Dawn, Anthony, and Austin as members on the Facebook group

A few pictures from the evening:

FBM guests Patty, Austin, and Paige

FC Miami (blue) and Austin Aztex squads

Estadio Nelson

Sunset over Estadio Nelson

The rest of the FBM's guests

The Football Pub, Episode 17: Starring the FBM!

The Football Pub's latest episode is up on their site and you can listen to an EXCLUSIVE interview with FBM founder Dan with the pub crew.

Just head over to their site and click on any one of the players for episode 17 or you can follow this link and play it directly. The whole show is great, but if you're pressed for time we're on at the 44 minute mark or so.

Thanks again to The Football Pub for having the Movement on and the next beer is on us!

The Football Pub Podcast Show

I just finished an interview with the boys at "The Football Pub". It's beer and soccer podcast out of Columbus, Ohio... obviously something we here at the Free Beer Movement can get behind.

The show will be up soon, but in the meantime go ahead and give a listen to some of their previous shows.

Link: The Football Pub

FBM Match Day Two About to Kick Off!

Just a reminder that the second Free Beer Movement Match Day is just around the corner!

Pre-game beers (free!) will be handed out at the Nomad Bar on 1211 Corona Drive from 5-7pm and then on to Nelson Field as the home side Aztex take on Miama FC Blues in a United Soccer League showdown.

The Blues are coming off a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of the Carolina Railhawks earlier in the week and Austin fell 2-0 to the Montreal Impact last week.

Only one home game left after this one, so come on out!

Supporting Americans Abroad: Looky Who Made Highlights Again!

Jozy Altidore snags the second goal during Hull City's 3-1 Carling Cup victory.

Watch:

Free Beer Movement Match Day Two This Saturday!

The Free Beer Movement hosts another "Match Day" this Saturday for the United Soccer League-1 battle between the Austin Aztex and Miami FC Blues.

Any FBM members or interested persons should come to the Nomad Bar (1211 Corona Drive) before the game (remember no beers at the stadium... boo!) and get their free beer from Dan.

The event will kick off about 4pm. Have a few then onto the stadium!

For those NOT in the Austin-area its time to kick off your own "Free Beer Match Days" in your town. Just e-mail us at: freebeermovement@gmail.com and we'll network you with other FBM members in your area.

You can also post your "Match Days" on our Facebook group.

Hope to see you there!

News Watch: Soccer Without Borders, Grant Wahl Continues on the Beckham Beat, and LD Going Abroad?

If you get a chance check out "Soccer Without Borders," a US-based soccer aid agency. Their focus is using soccer to reach children in need abroad, and I think most importantly and often overlooked, in the U.S.

Here's a brief video of their efforts with poor immigrants in the Los Angeles area.

25 Players, 12 Countries, 6 Languages, One Sport:

Soccer Without Borders: 25+12+6=1 from Clare Major on Vimeo.

Other American soccer news:

Grant Wahl's latest column for SI.com focuses on the surging LA Galaxy and the Rodman-esqe David Beckham

Landon Donovan's on-again-off-again-on-again love affair with European soccer continues. Soccer365 reports that Donovan's agent said "many European teams" are interested in the LA Galaxy's leading scorer. If LD heads back to Europe it could be rough times ahead for the Galaxy and MLS. With LD gone and Beckham doing his best to sabotage his remaining days in LA, the league will struggle without a marketable poster boy.

"Soccer; its the new American sport."

So says Steven Colbert and I'll take him at his word.

In late June, the United States National Team was coming off its stunning performance in the Confederations Cup and Steven Colbert posed the questions: "Is It Time to Care About Soccer?"

Anytime Colbert gives you a shout out then you've probably made the big time and soccer's mention on the show, while tongue-in-cheek, meant that perhaps the sport was moving off the back burner.

Many of you have probably seen this already, but we weren't around back then and we're throwing it out there now.

First clip is Colbert's rant on soccer and the second clip is his interview with Alexi Lalas, former LA Galaxy General Manager and ESPN personality.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Is It Time To Care About Soccer?
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Is It Time To Care About Soccer? - Alexi Lalas
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

I think we owe Mr. Colbert a game and a beer.

Supporting Americans Abroad: Jozy Altidore

As important as supporting the game domestically is supporting our American players who play overseas. From time to time we'll feature highlights from great performances of our Americans Aboard.

Yesterday it was Hull City's (English Premier League) new boy Jozy Altidore. Altidore is on loan from Spanish side Villareal after a stunning Confederations Cup this summer. Minutes after coming on as a substitute he had a beautiful assist to score Hull's one, only, and game-winning goal against Bolton.

Here's to more for Altidore and here's the clip as well:

News Watch: The American Outlaws.... a real supporter's group

The Journal-Star of Lincoln, Nebraska recently did a profile piece on "The American Outlaws," a US National Team supporters' group:

"You might think that the majority of U.S. soccer fans are only in big markets such as Chicago and Los Angeles. But the soccer fan base is expanding nationwide thanks to the efforts of a few local fans."

The "American Outlaws" were started only two years ago through the efforts of Justin Brunken and Korey Donahoo two Cornhusker students in search of a vibrant and energentic US National Team supporters' group. If you're a follower of the Nats and have been around for awhile you'll recall that for a number of years "Sam's Army" has had a corner on the supporters' group market. While one never wants to split up a limited fan base Sam's Army appears to be taking us (as US soccer fans) in the wrong direction.

Think of the supporters of other soccer clubs and national teams and one can conjure up the rabid supporters. Sam's Army does not conjure up any of those images.

The American Outlaws adds an element of intensity that is lacking in the "Army." They bring a more militant appearance (while not at all looking like an ultras group) than the family-friendly Army. Their signature is a stars-and-stripes bandanna and, unlike Sam's Army, do not require a certain color to be worn.

This has always been my major hang up with Sam's Army. They have push that all members/sitters in their section wear the color red to distinguish themselves as a supporters' group. This is flawed thinking. Number one; the US Nats do not even have a red jersey so the average (or above average) fan is cannot (or is strongly discouraged) from wearing the ACTUAL jersey of the team they are there to support. To comply with this when I have sat in their section I have worn by Liverpool jersey (red) instead of one of my four US Nats jerseys. Duh!

This almost OCD focus on color and the lack of a true identity has led Sam's to become a tame alternative to the more active Outlaws. Even their web presence is more striking. Sam's Army's site looks as though it was developed in a high school computers class in 1996 whereas the Outlaws has clearly been done by a professional. If you get a chance and take a look at the "songs" on Sam's site and try to convince me this isn't the wussiest fan club in the world.

It's not that I just have a problem with their red-requirement, but I have a problem in general when the game on the field pits one team against the other in epic battle where the supporters' group appears as a non-factor singing sissy songs.

So when Justin and Korey said they didn't see a true supporters' group for the Nats they would be absolutely correct. American soccer needs a loud, proud, and maybe a bit more forceful presences at its games and around the U.S. of A. The American Outlaws is here to fill that void and make a name for the supporters of the "Red, White, and Blue"

- Dan

Link: The American Outlaws webpage

News Watch: Profile of WPS on the Rise

It's easy to forget in all of the hullabaloo over the recent success of the men's national team and the positive growth of Major League Soccer that women's soccer was the initial driving force behind the growth of our American sport.

Nineteen Ninety-Four may have put us on the map as fans, but 1999 put the United States on the map as a world soccer power. The women's national team has inspired girls, and boys, across America in joining and supporting a sport that 30 years ago few colleges had programs for.

From a national team perspective, the women's national team has continued its international dominance and kept the squads' profile high. Since the retirement of Mia Hamm (to become Nomar Garciaparra's babymaker), Amy Wambach has proudly, without losing a step, taken over the mantle as the world's best female player (recently tallying her 100th career international goal).

But a domestic women's league has struggle mightily in the U.S. Many of us remember the former WUSA and its short shelf-life. Even recent news of several of the Women's Professional Soccer (the new incarnation of the WUSA) league teams losing a fair bit of cash (like $2 million each) the league and its teams as a whole are looking a lot more stable and plan to add new corporate sponsors and cities to the league soon.

CBS News did a cool profile on the league and some of its players recently. Here's the segment:


Watch CBS Videos Online

- Dan

Link: Women's Professional Soccer league

Free Beer Movement Match Day One

FBM members and their guests gathered to grab a few beers and watch the United Soccer League's Austin Aztex draw 2-2 with the Minnesota Thunder. We started at the Nomad Bar for a few beers beforehand (no beer allowed at the high school stadium the Aztex play at), including some Sierra Nevada Pale Ales and a blond beer who's name escapes me.

Here are a few pictures from the evening:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

For the most part a positive first "match day" for the Free Beer Movement. Nobody ran screaming from the stadium at kick-off and all of the guests seemed to enjoy themselves. We even managed to squeeze out a few future commitments from several of the guests for the next Aztex home game (Aug. 29).

Next up on the FBM Match Day Agenda is a viewing part for some English Premier League morning matches. Now that's where the real fans come out!

The Game Is In US

The United States World Cup Bid Committee just launched it's new website to gather support in bringing the 2018 or 2022 World Cups to the land of the red, white, and blue. Visit GoUSABid.com to sign the petition and voice your support.

While you're at it check out their trailer too. A bit cheesy, but a start:



As unabashed supporters of American soccer it is absolutely imperative that the United States land the World Cup again. In 1994 we should the world that we were not disinterested fans of the game by breaking and (and to this day) maintaining single game and total tournament records for attendance.

Since that summer of soccer love, Americans have been supporting the sport and home (with a growing domestic league) and abroad (growing TV ratings for international soccer leagues). We deserve another chance to prove that we have embraced the world's sport in total.

Besides this might be the only chance that you have to buy your friend a beer at a World Cup game. And it's only one!

Free Beer Sunday in Austin, Texas

The FBM hosts it's first "Free Beer Match Day" this Sunday in Austin, Texas! FBM founder Dan is taking a group of potential converts to the United Soccer League clash between the hometown Austin Aztex and the visting Minnesota Thunder.

As per the FBM Beer-to-Soccer Level Conversion Chart (located in the link list on the right side if the page) each visitor will receive FIVE free beers!

Stay tuned for a full match report.

Soccer in the US: News Watch

The FBM is more than just about the intersection of beer and soccer, but about the culture of soccer in the United States as well. We are just as concerned about creating new fans of the game as documenting the growth of the game. From time to time we'll feature articles about said culture, everything from fans, teams, stadiums... anything to knowledge of soccer in this country.

Today, some links from various media outlets around the country:

USA Today and the Seattle Sounders Success

Chivas USA struggles to create its own identity

ESPN's "Outside the Lines" follows the United States Men's National Team this summer from Costa Rica to South Africa to Mexico City

The Wall Street Journal asks if the US is becoming a soccer nation

Stay tuned for exclusive "culture content" along with more news and views on American soccer.