John Harkes is... The Commentator

Editor's Note: With all due respect and a thousand plaudits to "Dirty Tackle" (It's only fair... they spun off one of our series, too) we present the potentially true life and times of America's favorite soccer commentator, John Harkes.


A few years back I decided to start my own blog. You know... a little "let's get inside ol' Johnny's head" sorta thing. Share a few ESPN-free thoughts, highlight some music that I'm listening too.. like my buddy Alexi does. Then before I really could get going I ran into a little trouble and had to lay low for awhile. You know... a little "life happens" sorta thing.

Anyways... now that the Eric Wynalda "slander machine" has been dialed down I can get back to writing. It reminds me a lot of back in 2002 when I was playing with the Columbus Crew. I was struggling with injuries so I decided to quit... I mean... retire from soccer. You know a little "when the going gets tough, the tough get going away from the things that are tough" sorta thing.

But I'm back! Like when I came back from not playing to commentate on people who are playing like I was still playing. On Fox Soccer and then ESPN and then my bathroom mirror and then ESPN again. Can't hold ol' Harkesy down.

You might be wondering what the deal is with the split photo at the top of the post is all about? Or not. Either way I'm going to tell you. It's one of the perks of following the ol' Harkes-inator through this blog. See the thing is I'm just never sure when a soccer game might break out so underneath piece of clothing I wear I've got an old jersey on. If I ever loosened my tie on the tee-vee then you might be able to catch a glimpse of it!

You know... a little "Superman" sorta thing.

I figure... hey... this car has some gas left in the tank and why not take the ol' Harkes-mobile out for a spin every once in awhile. I can't just be sitting by the ol' Harkes Bat-Phone waiting for Major League Soccer to have a "Legends" game again. You know... a little "grab the bull by the horns" sorta thing. Only I'm grabbing soccer games by the horns....

I don't think that metaphor is working...

But, yeah, I'm jumping in games all up and down the Northeast when I'm not on the tee-vee with that jabber-box Ian Darke or hiding from that hit-man that bastard Wynalda set out on me. Weekend warrior pick-up games, co-ed indoor soccer, youth tournaments... you name it, the Harkesy is out there. Playing like a true number six should.

Hey... I gotta wrap this up. I'm not really even supposed to be on a computer right now. I'm at ESPN HQ in Bristol right now and "technically" I'm not allowed on company property "at this moment", "pending an investigation" into "certain vending machine accusations".

Until next time.... remember 1989!


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VIDEO - Hope Solo and Alex Morgan "This Is SportsCenter"

USWNT players Hope Solo and Alex Morgan playing keepie-upsies with the Miami Dolphin's mascot. All fun and games until the SportCenter "suit" ruins it.

Such is the story of our life.


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Be Good To Us "MLS on NBC", We've Been Hurt Before

Hey NBC... the FBM Graphic Department is for hire.

Well that certainly was nice of you, National Broadcasting Corporation. And unexpected we may add. We caught wind (more than a wind... perhaps gale-force the way the Inter-Net-Blogo-Sphere responded) that you showed a fancy little Major League Soccer teaser video during a pre-season throwball game on Sunday.


That's cool. Problem is we've been down this road before.

Picture this... a fancy network swoops in with a nice TV deal, some kind words about the growth of the league, and a flashy promo or two for their broadcasts. Sound familiar? Yeah... we've been here before. Twice.

Running the risk of sounding like a bad Lifetime made-for-television movie, American soccer fans have fallen in love, moved in with a network, only to be abused and keep coming back for more.

So forgive us if we're a bit hesitant when you show up at our doorstep promising that you're different from other networks that we've been with before. We're impressed with what you did with the National Hockey League and Versus (soon to be the NBC Sports Network)... a real "She's All That" job, but hockey's got Boston and Canada to help them out; a couple of markets that aren't looking too pretty for MLS right now.

All joking aside we just hope that you don't lose interest. We're really excited about this opportunity and we really do like you a lot. It's been a while since we've been treated so nicely.

You're even nice enough to give our friend U.S. Soccer a little taste as well. That's sweet of you. They've been having a rough go of late with their last network. I don't know if you heard and we don't like talking bad, but they we're kinda into little kids. Pretty embarrassing stuff.

We're fifteen going on sixteen and so we're at the age where it's time to stop fooling around. We're not looking for a fling here, but love. We don't want platitudes like a flashy graphics package or some primetime promos. That's a good start, but we want to see some commitment. Hire some nice men to keep us company during the broadcasts. Give us multiple camera angles... we've got a lot of good sides. And HD... we're not afraid of a close up.

So make good NBC. I know we're a bit inexperienced, but we're loyal. If you treat us good we'll get right back at ya.

If you screw us though..... oh man.... we'll go all "Basic Instinct" on you.


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Making The Case: Time for ESPN To Get Serious

UPDATE: Austin soccer community. The offending section of this article has been removed. We never meant to imply that the bar mentioned originally in this article, their commitment to soccer was anything less than absolute. But to define the difficulty in the bar (and ESPN by proxy) have in balancing the needs of "mainstream" sports, soccer fans in America (of other leagues), and American soccer fans. Our deepest apologies. We've already contacted the bar owner to personally apologies and we hope that you all will take that into account in your future interactions with the FBM.

Editor's Note: We've published several op-eds on the Free Beer Movement site, but with no real distinction between what is news and what is opinion. Our editorials are now going to come with the feature tag "Making the Case", well, because its an awesome beer pun, and we love those. 

It's really hard to look ESPN right in the eye and tell them to get "serious" about soccer. After all we just got done with a summer where the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" gave the Women's World Cup production value the tournament has never seen before. Not to mention the previous summer's men's Cup, and the strides the network has made bringing on the likes of Ian Darke to call U.S. Men's National Team games.

But we will. We must.

Last night ESPN2 televised a "qualifier" match for the Little League World Series before the scheduled USMNT friendly against Mexico. Not surprisingly, baseball, as it often does, did not finish on time (is there such a thing as "on time" baseball?) and the beginning of the soccer game was forced to ESPNews and remained there for a good 20 minutes.

ESPN's soccer coverage got you pissed off?

ESPN has a contract with the organizers of the LLWS and they are obligated to show the game to its conclusion we sure (although ESPN also has a contract with U.S. Soccer), but of the dozens, if not hundreds of "qualifiers" that take place for the children's tournament why this one at this time? ESPN had to know there was the potential for a baseball game to continue, practically, indefinitely. Coverage could have started earlier for the game (I'm sure the LLWS would've obliged) or not at all and placed on another night when it wasn't the lead-in for any other fixed-time sporting event. Even if it wasn't the soccer game, baseball's tendency to go long is a huge obstacle to ESPN's regular programming. Back-to-back live programming is hardly ever a good idea.

Wading into the waters of discussing whether televising children playing baseball makes any sense is for another time and day. This column is mostly about moving forward rather than looking backwards.

ESPN released a statement this afternoon that spelled out their policy on continuing in-progress events:

"Starting US-MEX on ESPNEWS was unfortunate circumstance but this is one of the challenges of back-to-back live events. ESPN almost always sticks with the live event until it ends. Soccer fans would want the same if a match ran long. Fans were alerted of sched change and match was still available in HD and on ESPN3. Otherwise, hope you liked ESPN’s unprecedented commitment to this friendly."

The disconnect is that this was a much-hyped match for the cable sports network. ESPN's SportsNation was live on the scene, the broadcasting team almost had enough for a starting 11, and there was also a pre-game show. ESPN wanted to drag hardcore fans and casuals to Jurgen Klinsmann's first match with otherwise was just another game against U.S.'s regional rival.

As it often goes for ESPN what they determine as important sports (poker, bowling) they can make important sports. Last night's match, before kickoff, had all the appearances of a marquee event for ESPN.

Then problem then isn't really that ESPN did what they most always do and not-preempt coverage of a live event, but the "Jekyll and Hyde" approach the network has with soccer. If they want to be the "world wide leader in sports" then they've got to market to global sports and that means soccer. This means ramping up their coverage of the English Premier League, including more and more European league matches on its ESPN3 platform, and unprecedented coverage of the World and European Cups. Their website covering the Premier League, Soccerner, is top-rate.

What remains to be seen is what ESPN will do about AMERICAN soccer. Major League Soccer has a semi-regular spot in prime time and the National Team features on their family of networks for friendlies and qualifiers, but the American soccer portion of Soccernet is atrocious. What does ESPN really want from its domestic soccer coverage?

ESPN and it's sew-saw relationship with American soccer needs to get serious. They've certainly got the on-air talent and the production quality, but soccer fans are sensitive and fickle. Droves bolted to Univision and were never bothered by the ESPN2 to ESPNews to ESPN2 switch-a-roo, patrons in the bar I was at were incensed, and DVRs nationwide caught the exciting conclusion of children's baseball and probably missed the end. Nothing like a soccer fan scorned.

Part of the reason we hardly see other sporting events interrupted like last night is because there's so much pomp and circumstance before and after other American sports. NFL broadcasts start and finish an hour on each end so if there happen to be a long running whatever the studio show can be cut down. Baseball and baseball on ESPN are front-loaded with "__________ Tonight" as a buffer as well. The network broadcast the game at 9pm CT, but that wasn't late enough for children's baseball and had a pre-game show, but it was relegated to ESPNews as well.

It's time that ESPN, despite the investment in personnel and production also add a mentality that puts soccer on equal footing when entered into the broadcast schedule. If the game was such a marquee event as the network billed it (and once it was on, it was great) then it should be afforded the same scheduling treatment that other big events on ESPN get.

Graphic Credit: Free Beer Movement

With MLS and U.S. Soccer landing a new home on NBC and the re-branded Versus (it will soon become "NBC Sports Network") ESPN might have a bit more competition for serious domestic coverage of the game. The three-year, $10 million deal specifically stated two-and-a-half-hour broadcast windows with pre- and post-game shows something ESPN has only begun recently. Fox Soccer was always an acceptable home for MLS, but NBC's deal is for bigger bucks and bigger exposure (there are plans for lots of promotion for the league during NBC's broadcast of the 2012 Olympics).

ESPN could do little about their contractual obligations to the LLWS last night and certainly soccer has benefited from the same treatment from the network before, but what we saw last night had less to do with commitments than with a mentality that puts American soccer in the backseat in Bristol. If ESPN is serious about the global game they've got to get serious about the American game as well. You can't build one without the other in the U.S. because Nats fans are often EPL and other continental league fans as well. Put up a poor showing in one and we'll find other options.

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VIDEO - ESPN's "My Wish" with Landon Donovan

USMNT and Los Angeles Galaxy player Landon Donovan meets his biggest fan in this ESPN "My Wish" special.

Try not to shed at least one tear. I dare you.



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NEWS WATCH - Six Short Films on Women and Soccer During the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011

Watch ALL six shorts here.

ESPN will present HERoics, a series of six short documentaries chronicling women’s courage, perseverance, breaking through barriers, failure and redemption, as part of its unprecedented coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011, it was announced today. The series, an ESPN global content development project, will live on www.espnW.com, the company’s first dedicated content and digital hub designed to serve, inform and inspire female athletes and fans, beginning Saturday, June 25 – the eve of the Women’s World Cup.



The short films will offer in-depth profiles of FIFA Women’s World Cup players Marta (Brazil), Kelly Smith (England), and Lisa De Vanna (Australia); and highlight unique stories about a group of grandmothers and senior citizens on a team in Jerez, Spain, who continue to play into their 70s and 80s; a woman referee in the Republic of Congo who earned accolades from FIFA while working through the stress of abuse from fans; and a probation officer who uses soccer to steer troubled teens away from gangs in a Central California town.

In the United States, HERoics will debut on television as a one-hour program on ESPN2 on Saturday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET, the same day it goes live on espnW. The series will air on ABC in the middle of the Women’s World Cup on Saturday, July 2, at 4 p.m. Hannah Storm, award-winning sportscaster and director of the HERoics profile of England’s Kelly Smith, will host both one-hour programs.

Much like the award-winning ESPN “30 for 30” documentary series, each short film will feature a different director. ESPN is collaborating with six different documentary filmmakers – all women – from diverse cultural backgrounds and countries, and from various genres of television and film storytelling.

HERoics will mirror the 2010 FIFA World Cup series “I Scored a Goal,” the ambitious, critically acclaimed project by ESPN that featured interviews with all but three of the living players who scored a goal in a World Cup final.

Watch ALL six shorts here.

The Stories:

Dois Riachos to Umeå (Director: Adriana Yanez)

Born in the small town of Dois Riachos in the Brazilian State of Alagoas (population 11,000), Marta Vieira da Silva, simply known as Marta, has transcended her humble beginnings to become one of her country’s legendary one-name soccer stars. Hers is the newest set of feet (97th) immortalized in cement outside the famed Maracana Stadium, along with the likes of Pele, Garrincha, Zico and Ronaldo. But in 2004, at the age of 18, Marta moved from Dois Riachos to Umeå, Sweden, on a professional contract with Umeå IK. She left her mother and siblings behind in Brazil to begin a journey into a world so different from the place of her birth and a world where she could play women’s soccer as a profession. Through Marta’s eyes and words, and through the family members she left behind, HERoics explores the social milieu between the two countries that helped Marta become the current and record five-time FIFA Player of the Year, a distinction no other male or female player has ever achieved.

El Chiquitín Fútbol Club (Sara Lozano)

In Spain, home of the reigning FIFA World Cup and European champions, arcane laws and old mores still pose strong barriers against women who seek to play the sport. But the El Chiquitín Fútbol Club deviates from the norm. Since 1995, the players, grandmothers and senior citizens in the old town of Jerez, suit up in the locker room, talk trash and play hard for their coach. The oldest player, an 85-year-old known by friends and teammates as La Trini, and her teammates share the love of playing soccer.

Kelly Smith (Hannah Storm)

At 32, Smith is undoubtedly the greatest female soccer player ever in the country that invented the sport. At Seton Hall University, Smith shattered numerous records and her number was retired, the first non-basketball athlete to have a number retired. She missed the 2003 season due to a torn ACL. When the WUSA women’s pro soccer league ceased operations in 2004, frustrations mounted for Smith. She returned home to Watford, England, and began “numbing [herself] with alcohol.” Smith has returned to her old goal-scoring and is poised to lead England’s to the Women’s World Cup.

The Save (Amanda Micheli)

Gina Castañeda, a deputy probation officer in Watsonville, Calif., is best known for coaching youth soccer to steer her players away from the rising gang turf wars among the largely Hispanic, immigrant population in her community. Castañeda was abandoned by her mother. Soccer saved her life, providing her some normalcy as she parlayed a high school career into an athletic scholarship at San Francisco State University. Through her work with the Aztecas, a team of mostly 20 teenage boys on probation, Castañeda seeks to make a difference in her community.

L’ Arbitre (Ruhi Hamid)

Marie Agnès Makengi Kapinga, otherwise known as Mere Malou, was the first international female soccer referee in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her career began in 1997 when her then husband and professional soccer player, Pierre Mtumbula Mulamba Ndaye (former player for The Leopards of Zaire), abandoned her and their four children to pursue his career in South Africa. In a 15-year refereeing career with numerous accolades from FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and CAF (the Confederation of African Football), Marie Agnès endured physical and verbal abuse from fans, but remains dedicated to passing the torch on to present and future generations of female referees in her country.

Lisa De Vanna (Safina Oberoi)

Lisa De Vanna is an explosive player. Coaches refer to her as “the kind of player who changes the game.” Arguably one of Australia’s best female players, she is also the Matildas most troublesome – known to get into fights with her teammates and opposing players. While many question why she’s still with the team, others contend the mercurial striker evokes both hostility and compassion. As the Matildas prepare for the Women’s World Cup, the tempestuous but generous player is set for a showcase on the sport’s biggest stage.

Watch ALL six shorts here.

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VIDEO - ESPN Remembers American Soccer's 2010

ESPN Soccernet's "Press Pass" remembers the roller coaster year that was for the USMNT.

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VIDEO - Donovan's Goal Vs. Algeria Voted ESPN's "Best Play of 2010"

Oh! That goal.... Now, we remember.

So ESPN's "SportsNation" (a show where the collective sports-world rabble speaks their minds) hosted a contest for the "Best Sports Play of 2010" and LD10's game-saving, epic goal against Algeria was thrown up in the bracket. Even got a number one seed. Now, the cynical part of me thinks ESPN and their notorious soccer hating seeded the goal so high just so it could get upset.

But the soccer gods would not have it. Facing the fourteen seed, a Blake Griffin dunk (a Cinderella story, for sure), Donovan's goal withstood the challenge and won "Best Play of 2010".

Check out the clip. There's some other great goals from South Africa along with a great "USA!" USA!" chant from the five members of the studio audience.

Here's the link to ESPN: http://es.pn/epNoEH (sorry we had to disable the embedded clip on the site.. it was f-ing up things)

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NEWS WATCH - Major League Soccer Announces 2011 "First Kick" Home Openers

Major League Soccer announced the opening week of the 2011 season today with all 18 teams in action, including two expansion teams.

Home club listed first; All times Eastern (schedule subject to change)

Tuesday, March 15

Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, March 19

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC, time TBD

D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.

New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 7:30 p.m.

FC Dallas vs. Chicago Fire, 8:30 p.m.

Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 8:30pm

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 9 p.m.

Chivas USA vs. Sporting Kansas City, 10:30 p.m.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 20

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution, 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 26

Chicago Fire vs. Sporting Kansas City, 4 p.m.

Columbus Crew vs. New York Red Bulls, 4 p.m.

Philadelphia Union vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 4 p.m.

Toronto FC vs. Portland Timbers, time TBD

New England Revolution vs. D.C. United, time TBD

Real Salt Lake vs. LA Galaxy, 9 p.m.

Source: MLSSoccer.com

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VIDEO: ESPN Interview With Stu Holden

The American International is making waves for England's Bolton and ESPN has the scoop. Check out their interview/profile of the USMNT 2014 midfielder, Stu Holden.



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Major League Soccer: "You're A Fan, You Just Don't Know It Yet"

Just kickin' it.

Remember when ESPN used to try and get people to watch Major League Soccer games? I mean, not just advertising the next MLS game during the current MLS game?

I mean back when ESPN ran ACTUAL commercials for their MLS broadcasts. I hear they used to even show the scores along the "Bottom Line" and, correct me if I'm wrong, highlights on something called SportsCenter would appear and then "vanish like a fart in the wind" (credit: "The Shawshank Redemption").

Ahh.... the good ol' days!

Well you can re-live those days because we found ESPN's old advertising campaign that we, at the Free Beer Movement, was just utterly fantastic.

It's no Bono and World Cup montages, but it's effective in getting your casual sports fan to maybe make the jump from baseball, basketball, or football to soccer. Yes, the same who watches countess hours of programming on ESPN, including back-to-back SportCenter, late night log rolling, Tuesday night poker, NFL Live on consecutive days (even when there's no games or no new news) and early morning jump roping/spelling bees/jump-roping-while-spelling-while-being-attacked-by-bees.

At the FBM that's kinda our target market; soccer newbies, and they come from other sports markets usually. The same heart-pounding, hair-raising excitement found in all other American sports can be found in soccer, too.

Even though the ESPN MLS ad campaign glosses over the serious differences between the sports it is a poignant reminder that there is a large and diverse sporting-viewing audience that American soccer fans can lure to our sport.

With free beer, of course.


MLS - Baseball from Joel Arzu on Vimeo.



MLS - Basketball from Joel Arzu on Vimeo.


MLS - Football from Joel Arzu on Vimeo.

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Viernes (Friday) Video: ESPN World Cup Ad

ESPN has released a few spots for the World Cup this summer including your standard goal montage, arms waving, crowd cheering spots. Additionally, there was a look into South Africa's apartheid past in a feature about "Robben Island"

But the worldwide leader's latest effort is by far their most intense and touching effort of their campaign.




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Tuesday Video: Major League Soccer "First Kick" Promo

There was no "Viernes (Friday) Video" last week (sorry we were busying penning this beauty of a take-down on the New York Times which was also featured on Match Fit USA) so we'll throw a little "Tuesday Video" at you.

Major League Soccer kicks-off (pun intended) its 15th season this Thursday as the Seattle Sounders host the expansion side Philadelphia Union at 8:30 pm (Central Time) on ESPN2.

We're pleased as punch that the League and the Players' Union was able to come to an 11th hour agreement as to avoid a work stoppage and we can all just get excited for the upcoming domestic season.

This is the first full MLS season that the Free Beer Movement will have been in existence so we're doubly excited about the prospect of our members ("Free Beer Movers") sharing their stories and pictures of soccer conversion of "newbies" across this great nation.

So when you're out at matches all season remember to grab some newbies and buy them a beer.

Spread American soccer, one beer at a time!

Here's the ESPN commercial:

MLS First Kick 2010 Commerical from mlsinsider on Vimeo.

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De-constructing Stupidity: In Defense of American Soccer

Editor's Note: This is the first time we've ever done this (so go easy on us), but we couldn't let this inaccurate, poorly written, and blatantly stupid article just pass under the radar. Too often major media outlets let the columnists take a swing a soccer, sport's whipping boy and run said column as a big "F you" to the American soccer community. Today... we defend this house. The article comes from Alex Beam of the International Herald Tribune and was published in the New York Times on March 18th, 2010. His words in bold, our responses in italics.

This little piece of brilliance is also cross-posted over at the great American soccer site, Match Fit USA.
The World (Minus the U.S.) Cup

If you are a man, you know the feeling. At a party, you encounter a beautiful woman, perhaps a tad exotic. She speaks with a hint of an accent — South American? — and she dresses a notch above the people you hang around with. Is that a Sapphire martini in her hand? You think about approaching her. But in the end, you shy away.

America is that man. The World Cup is the exotic, unattainable object of fascination. The Quadrennial Awkward Date resumes.

First off, this is just the worst bit of metaphor I've read in a while. Must Read Soccer better save some space for worst writing of the week because we've got a nomination right here. I've written better leads when I wrote for my high school newspaper. Honestly, if America was at that party... America would walk over (being the greatest country in the world) and charm the shit out of that South American? hottie. Case closed. Metaphor over.
It would be great if Americans could embrace the World Cup, because then big U.S. sponsors could make even more money.
Big U.S. sponsors already make a ton of money from the World Cup. Take a look at the sponsors of the upcoming Cup: Coca Cola, McDonald's, Continental, Visa, Castrol, and many more. You don't think they didn't get into the game to grab a slice of the pie? Those are some of the biggest companies in the world. Not to mention Nike who isn't sponsoring the competition, but might as well for how often they'll show up there.
The American audience for the World Cup has increased in past years, but rarely approaches the viewership for red-white-and-blue sporting events. This year’s (admittedly excellent) Super Bowl attracted over 100 million couch potatoes. The mind-blowing, head-butting 2006 Italy-France World Cup final lured 17 million American viewers.
The problem being that when you compare finals head to head, yes, the World Cup comes up short. Too bad the tournament isn't... wait... JUST ONE GAME. So let's multiply 17 million viewers times 64 matches, OK? How about we compare one massive tournament in the U.S. to the World Cup and see how they match up? In 2009 the NCAA basketball championship game between North Carolina and Michigan State garnered 17.6 million viewers. Oh wait! That's almost EXACTLY the same as American views of the World Cup... must be that college basketball hasn't arrived yet in the United States. Oh, and another thing, the 2006 World Cup ratings in the U.S. you cited was a 152 PERCENT increase from 2002 whereas the NCAA tourney finals has seen a decrease over the last five years. You want more? The World Cup final regularly outdraws the NBA Finals and World Series in the U.S.
For Americans, soccer is just not a sport you play hooky for. What American boy hasn’t played sick to watch a World Series baseball game a few times in his life? I feigned many a flu to watch Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants pitch against Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. But I can confidently predict that classrooms will be full, and workplace absenteeism will be at normal levels, when the United States plays its first round matches in South Africa this June.
Soccer is a sport you play hooky for. During the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan I faked having to take my little sister to basketball camp every morning so I could show up late to work. I've taken over a week of vacation from my job to travel to both Washington DC to see USA versus Costa Rica on a Wednesday and USA against Honduras in Los Angeles. Those are stories that were repeated by almost every other soccer fan I met there. Those committed to even water polo skip work to watch their sports. Be surprised... watch the work place numbers this year.
Why? For one thing, America has yet to develop a soccer culture. It’s the most popular youth sport in the country — there is lots of “sharing” — but in most surveys, professional soccer ranks 10th or lower in fan interest, after stock car racing and several college sports.
According to this recent Harris poll there is no foundation (other than the author's mind) that soccer falls outside the top ten for fan interest in the sport. In fact, soccer ranks in the top ten while numerous other sports have seen dramatic drops in popularity (i.e. baseball, men's tennis, etc). And what the fuck is that random aside about "there is lots of sharing"? What do you mean by that? What place does that have in this professional journalism writing? Are you against sharing? Is that some frat boy inside joke about soccer?
To indulge some gross stereotypes, white Dads play catch with their sons in their backyards. Black kids play basketball. Hispanic-American kids may play soccer, but there are only one or two of them on the 20-man American roster.
Great now you're engaging in stereotypes to justify your argument. I'm sure that's going to go over real well. Another factual error here as well. The US roster contains 23... TWENTY THREE players. And among those 23 players include such notable Hispanic Americans (which by the way IS NOT the proper way to call Latinos... "Hispanic" implies they are from the island Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and not from Latin America. I digress... Carlos Bocanegra, Jose Fransisco Torres, Edgar Castillo, Alejandro Bedoya, Jonathan Borenstein (Jewish-Mexican), and Nick Rimando to name a few recent USMNTers. So that's more than "one or two". Again, good research.
For another thing, U.S. soccer just isn’t cool. It’s no accident that the only TV ad I remember from the last World Cup featured the Brazilian soccer team horsing around in the locker room, bouncing a soccer ball off of every conceivable appendage while grooving to samba music.
Did you see what our boys did to the "cool" Brazilians in the Confederations Cup last summer? Black is the new white. USA is the new Brazil.

Where do they get those names, anyway? Dida, Cafu, Kaká, Fred. By comparison, the current U.S. team roster reads like the letterhead of a white-shoe law firm: Evans, Goodson, Findley & Marshall.
Where do I start here? Evans... not on the team. Goodson... maybe. Findley... not if Charlie Davies is back. Marshall... nope. Oh, how about "law-firm" names Onyewu, Bocanegra, Cherundolo, Hejduk, Bedoya, Klejstan, Torres, Edu, and Adu.
Who are you going to fall in love with? Nice white boys from California and the mid-Atlantic states, suburbs, or the funky futbolistas of the favelas?
Sigh. Exhibit A: Clint Dempsey. Grew up rural poor in Nacgodoches, Texas. Had to drop out of soccer so his sister (who died by the way) could play travel tennis. The rest of his team raised money so he could still play with them. How about Freddy Adu (if he ever gets another look), who's single mother immigrated from the Ghana so he and his brother could play soccer in the U.S.? Or maybe Jay DeMerit from Green Bay, Wisconsin who paid his way to a tryout out with a non-league side in England and then was picked up and is now the captain of Watford, a big English club. I'll fall in love with my Yanks.
And it’s not just the Brazilians. The current English national team is a hotbed of wife-and-girlfriend swapping intrigue. I haven’t seen an American footballer on the front page of the New York Post, well, ever.
Maybe you missed it, but the same thing happened over here. The news broke at the same time, but you were probably too busy being entranced by the "sexy" English scandal. John Harkes, back in 1998 slept with fellow USMNTer Eric Wynalda's wife. Harkes was then dropped from the 1998 squad. This was all just revealed, but if there were any mainstream journos following soccer back them you could have easily uncovered it and added to the "intrigue" back then.
Big-time soccer cued up its shot in the U.S. and missed. Football god David Beckham was supposed to save the American game when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, but he never broke through, on the field or in the popular imagination. Not only was he bedeviled by injuries, but his greatest skill — serving parabolic passes from the outside midfield — is one that scoring-obsessed Americans could never appreciate. His wife Victoria’s frenzied attempt to become a celebrity in a town that already had celebrities, thank you, likewise gained little traction.
The only people that said that Beckham was going to "save" American soccer were the people that hoped that soccer in this country dies. It’s a set-up argument. If I said, "the New England Patriots MUST not lose a game this season and win the Super Bowl otherwise football is dead" and then they don't do it... I win. I certainly don't remember anyone in any position of authority, not commissioner Don Garber, the president of the Galaxy, or Beckham himself saying he was here to "save" American soccer. Soccer in America DOES NOT NEED SAVING. It is strong, stable, and growing in this country. Only from pretentious fucks like you maybe who keep looking for the silver bullet to slay the sport here.
The Beautiful People assembled to tout the opening of the David Beckham Soccer Academy in Los Angeles in 2005. When it closed a few months ago, a brief press release did the job.
So what? His flashy, exclusive soccer camp closed. Too bad you mentioned earlier in the article that soccer is the largest youth sport in the nation so I think soccer for kids will be just fine.
Hope springs eternal at ESPN, the network that will broadcast the games to most Americans. On the one hand, ESPN’s vice president of programming Scott Guglielmino allows that if, by some miracle, the American team plays deep into the month-long tournament, that could produce a possible ratings bonanza.
But no matter what, this summer's World Cup WILL BE a "ratings bonanza" because viewership is up across the board for soccer. Face it.... ESPN is doubling down on soccer in the country. They are investing in the English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and even rolling out 3D TV for this summer's Cup. The Worldwide Leader in Sports intends to make soccer in this country.
Just in case, he says the network will be rolling out some “team predictor” Web software that will match fans up to teams whose style of play they might enjoy. “It’s O.K. to root for more than one team,” he says. “We want the non-core fan to buy in and connect with the World Cup.”
That sounds like ... a dating service.
Great another good ol’ boy joke at the expense of soccer. Good one. You got us there.

FUCK YOU. We will win.

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Who Were Buying a Beer For...

Life it getting busy here at FBM HQ. Damn "real job". We barely had time to get a nice list of people we're buying a beer for this week.

Our first honoree is actually a whole team so that counts like we have a lot more people on our list. Right? Nice try, huh? Oh, well. Despite its brevity in numbers we think this week's list more than makes up in depth. Enjoy!

1) The 1950 U.S. National Team World Cup Squad

While it might seem tired and cliche to celebrate the giant-beating 1950 Yanks squad this week, we've really got nothing better to do than that so here it goes.

The New York Times ran a great profile piece on the last four surviving members of that fated team and the quote from Walter Bahr speaks volumes about the growth of soccer in America.

He said,

"The older I get, the more famous I become."

The 1950 one-nil victory over England in the World Cup continues to stand as one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport. And while the United States fell into a soccer hibernation for the better part of four decades, the resurgence of our national team and the continued success of our domestic league can be traced back to that tournament. The foundation was laid in giving a group of people the hope that an United States soccer team can and did stand up to one of the greatest footballing nations of its time.

The same could be said of our current Nats who faced down #1 Spain and went to the mat against the current World Cup holders Brazil in this past summer's Confederation Cup. A sort of "yes, we can" (sorry Obama) attitude that we as National Team team and fans of it are not satisfied with soccer mediocrity.

The fact that Bahr and his few remaining compatriots keep getting more famous is a testament to the growth of our domestic game. Our sport has history that we can look back on with pride. Our sport has legends that we can look up to. It is because of their efforts that out current crop of U.S. players and fans have shoulders to stand upon.

So when the 2010 World Cup squad faces off against England on June 12th in South Africa it is more than just another match in the greatest tournament on the planet (which is, for obvious reasons, already huge), it is a tribute to the sacrifices that a dishwasher, hearst driver, and other assorted workers of odd jobs made on that fateful day in Brazil. It's a damn shame that it takes sixty years to wait to celebrate their work, but, even though cliche, this week seems the most appropriate.

Let us buy you gentlemen a beer.

2) ESPN

For years it was incredibly ironic that the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" was dissing the world's number one sport. One friend politely referred to their coverage of soccer as a "Travashammockery".For soccer fans in the United States we had to hope and pray that our cable company didn't charge and arm and a leg to see soccer-specific channels like GolTV, Setanta, and Fox Soccer Channel. Every once in a blue moon (in between 2004 World's Strongest Man and a jump-roping competition) soccer would show up on the network.

Those days are mostly behind us. ESPN has read the tea leaves and are moving forward at a breakneck pace to cover soccer. And while fans of Major League Soccer will clamor for more high-profile coverage of their league (preferably a few games that don't always feature Blanco or Beckham) no one can doubt the networks new commitment to the sport. For a network that had one MLS game a week only two years ago, a weekly English Premier League game, occasional Spanish La Liga games, and the massive slate of various leagues at ESPN360 (and, of course, the full-blown coverage of Euro 2008, the WC draw, and the up-coming 2010 festivities), the so-called WWL is finally living up to its name.

As soccer fans of the game, both foreign and domestic, and increase in soccer coverage by the globe's biggest player is a step in the right direction. And even though our American league's standing is nothing short of depressing on ESPN the arc of history is bending towards justice for us all (sorry I just stole part of that from Martin Luther King Jr. with a few changes).

The Shin Guardian has put together a fantastic three-part series on ESPN's upcoming World Cup coverage. This is based on one of their writer's meetings with various executives at the company (including VP of Content John Skipper) at the World Cup Draw Media Day at ESPN HQ in Bristol, Conn. last week.

Part I: Soccer, the World Cup, and ESPN
Part II: A World Cup for All Viewers
Part III: Spanning the World with the Worldwide Leader

This doesn't even begin to touch on the network's helping hand with the USA 2018/2022 World Cup bid. The Go USA Bid Committee worked with ESPN to produce a SportsCenter-looking bid video for the selection committee in South Africa. The Worldwide Leader in Sports is clearly behind the home side.

Check it out:


Many we just realized buying a whole network beers is going to cost us. Better re-write the ol' FBM budget.

(Crumples up cocktail napkin.)

News Watch: Numbers in the Stands, Numbers on TV, ESPN Ups its WC Coverage, Eastwood a Soccer Fan? and More

The Free Beer Movement is not focused solely on drinking. I know... it surprises us to say that too. In our more sober moments we also reflect on the state of the sport, culture-wise, with one eye on the headlines that pop up across the soccer Inter-blogo-sphere.

Here's a look at a few key stories that are shaping American soccer this week.

* Despite the recession, Major League Soccer is doing pretty OK.

This is great news given the current economic situation in the nation. All of the major sports leagues are suffering due to the down turn, but MLS's modesty seems to have helped it through the worst part of the storm.

The National Football league is struggling to sell tickets and Major League Baseball saw its attendance drop 6.9%, while MLS fell only 2.9%. The bad news is that if you take new franchise Seattle out of the figures (who averaged 30,897 per game) the league attendance suffered a 9% drop. The other bad news is that established clubs on, average, suffered more than the league's newer clubs. Long-struggling clubs like Kansas City, FC Dallas, and New York Red Bulls continue to lose fans not only because of the recession, but because they're just bad.

Back to the upside. The Summer of Soccer put American soccer on the map. Not 1994 World Cup on the map, but between the high profile matches and the USMNT's run the Gold Cup and Confed Cup it drew larg number of people to the sport and in the stands

* Even as attendance numbers are a mixed bag, TV ratings for soccer are pretty straight forward: a big jump for the footy. Fox Soccer Channel saw huge boosts for its English Premier League numbers and modest gains for its MLS broadcasts. Just keep in mind, its not worth it to compare the two.

* More good TV news: ESPN is going all-out for its World Cup coverage in South Africa next year.

* Speaking of the World Cup, the Los Angeles Time reports that the U.S. hosting the 2018 or 2022 tourney could mean an estimated $5 BILLION, with a "B" windfall for the nation's ecomomy.

* And how is that big going?

* A great "shoe on the other foot" perspective of American basketball from the Brits.

* If Dirty Harry is a soccer fan then why not the rest of America? Huh, punks?

* The Americans are Coming! The rest of the world ought to get used to the USMNT participating in its marquee soccer event.