DrinkWear - Beer Rags? FBM's 2012 MLS Eastern Conference Kit Preview

By Nick Sindt / Senior Shirt Correspondent

With the MLS season about to dawn, we at the Free Beer Movement thought we’d sit down and evaluate this season’s offerings for those who are unabashed kit-nerds like us.  Hey it’s part of the US Soccer culture, right?

(I will do my damndest to refrain from lambasting the ALL ADIDAS ALL THE TIME motif in MLS.  In truth that contract is great for the league, and thus the American game in general, but I’ve been drinking whilst composing this so I make no promises.)

To rate all of the kits (new and last year’s offerings that will be kept due to the two-year agreement between MLS and adidas) I will be making suggestions on what type of beer to toast each kit and its sponsor with:

Lowest of the Low = Macro-Brewers who produce flavored beers to be represented by Bud Light Lime.  You’re on thin ice; one step away from being toasted with two 40oz-ers of Zima.  Heretofore referred to as Bud Light Lime.

Below Average = Macro Brews like Miller Lite and Bud Light.  You have your place and time, and I appreciate everything you did for me in college, but really it’s time to add some depth, nuance (Lime is not a nuance), and maturity to yourself just like I purport to have done.  Heretofore referred to as Miller Lite.

Average = Macro-Micro Brews like Same Adams, Leinenkugels, etc.  You’re pretty widely distributed because you’re easy on most palates but restaurants still up-charge you as if you’re a Micro-brew simply because you’re not Miller or Bud.  Heretofore referred to as Sam Adams.

Above Average = Micro/Craft Breweries.  Pick your favorite local small-time brewer’s year-round offerings and toast the kit designers for a job well done with your go-to grown-up beer.  Heretofore referred to as New Glarus Moon Man.

Best of the Best = Seasonal Micro/Craft Brews that you wait all year long for and are willing to shell out the extra scratch for.  It’s so good it’s worth it, so raise a glass with your best can/bottle/glass of suds because even if it’s not your team this is a classy shirt and deserves its due.  Heretofore referred to as Surly Abrasive. 

Eastern Conference

Chicago Fire

Home

Much improved effort on past years.  The blue swath across the chest in place of the white makes this look a lot less rec-league – think about it every rec-league style kit template that all manufacturers put out is <Some Color> and White.  The collar is a nice touch of class for an organization that is near and dear to my heart.  The only downside is adidas continuing to kick us in the teeth with their three stripes down the sleeves and the sponsor; I’m happy Quaker is getting involved in the game and working to fight childhood obesity, but the quaker face and name does not inspire.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man (but only just barely or barley, as it were)

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Away

Wow, if the home kit is much improved over past years, this is an SAT analogy where iPod : Record :: Chicago Fire 2012 Away Kit : X!!!!  Hint: Burlap sack is the front-runner in a Gallup Poll, just ahead of Mitt Romney for the GOP nomination…I digress.

The navy shirt, as opposed to plain old white with some home color trim is miles ahead.  Adding the horizontal Carolina Blue pin-striping broken up by the four six-pointed stars takes this to a whole new level.  Sure you can find fault with the sponsor and the number of times the “Chicago” stars are found on the shirt (it is a touch “heavy-handed” in cooking terms), but overall this is a class shirt and I might have to take some money out of my daughter’s college fund to buy this thing.  Well done adidas!

Kit = Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Columbus Crew

Home

Columbus’s home shirt is YELLOW with some black trim, we get it.  2012’s edition is a decent enough shirt with a collar to make it suitable for wearing out and about or to the golf course.  Is it different from last year's?  Yes, but who amongst you that isn’t a die-hard Crew fan would know that?  Not many.  Columbus’s new sponsor is a bit of a detractor as it takes away from the overall look and presentation of it all.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Away

As with Chicago’s Away Kit, Columbus’s is simply a wow all on its own.  Adidas, I get what you’re trying to do here (throwback to the original MLS Crew shirt without being an exact match), I really do, but this is a miss/defect/travashammocery of Shakesperean proportions.  Why do the Black and Yellow horizontal bars stop right above Chad Marshall’s nipples?  I mean Sofia Vergara could ‘make it work’ but the beer swilling inhabitants of Crew Stadium…not so much.  What happened to mostly black with some yellow trim?  That kit would at least make me look trim.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

DC United

Home

Glory Be!!!!  There’s Red in them thar shirts.  For the first time in a long time, DC United’s other color, red, gets to play more than a passing role in their home shirts.  Not a fan of the weird neck/collar spikes, the bicep cuffs of color, but at least it’s not Black with White.  The VW sponsorship not only adds to the shirt but it’s nice to have a major auto maker on the MLS’s side.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Away

It seems the theme for MLS clubs this year is to have a collar on at least one of the shirts.  DC Unite obliges on their away kit, which has a nice red collar on a white shirt.  For some reason this one bugs me but I can’t pinpoint why.  The bicep cuffs and pit-stain trim are red and stand out nicely.  Even the concussion I received from three stripes on the arm doesn’t bother me as bad with this shirt.  Maybe it’s the complete package…Though, again it’s better than just White with Black.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Third

Utilizing 2011’s 3^rd Kit, ALL RED with some black will return for cup competitions.  Not a horrible offering, but with red shorts and socks it becomes a bit of an eyesore.  What is it with DC and adidas that makes them stray from the original template of black shirt & socks or white shirt & socks with red shorts?

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Sam Adams

Houston Dynamo

Home

Houston retains the same kits from last season, which have a weird sunburst/Azteca sublimation that I’m not quite getting right now, but it looks decent.  Other than the tangerine orange base the only thing this shirt has going on is the adidas trademark three-stripes (we get it already…), a white collar, and the sponsor logo: greenstar, whomever that is.  Though I’m not getting the sublimated pattern, the simplicity of this kit is nice.  Solid effort when paired with White shorts, in opposition to the solid colored shirt/shorts/socks combo most teams trot out.  Plus it doubles as a golf shirt.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Away

Almost the exact opposite of the home kit, though the sublimated pattern is much more subtle if it’s even there at all…

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Montreal Impact

Home

For the newest entrant into the parity that is MLS, adidas broke out a stop or two.  To be honest I haven’t seen this template, yet, but I (and you) probably will on every team adidas outfits throughout Europe, Asia, and the US at some point in the next year or so.  Adidas did touch it up with a full-body cross made of fleur-de-lises, of which only the fleur-de-lises represent the city of Montreal.  This touch puts it above the offering for Vancouver last term, but well, well below Portland’s kits from their inaugural year.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – thankfully someone else sponsors the Vancouver Canucks Whitecaps

Away

Holy Hell!!! Adidas has gone radical with the Away shirt for the new boys; opposite colors from the home shirt on the same template. 

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Miller Lite – it adds that splash of red that you need ‘round February in the Great White North, whether you’ve put your neighbor through a wood chipper or slit your own wrists…

New England Revolution

Home

I’m too drunk and bored I can’t be bothered to comment other than there’s 3 colors in the v-neck!!!!  The only thing that could make this kit worse is a boring, white-guy, suburbanite sponsor…oops there it is – "United Healthcare".  At least the flag of New England redeems the back of the shirt.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Zima

Away

Worse than the home kit.  Makes me want to write an angry letter to the Revs front-office.  How far you’ve come from the garish, AMERICA-FUCK-YEAH shirts from yesteryear. 

Kit = Zima

Sponsor = Zima

New York Red Bulls

Home

Unlike last year’s patch-work design, this years is the Revs kit with less color.  For some reason it doesn’t bother me AS much as the Revs, but I’m still pretty pissed if I’m an NYRB fan who bought last year’s shirt – might as well buy a white t-shirt and screen print your own crest and sponsor onto it.

Kit = Bud Light Lime

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime – the logo is way too big for the shirt and it duplicates design elements from the crest.  Snore.

Away

No change from last year’s almost, but not quite as patch-work-y home shirt.  The Navy blue is redeeming but the sponsor and adidas’s fascination with their three stripes impedes me from liking this one too much.

Kit = Miller Lite

Sponsor = Bud Light Lime

Philadelphia Union

Home

So the last two years, the Union have had a weird Star Trek: The Next Generation thing going on.  This year they change it up a bit with a more modern interpretation on the solid center-swath of color.  The baby blue trim interspersed with the navy base is a nice touch as is the Gold PSG/Center-swath of color.  The authentic shirt has a “far-east” style collar that isn’t replicated on the replica shirt (come on adidas, make them one in the same already and quite with your pricing BS) which I haven’t decided on as of yet.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – To have to explain this to every woman you encounter gives you an opportunity to grow the sport.("Bimbo? No... Beeembo.")  To have to explain this to every woman you encounter makes you wish they had something more degrading, but at least respectable, like an escort service on the front of their shirts.

Away

Same template, but different colors (in a way that’s vastly different from the Montreal Impact).  Not sure yet what my thoughts are on that blue being the basis of the jersey, but it continues to pique my interest and it might eventually really grow on me.

Kit = New Glarus Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Toronto FC

Home

TFC keeps their Home kit from the previous season which is an Arsenal/West Ham/Aston Villa-esque shirt with a base of one color and sleeves of a different color.  There’s nothing remarkable about this shirt but the graphite sleeves draw me in.

Kit = Sam Adams

Sponsor = Miller Lite – we’ve seen this before but in two colors instead of one.

Away

TFC also keeps their Away kit from the previous season, which is very similar to the new Crew Home shirt, except it’s not yellow. And it doesn't have the weird cross-breast tri-color barf-fest. The graphite collar on the white shirt gives this shirt an element of class not seen in other collared shirts adidas has put forth for Eastern Conference MLS foes.

Kit = Sam Adams….almost a Moon Man

Sponsor = Miller Lite

Sporting Kansas City

Home

Oh adidas and Sporting KC, how you missed the boat with this one.  The new crest and ideology behind the club’s name is great.  However, the kit having a seam mimicking the crest without a color differentiation (however slight) is a big mistake.  Without a color differentiation, the seam representing the border between Kansas and Missouri is unfathomable unless you inappropriately invade the shirt wearer’s personal space.  You’re so close to being above average, but just not enough nuance on this to make it a great kit.  Hurts to think that a shade or two darker on one side of the kit takes you from being toasted with a Sammy to a Surly Abrasive, doesn’t it?

Kit = Sam Adams…almost a Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = N/A

Away

Similar to Montreal with opposite colors on the same template, but this one is classier in its subtlety.  I still wish there was color variation between the Kansas and Missouri portions of the shirt.

Kit = Sam Adams…almost a Surly Abrasive

Sponsor = N/A

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VIDEO - USMNT U23s Vs. Mexico "Behind The Scenes"

We posted this not only because it's another "Dos a cero" against Mexico (hey, even at the youth level we'll take it), but for the complete performance that the Baby Nats put in against our CONCACAF rivals.

There's a mentality that is spreading in this U.S. program. Growing that we, too, can play a tactical, dominating, possession-style. Combine that with our inherent emphasis on athleticism and an ingrained "never-say-die" attitude and we've got a National Team, at all levels, to be reckoned with.

Listen to Coach Caleb Porter pre-game talk and try and argue that a change isn't happening:

"Let's go out and play. Let's be confident. We play to win today. We play to win. Alright, let's make them deal with us. We play to our potential they cannot play with us.

That's belief you have to have. That's the confidence you have to play with. We're strong. We're athletic. We play too good of football. We're technical. Alright?

We're going to make it difficult for them on both sides of the ball. We're going to control them game. We're going to defend. Battle! When we have the ball, open up, play, move the ball, be confident.

Everything on the line here."

That's a talk you don't hear everyday from a USMNT coach.

Times. They're a-changin'.


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Local Beer, Local Soccer: The Illusory Nicaraguan Dilemma: Tona y Victoria (Nicaragua)

The CONCACAF Champions League is back! Actually last night as winner Monterrey opened their campaign, but the North American sides join in the fun tonight. A perfect chance to launch a new series here on the FBM that focuses on both the local game and the local beer of a particular place.


We can't be everywhere, but our readers (and potential contributors) can educate us all on soccer and beer in their corner of the world.


Submit a piece on your cities/state/country's soccer and beer by e-mailing us at freebeermovement@gmail(dot)com.


By Elliott Turner / Senior Senor Correspondent


Several months ago, you saw an odd image on TV. Thanks to the CONCACAF Champions League, Toronto FC, a Canadian MLS team, butted heads with Real Esteli of Nicaragua in Nicaragua. The Estadio Independencia Esteli offers floodlights and some covered seating, but the pitch was a disaster. I love my adopted homeland, but the mudfest and stadium similar to a US high school did not offer a particularly glamorous image of professionalism. And a glance at the brewsky options in Nicaragua leaves an even more bitter taste in the mouth. 

First, the footy. Real Esteli is one of the top teams in the Nicaraguan league. If they don't win it all, then they are breathing down the champions' neck for most of the season. Conversely, Toronto FC regularly fails to make the playoffs despite breaking attendance records. Toronto FC's presence in a tournament called "Champions League" discredits the entire concept. This appeared a mismatch, right? Kinda, at least if you conveniently overlook the entire sporting, political, and historical context of the two teams.  

Canada is a first world country that has largely avoided the global economic recession. Despite Richard Whittall's grumblings, Toronto is a sizable, bustling metropolis. MLS is a respectable league, despite what you just read on BigSoccer. Real Esteli is the pride of the Nicaraguan national league, but perspective is necessary. Nicaragua has been ravaged by earthquakes and civil war in the last few decades. Also, the entire country is the size of a US state. Managua is a decent-sized city, comparable to modest Midwestern places like Kansas City. However, Esteli is a much smaller city near the mountains. I have no doubt the Romans pitted the strongest and best fighting Christians against the laziest of Lions, but Goliath tramples David nine times out of ten.   

Americans and fans of MLS have slowly witnessed a growing stream of fine soccer players from Honduras and El Salvador. We even have cried when dual citizens have forsaken the USMNT for a shot at Central American national team glory. Most folks hate Carlos Ruiz, but know he is from Guatemala. The Costa Rica national team ties or beats us at their suffocating and cursed Saprissa stadium. But Nicaragua? The Nicas have only recently adopted soccer over baseball, and normally immigrate to nearby Costa Rica in lieu of the US. Close USMNT watchers may have noticed when former US & Chivas USA player John O'Brien visited Granada, a small colonial town, a few years ago with Futbol sin Fronteras, but no Nica star has lined up for any MLS team yet. In sum, Nicaragua was off your radar until last July and August, when Toronto FC beat Real Esteli 4-2 on aggregate to advance in the CCL. 

But it shouldn't be. Don't let the muddy field fool you, Nicaragua is a place of staggering natural beauty and warm people. Folks looking for Latin American fun sans the Mexican drug violence and expensive South American airfare should visit this diamond before the rough edges get too smooth. And, of course, when visiting the place or watching Real Esteli, you need to select the appropriate alcoholic beverage. Flor de cana is the clear winner in rum, but, for beer, the deceptively ugly side of Nicaragua rears its ugly head: the false selection dilemma. 

Between the jaw-dropping volcanoes and great lakes, mirages pollute Nicaraguan politics and beer. The false selection dilemma is when an individual is presented with two allegedly different options that are in fact almost identical. The rational individual then racks his or her brain, trying to discover a meaningful difference and make the ideal selection. The individual finds no difference, but doubts their own sensory capacities and suspects they are missing something. They often end up making no decision, with is the worst result, especially since making any decision would have had the same positive result. D'oh! In Nicaragua, don't let the superficial fool you into this trap. 

In politics, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude is playing out, but replace Macondo with Managua. Former President Arnold Aleman was convicted and incarcerated for rampant corruption during his term. This was a major blow for transparency and justice. However, near the end of Daniel Ortega's recent term, a strange thing happened. Aleman was released. Then, he decided to run as a candidate for President. And, to top matters, Daniel Ortega blatantly disregarded the Constitution's ban on consecutive terms and decided to run for re-election (and won in equally shady circumstances). On the surface, Nicaragua appears to have two parties (actually quite a few more). However, in reality, backroom deals and disappearing ballots rendered any decision unimportant. No matter who you voted for, Daniel was going to win. A rational citizen's head would explode. 

The land of beer is sadly not so different. In theory, there are two competing major label brands: Tona and Victoria. Victoria is a Pale Lager. Tona's most popular drink is a Golden Lager (though they have recently offered some new flavors). The difference in taste between these Lagers is negligible, even for a developed beer palate. Why so similar? Well, if you scratch below the surface, you find an odd occurrence: despite being alleged competitors, they are owned by the same company: CCN. Thus, between catching waves at San Juan del Sur, when your waiter ask you your drink, don't hesitate in your decision. Either beer should do if you're looking for a Nicaraguan Lager, and the aftertaste will be assuredly less bitter than the recent stolen Presidential election.  



About Elliott


Elliott blogs about soccer at Futfanatico.com. He is the author of An Illustrated Guide to Soccer & Spanish. 



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The Open Bar - Washington Post's Beer Bracket

Photo Credit: Deb Lindsey/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST 

The Washington Post held a beer-tasting competition in conjunction with March Madness called "Beer Madness" that features 32 beers from 32 breweries across the United States in four categories: "crisp", "fruit and spice", "hop", and "roast".

Click here to see all the beers (featured above) and below to see the Post's interview with the host about how the competition works.





Side Note: Back in 2007 the FBM held a 64 beer bracket challenge for a bachelor party. The final four? New Glarus (WI) "Naked", Lakefront (WI) "Riverwest Stein" Amber Lager, Lagunitas (CA) IPA, and Acme (CA) Pale Ale. Held in Milwaukee, WI, it was definitely biased towards homestate brews and our tastes have evolved even further. But we basically wanted to mention that we purchase and drank from 64 six-packs in one night. Phew....


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GRAPHIC - How Indie Brewers Are Outpacing Beer Industry Growth

Very cool graphic show the incredible surge of craft brewery success in the United States. Click on the image to make it even larger.

From Intuit:

"Over the last few decades, small, independent breweries in the U.S. have been quietly growing. And though large breweries outpace smaller ones in annual production, craft beers are using their local roots, small scale, and unique offerings to attract devout followers and loyal customers. We take a closer look with Intuit at the rising tide of craft beer in the U.S. "

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The Best of Both Worlds: Boulevard and Sporting KC Announce Partnership

When soccer and beer collide... that's the best of both worlds. This space reserved for any intersection of the suds and the sport whether business, beer and soccer events, or random humor. 

Another beer and soccer angel got it wings today when Boulevard Brewing announced a partnership with their hometown soccer club, Sporting KC.


LIVESTRONG Park is one of Major League Soccer's newest and most impressive stadiums with few details overlooked, from members-only clubs to local BBQ served in-house, but one thing the facility lacked was quality craft beer options. The members' club boasted Weston Brewing Co.'s "Drop Kick" Amber Ale, but the rest of the stadium was relegated to macro-options like league sponsor Budweiser, Guinness, Blue Moon, and others.

The new deal dubbed, "Hometown Team-Hometown Beer" will bring one of Kansas City's most celebrated beers into Sporting's stadium and put several varieties of the local brew in the hands of fans.

From a billboard outside Boulevard’s brewery to posters with the Sporting Kansas City 2012 schedule in bars and restaurants to inserting $5 ticket discount coupons in 40,000 cases of Boulevard, the cross-promotional opportunities are lining up.


The official launch of Boulevard’s seasonal beers at parties to be held at the Member’s Club at LIVESTRONG and deals with KC's major supporters group, "The Cauldron" will see Boulevard beers at their tailgates and special supporters merchandise.

The news is another huge step forward for American soccer and craft beer. It follows deals inked in other beer-meccas like Portland and Seattle where teams have sought craft beers as partners.

Obviously this is our bread and butter, but it's important to spell out exactly what this means for the sport and for the suds.

1) American soccer fans and the teams that they support are valuable partners for any company. Soccer fans are exactly in Boulevard's target market: young, adult males and female.

“We felt Boulevard needs to be part of what we’re doing,” Andy Tretiak, Sporting Kansas City’s vice president of marketing.

“We've got a young, emerging brand with a lot of momentum behind it and our demographic aligns with Boulevard.”

2) American soccer fans are massive consumers of beer and often, craft beer. Craft beer holds many of the same qualities that soccer possesses: subtlety, commitment, a blending of unique flavors towards a unified product. American soccer fans appreciate a quality soccer game and a quality beer.

“Our two brands have tremendous synergies and we look forward to a long term relationship that mutually extends our brands to both a local and regional audience,” said Bob Sullivan, Boulevard chief sales and marketing officer.

3) American soccer fans are passionate about their team before, during, and after matches and translate that passion into support for companies that support their team. A passionate soccer fan for Sporting KC is (or will become even more so) a passionate fan of Boulevard Beer. Their commitment to their team will transfer to a commitment to business connected to their team.

4) Kansas City-area newbies now have a unique, beer-related opportunity to check out their hometown club and Sporting supporters have an extra incentive in their FBM arsenal to lure potential newbies. "If Boulevard Beer can supporting American soccer... why not you? Come to the next Sporting match and you can have both!"

The Boulevard deal is another notch the in post for soccer and beer. The evidence continues to pile up that beer and soccer are as likely a pair as anything in sports and that a beer can open the door to a lifelong passion with soccer.

More people in Kansas City and the surrounding community are about to find out how true that is.

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The Tuesday 10: Looking for Work Edition

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

As you know by now, everyone's favorite Russian billionaire decided to celebrate the reelection of his good buddy Vladimir Putin by setting off some fireworks of his own inside Stamford Bridge, axing Chelsea's young Portuguese manager Andre Villas-Boas after less than a season on the job.

We here at The Other 87 are sympathetic to AVB's plight; we are your unemployed English major correspondents after all. Who wants to be jobless in this economy, especially in Europe? Fortunately for him, we've worked up a list of suggestions to consider for his next big career move.

1. Manager of Inter Milan. Why let a little thing like abject failure at Stamford Bridge stop him from becoming the next Mourinho?

2. The lead role in a London production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Roman Abramovich is already signed as Pontius Pilate.

3. Webmaster of hasrobertodimatteobeensackedyet.com. He’s also squatting on haspepguardiolabeensackedyet.com, hasjosemourinhobeensackedagainyet.com and hassvengoranerikssonfoundajobyet.com, just in case.

4. Manager of Shunderland, Shtoke, or Shouthhampton. Or, in a move that would make our dear Wes and possibly Tom Hanks extremely happy, he fulfills his destiny and becomes manager of the Aston Villas Boas. Or maybe Villasreal.

5. Farmer. Growing crops, you can usually get results after eight months.

6. Defense contractor. Designing jet fighters, you can get twenty years to tinker before you have to give results.

7. His old job. A return to his Porto of call, as it were.

8. San Francisco Giants catcher. Because they’ll need someone to crouch behind the plate once they move Buster Posey to first.

9. England manager. Think about it: He’s got youth at the back to play a high line, the kind of multi-functional midfielders to get a proper rotation between the three central spots, the same way he had at Porto, and wing options who can play as inverted or traditional wingers on either side of one of the world’s best strikers. That team is set up way better for him than Chelsea was.

10. Bruce Banner in the Avengers sequel. They replace Dr. Banner in every movie anyway, and AVB’s got plenty of background to draw from, since he too is only valuable because of the Hulk.

About "The Other 87 Minutes"

What is this new site we're exposing you too? We'll let them explain:

The Other 87 seeks to provide something that’s not instant analysis or eve of matchday previews. Think of us as the good bits of your favorite soccer coverage: the profiles that examine what makes a certain player tick, the historical background that sheds some light on how the sport has evolved to the present day, the silly features that are more than just tacking names on a list, but considering and explaining why each one deserves to be there.

O87 wants to be a home for soccer writing that makes you think, but that also treats the game as just that, a game. The greatest game, the one we obsess over and fixate on, to the point where we can’t read that gas costs 3.43 a gallon without thinking of Ajax’s 1995 Champions League winning team. But a game nonetheless.

“When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball three minutes on average. The best players – the Zidanes, Ronaldinhos, Gerrards – will have the ball maybe four minutes. Lesser players – defenders – probably two minutes. So, the most important thing is: what do you do those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball…. That is what determines whether you’re a good player or not.” –Johann Cruyff

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VIDEO - A Trip Down 2002 Memory Lane

Stumbled across this AMAZING website the other day that archived the entire 2002 FIFA World Cup. Relive the stunning 3-2 win over Portugal, the 1-1 tie versus South Korea, no way to the Poland match, and then watch Mexico crumble to the US in the Round of 16. We're not even going to talk about the quarter-finals...

All of these from glorious ESPN2 narrated by Jack Edwards and Ty Keough.

We re-watched the Portugal match last night and lost our minds when John O'Brien (Oh.... JOB... where have you gone?) smashed the opening goal off the rebound Brian McBride saved header.

The really funny thing is remembering seeing that goal (and the rest of the game's goals) in the basement of a friend's house in high school at 6:30am... freaking out, but not being able to make a sound otherwise we'd wake up his parents. Almost same situation last night only substitute friend's house for FBM HQ and not wanting to wake up Mrs. FBM.

Anyways... here's all the good stuff from the USMNT's 2002 World Cup campaign. There's more WC highlights (including 2010 and the 2011 Women's Final) here (but in Russian).

USA - Portugal:

USA - Korea:

USA - Mexico (Round of 16):


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"Party in the USA"

We're sorry everyone, but we couldn't help it....


And begin!


I hopped off the plane at Genoa
With a dream and my jersey
Welcome to the land of pizza excess (Whoa)
Am I gonna win in?

Jumped in the cab
Here I am for the first time look to my right
And I see the stadium sign this is all so crazy
Everybody seems so famous

My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the  Klins-mann turned on the radio, and a Dempsey song was on
And the Dempsey song was on, and the Dempsey song was on

So Timmy puts his goalie hands up
They're playing my song
The shots knocked away
Nodding my head like Yeah
Moving my hips like Yeah
Timmy puts his goalie hands up 
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna score at Italy away
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.

Get to the stadium in my team bus
Everybody's looking at me now
Like who's that Clint that's rocking kicks?
He's gotta be from out of town

So hard with my Outlaws not around me
It's definitely not a Nagadoches party
'Cause all I see are calcios
I guess I never got the starting line up

My tummy's turning and I'm feeling kinda home sick
Too much pressure and I'm nervous
That's when the D.J. dropped my favorite tune, and a Pia song was on
And the Pia song was on, and the Pia song was on

So I put my goalie hands up
They're playing my song
The shots knocked away
Nodding my head like Yeah
Moving my hips like Yeah 

I got my goalie hands up
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna score at Italy away
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.

Feel like getting the ball (getting the ball)
Jozy back to the goal tonight (goal tonight)
Nothing stops me any time (any time)
The Jozy plays me the ball and I feel alright!

So I put my goal scoring hands up
They're playing my song
The shot in the back of the net
Nodding my head like Yeah
Moving my hips like Yeah  

I got my goal scoring hands up
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna score at Italy away (scoring away)
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh
It's a party in the U.S.A.

So I put my  my goal scoring hands up 
They're playing my song
The goals fly away (flying away)
Nodding my head like Yeah (nodding my head like Yeah)
Moving my hips like Yeah (moving my hips like Yeah)

I got my  my goal scoring hands up 
They're playing my song
I know I'm gonna be ok (I'm gonna be okay)
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh (Yeah)
It's a party in the U.S.A.
Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh-Yeah-Eh (Ha-Ha-Ha)
It's a party in the U.S.A. (party in the U.S.A.)


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