PHOTO ESSAY - Free Beer Match Day: USWNT in Dallas

We took in the United States Women's National Team international friendly against New Zealand in Frisco, Texas this past weekend. A pair of Alex Morgan late goals spared the Lady Nats blushes, but as always, when American soccer is on tap there's no question it was a good time.

We were joined at the tailgate by member several area chapters of the American Outlaws (Dallas-Forth Worth, Oklahoma City, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio)the San Antonio soccer supporters group, the Crocketteers (a NASL team, the Scorpions, starts play this season), and members of several FC Dallas supporters groups. 

We were armed with some canned craft brew from
Austin Beerworks and a handful of FBM scarves.

This Outlaw from OKC aka "scarfman" added the FBM scarf to his collection.

The Crocketteers came loaded with several dozen cases of FREE BEER provided by a San Antonio-area distributor.

FREE BEER! (Photo Credit: The Crocketteers)

Captain America manning the keg.

A brisk day called for creative use of FBM's scarf and a few extra beers for warmth.

Leading the Outlaws in song with a little liquid inspiration.

The AO march into the stadium.

The Crocketteers/AO section getting "warmed" up before the match. (Photo Credit: The Crocketteers)

Pre-game warmups for the USWNT as FC Dallas Stadium fills up.

A New Zealand fan watches during the National Anthems.

Sunny, but fer-eezing!
20,677 took in the match.
The largest crowd for women's soccer in the U.S. since the 1999 Women's World Cup Final.

Kelley O'Hara

Hope Solo organizes her line.

The USWNT applauds the crowd after the match.

We sat next to this guy (his name is Homer) at the stadium, a home brewer from Lubbock, and by the end of the match he bought the FBM scarf off our neck! Another satisfied customer!

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The After Bar - USWNT Highlights and Post-Match Comments

Alex Morgan scored a pair for the U.S. Women's National Team as they overcame a 1-0 deficit to grab the win in stoppage time, 2-1.

Fun fact: The two headers in the 88th and 93rd minute meant that ten of her career 16 goals have come in the 80th minute or later.

An uncharacteristically poor backpass to second half goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart gave New Zealand the lead shortly after halftime (49th minute), but the sometimes sloppy Lady Nats found another victory in the jaws of defeat.

The game was played in near-freezing temperatures at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas in front of a sell out 20,677 fans, the largest home crowd to see a women's soccer game since the 1999 Women's World Cup Final in Los Angeles.

The match was the first since the USWNT qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and their only game on U.S. soil before leaving for Portugal to prepare for the Algarve Cup and, potentially, their ninth title of that tournament, at the end of the month.

Highlights:



Reaction:


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PHOTO - USWNT's Alex Morgan Is Going to Break the Internet

 Photo Credit: Kayt Jones/Sports Illustrated

Here you go, folks.

The first picture released from Sports Illustrated's upcoming swimsuit issue featuring U.S. Women's National Team forward Alex Morgan.

In. Body. Paint.

Not even worth trying to say anything else.

Setting the computer down.

And walking away.

You're welcome, Internet.

(Sound of slow footsteps.)


















Credit to Dirty Tackle for the find. Read everything they do. It's freaking brilliant.

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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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VIDEO - USWNT "Fun and Games"

It's USWNT video day here at the Free Beer Movement. Even though the Lady Nats are seriously focused on capturing the 2012 Olympics title in London we've always appreciated the fact that they're never too serious about their sport. Game time is one thing... play time... they're got some of that too. A nice series of outtakes from various U.S. Soccer interviews and features shows the USWNT always "looks on the bright side of life".

 

US WNT - Fun and Games from Atlee Hargis on Vimeo.

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VIDEO - USWNT 2012 Olympics Hype

Probably one of the best U.S. Soccer "hype" vids we've ever seen and it comes on the tail of an amazing World Cup performance by the U.S. Women's National Team. Their run isn't over yet. The 2012 Olympic games are just around the corner and the Lady Nats have their sights set on capturing the gold medal in London.


Untitled from Atlee Hargis on Vimeo.

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Tuesday 10: Feelings/Emotions During the Women's World Cup Final

We felt like this more or less.

Editor's Note: We continue a great new feature on the Free Beer Movement site. In collaboration with the quality soccer site, "The Other 87 Minutes" we present the "Tuesday XI" (and sometimes the "Tuesday Ten") a thoughtful list on a variety of topics in the world of soccer.

Make sure you head over to "The Other 87 Minutes" and check out all the... well... other great writing on their site. What do you think of the "Tuesday XI"? Let us know in the comments section!

Spoiler Alert: It's not a happy ending.

We felt like this, more or less:

Japan's goal may well have
looked like this during the first half.

-- 1st minute: Frustration (Unable to find parking at the packed-out bar.)

-- 18th minute: Still Frustration (Are these goals regulation size? Are we sure they're working?)

-- 29th minute: Amazement (Even though that went off the crossbar, it only strengthened our desire to send Jozy to Abby Wambach Camp next summer.)

-- 46th minute: Hot and Bothered (What? We have a thing for pink headbands.)

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

-- 70th minute: Euphoria (Rapinoe's pass. Oh. My. God. There are no words.)

-- 80th minute: Deflation

-- 103rd minute: Euphoria Again [Morephoria?] (YESS! WAMBACH IS A BEAST! WE'RE GOING TO WIN! I HOPE I DIDN'T JUST JINX IT!).

-- 116th minute: 困ったな, or 'Shit, did that just happen? (Now how do you say 'worst case scenario' in Japanese?)

-- FT: Disbelief/Shock/Numbness.

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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In A Loss, A Future Victory For American Soccer

Hey look, its another generation of youth captivated by a women's team. I'm sure that won't pay dividends for the future of American soccer...

The word "destiny" got thrown around pretty casually in the run up to this Women's World Cup Final. Granted it was by a lot of media types looking to make Sunday's match as hyperbolic as possible; most American soccer fans held back only hoping for the best while fearing the worst (hey it's in our nature).

"Destiny" is one of those words that should never be used in sports, or really, anywhere. Unless you've got a signed letter from God (or the gods) leave the "D-word" packed up. Sports have a funny (no depressing) way of playing out.

I took the loss hard. Probably harder than the men's loss to Ghana in 2010. This was a final after all. I'll be the first to admit... tears were shed... lots of them. Beers, naturally, followed tears.

Reflecting on this U.S. Women's National Team run to the WWC Final the casual observer would almost have assumed that a victory was assured. A dramatic victory versus Brazil and an inspired performance against France got them this far. Japan... good wins, but another speed bump to our third title.

For as much as grit and determination got the Lady Nats to the final, Japan happened to have just a little bit more. Just like the U.S., outmatched and outplayed for large stretches of their wins in the quarterfinals and semi-finals, so was Japan, but down twice, they fought back, and won on penalties that made Nike's "Pressure Makes Us" campaign seem quite silly (the ad ran following the conclusion of the match making it all the more salt-in-the-wound).

The magic ran out at the wrong time. All the right players played their roles. Alex Morgan clinically finished to amp up the hype machine on her future USMNT career. Abby Wambach finished another fine header effort to lead the Lady Nats. Hope Solo was solid and stopped yet another PK. The rest of the supporting cast: Megan Rapinoe, Lauren Cheney, Carli Lloyd, captain Christine Rampone, et al all performed admirably.

The difference became in full-time as it were in penalties, Japan finished when it counted, while the U.S. did not. The penalty misses and saves were representative of the countless missed opportunities during regular and extra time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

I was interviewed during the match by a local news crew about what a victory would mean for women's soccer in the United States. I said that this squad would be able to escape the ghosts of the 1999ers and final forge a new identity for themselves. That hopefully this event would take even a small percentage of casuals and make them into new fans.

What I failed to mention (and in thinking now the interview probably won't run because the women losts) was that irrespective of whether these American ladies won or lost doesn't change the incredible journey they brought us all on.

Hope Solo is still the best goal keeper in women's soccer.

Abby Wambach is still the best header of the ball in the game (honestly, men or women) and a damn good finisher.

Alex Morgan has the potential to become and electric force for the USWNT for the next two or three World Cups; an exciting prospect that should have U.S. fans drooling at the prospects of the 2015 Women's World Cup in Canada (road trip, anyone?)

It doesn't change the fact that you can see each one of these amazing women playing week-in-and-week-out in the Women's Professional Soccer league. It doesn't change the fact that, next year, almost the exact same squad will compete in the Olympic games in London, a tournament that is incredibly prestigious in the women's game (as opposed to the men's game where it's seen as a youth tournament).

The millions of casual eyes that turned toward the TVs and filled the bars across American will quietly slink back to, well, whatever they were watching before. America loves a winner until they are the losers.

This women's squad, is, though, anything but losers. In a tournament run marked by the Lady Nats' ability to dig deeper than their opponents, Japan was to claw even deeper. Credit to them.

American need not to abandon their summertime heroes. Right now we a desperate for something positive. The debt crisis, Casey Anthony, I'm sure in a few weeks, shark attacks, dominate the news.

Abby Wambach still headed home one of the most dramatic game winners in all of professional sports. Hope Solo still spread out to deny Brazil. The depth and determination of this team is still undeniable. A loss takes nothing away from the dramatic events and efforts that brought them to this place on Sunday. A loss does not make those moments disappear. 

Where do we go from here? A win, while satisfying, well, incredibly satisfying, would be momentary. Perhaps the WPS would see a bump from casual fans wanting to see their World Cup heroes in person?

They can still do that. They are still heroes. They still exist.

All of those casual fans that filled my American Outlaws chapter bar to capacity give us good measure of the potential for soccer in America and the American soccer landscape. They are out there, waiting to be mesmerized again. The goal is now to let them know that these games happen all the time and these players (both male and female) fight for the honor of their country's colors more often that the lazy days of summer when baseball drags on an football and basketball are hibernating. 

The people that filled bars across the nation and living rooms around the U.S. show that this sport is no longer in the shadows. This Women's World Cup wave was built on the back of the men's journey in 2010, built on the back of all the American soccer journeys stretching back to 1999 and even before to 1994. Every successive generation American soccer is capturing more of their hearts and minds.

Just like the U.S.'s odds for the next Women's World Cup, for the American soccer fan base, the foundation is there. It's up to us, to make sure we're still there, inviting them along for the riding, buying them a beer, each and every time. 

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FBM Drinkin' Songs - Pia Sundhage Will Win At Karaoke

Because sometimes you need something to listen to while you drink we present "FBM Drinkin' Songs". This series will... ahem... explore the musical side of soccer and beer.

Today is an unexpected relevation that U.S. Women's National Team soccer coach Pia Sundhage often sings to her team at practice and in the locker room.

Apparently she's a big fan of Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkel. If they ever do a reunion tour we hope she gets pulled up on stage.



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FBM DrinkWear - Nike USWNT Mosaic Shirt

Greek designer Charis Tsevis teamed up with the Nike Graphic Design studio in Oregon to create this mosaic t-shirt for the USWNT's participation in the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany.

Both are about as hot as can be right now.

Tsevis made a moasic bald eagle out of design elements from the US Soccer Federation and the shirt is available in three colors: red, blue, and purple.

Here's the whole image:

And a close up:

You can buy the tees here and here and many other places.


Found on Behance.net


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Women's Soccer... Yup... We're Still Stuck in "That" Place

Abby Wambach's dramatic stoppage-time header, Hope Solo's amazing reflexes, and an incredible 10-women team effort saw the United States Women's National Team triumph over the anti-soccer tactics of Brazil and capture the nation's interest.

Unfortunately, no matter how many heroics these women perform there will be one thing that they can't triumph over.. the blatant sexism that exists in our media. It's nothing new, but just like American soccer bashing, the mainstream sports media just can't seem to get enough of it.

Today's attack on what should be a seminal moment in American soccer history comes from the site, "Tauntr" (which I won't even link to to give them the page views they crave), who's sole mission seems to be make bad jokes that piss off everyone.

"Tauntr is a new brand in sports entertainment that stands for original, edgy, humorous and intelligent multi-media content. Games, videos, animations, images, articles, comics and taunting tools are distributed through platforms such as the web, mobile devices, print, radio, TV, merchandise and live events. Our very unique, rapid content creation company is comprised of professional writers, animators and designers as well as a game development team. Tauntr content is designed to evoke emotion, spur debate and achieve viral activity."

There will be a few of your that tell us that we've played right into their hands with our outrage, but we tend to fall for the trick a lot when the lamestream (yeah Sarah Palin... we stole your word!) sports media trots out their tired attacks on soccer. Being the promoter of American soccer and soccer in America also comes the responsibility of being its defender. An attack on soccer, men's or women's, is worth a sturdy rebuking.

Tauntr in their juvenile "Beavis and Butthead" sense of humor decided to make "propaganda posters" to help promote women's soccer and make even help them get the "right to vote". Very clever. We're still making voting jokes 90 years later.

Here are the posters in reverse order of how they're on the Tauntr website.

Exhibit C

We'll only half mention what a shitty Photoshop job this is. So eager to make the joke that they don't even try to do it with any creativity. Women's soccer is only an opportunity to see someone take off their shirt. Go to a beach. 

Exhibit B

Sigh. An accomplished coach gets reduced to being compared to a man in the looks department.


Exhibit A

At first this one wasn't so offensive to us. We used the original "Rosie the Riveter" image in our post yesterday explaining our "lust-to-love" affair with the Lady Nats. After seeing the rest of the posters, we realized the entire project was meant to be demeaning, it hit home that this one wasn't even celebrating the women's strength but mocking them that it took until the closing minutes of the match to get the job done.

Fine... Tauntr rolled out a bunch of tired stereotypes about women and soccer. We get that. This is their shtick. We're at the all-star break for baseball and basketball and football are in the off-season and locked out. They're desperate for content.

If they REALLY wanted to ACTUALLY be edgy as they claim in their "about us" they could've made propaganda posters that DID promote the women's game. The Abby Wambach poster would've been epic without the cheeky parenthesis, the Alex Morgan and Hope Solo poster should read "We're more than just a bunch of pretty faces... we'll kick your ass", and if the graphic artist dropped the "who looks like a man" line from the Pia Sundhage poster it might have been a legitimate criticism of the men's team.

Opportunities lost for a quick, cheap joke.

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My Personal Journey With the USWNT - From Lust to Love

Editor's Note: This is probably one of the only personal bits you'll see on this site. The Free Beer Movement isn't about me, but about, you, the collective American soccer fans that help build this sport one beer at a time. Yesterday's USWNT win, though, moved me to put into words the "love story" I've had with the Lady Nats. It's not crazy to say that without the Women's National Team there wouldn't be the FBM. They're that important to me. Of course there's plenty the men's game has done for me as well, but this focuses on what women's soccer has done for me. I hope you enjoy it.

By Dan Wiersema / Founder, Free Beer Movement

My journey as a fan of American soccer is probably as convoluted as this piece is going to be. You've been warned.

At age 12 I started playing soccer when most American children give it up. While most of my friends were quickly abandoning the sport to play football, and continue on their upward arch to travelling basketball and baseball teams, I had discovered that I was just mediocre at all three traditionally American sports (and atrocious at golf) and that soccer would be my last chance at sporting success. I was lost and, something I will regret to this day, had no idea that the World Cup was happening in my backyard the same summer I began my long, love-fueled journey with soccer.

Fast forward four years and to France 98 where I was living abroad as a part of a high school trip in Hungary. My on-field contribution to the sport of soccer was barely a tick above my participation as a fan in the United States. I hadn't attended a single Major League Soccer match even though the Chicago Fire were within driving distance (although I did watch ESPN's "Match of the Week" and had a sweet MLS poster!) and I couldn't name more than a half dozen players on the U.S. Men's National Team roster.

But there I was sitting in a Hungarian bar, belting out the National Anthem, in the naive patriotism that comes with being a 15-year old kid living in a foreign country; you know... the kind that roots because it's the USA and well, dammit... I'm American. We could also drink beer with no questions asked so going and watching games was easy. Actually that's a lot like being an American Outlaws today!

As most of us recall, the American odyssey in France was an unmitigated disaster. Steve Sampson and 3-6-1 formations will forever go down as a part of the dark ages of US Soccer history. Last place, one goal to our name (from Brian McBride), and an embarrassing geo-political loss to Iran.

My Hungarians friends made me pay for being an American soccer fan that summer. My interest in the team waned severely towards disinterest. I had stuck my neck out for them, put what little built up faith I had in American soccer, and lost my investment.

I returned home to the U.S. and bought a Holland jersey after being dazzled by Dennis Berkamps wondergoal against Argentina and embracing my Dutch heritage instead of my American one. (Long-time readers will know how wrong I was back then). I spilled paint on my USMNT t-shirt jersey in the fall of that school year and it would never see the light of day again.

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One could say that my interest with professional soccer, at that point, was at its low-point. I continue to play club soccer and for my high school with mixed results, but had no real upward connection to encourage my enthusiasm for the sport. I went to practice and games, played, and then I was done.

Then the next summer, 1999, the Women's National Team made their incredible and inspirational run to capture the Women's World Cup on home soil. From the outset of the tournament I was intrigued. Keep in mind, that at 16 years-old, seeing that many beautiful women in one place was about all I could handle. Crushing hardcore on players like Danielle Fotopoulos, Lorrie Fair, yes, Julie Foudy, and, of course, Mia Hamm my interest level in American soccer was heavily tilting towards "lust".

When they won the USWNT was everywhere. I collected Sports Illustrated articles, newspaper clippings, even a few of mom's "Good Housekeeping" magazines. That Brandi Chastain image? Whew....

But it was clear that the "Girls of Summer" had done something more than inspire a generation of young girls to play soccer; it had pulled my American soccer fandom from the ashes. I went into the 1999 Women's World Cup  thinking about at the USWNT with the wrong body part, but came out with fire in my head and heart.

From there it was, much like any high school romance, a whirlwind of emotions and swings of intensity. From lust to puppy love.... I had it for American soccer.

From there everything becomes a blur. I played soccer every moment I could. I watched every game that graced the television. I took back the Men's National Team shortly thereafter and during Korea/Japan 2002 quietly jumped up and down in the basement of my best friend's house as we downed Portugal in the first round and later Mexico in the knock-out stages, before "the world person in the world" killed our Cup dreams. Fueled by EA Sports' FIFA series and a never ending supply of pick up games in college I was all in.

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Between the triumph of 1999 and today the rest of the world caught up to the USWNT. Germany took the 2003 and 2007 Women's World Cup titles, but by then I had moved beyond crushing on the Lady Nats to serious feelings about our relationship. That point where you've been with someone where you start asking yourself "maybe this is the one?" The women had given back everything I had given them. We had a mutual appreciation for each other. 

Add to the fact in all this time I new front had opened up in my dedication to women's soccer. Being the oldest of three children I witnessed both my younger sisters' inspiration by the USWNT's 1999 victory. One would later move on to a very successful life with the French Horn, but the other played through high school. While I was mostly a difficult older brother playing soccer with these two in the backyard, using a power box for one post and a tree for another, sits in my brain as some of the most favorite memories I have with them.

As the Lady Nats continued to win everything but the World Cup (including Olympics gold in 2004 and 2008, loads of Algarve Cups and Four National Tournaments) I became a teacher (yes, shock... my secret identity revealed) and began to coach women's soccer. First, varsity soccer at an inner-city Milwaukee high school and today, every Friday, I run a morning soccer club for girls at the middle school in Texas I teach at.

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This summer has brought back a flurry of the same emotions from that first summer I "lusted" after the USWNT. Many things have changed, though.

Certainly this edition of the Lady Nats is full of lookers. From Hope Solo to Heather Mitts to Alex Morgan plenty has been written about the physical beauty of this squad (I'm partial to Megan Rapinoe myself.. dunno why...). For a long time I haven't looked at the women's national team like I once had. Perhaps it's because I'm older (28) or married or that I've coached ladies now, but watching the USWNT is an exercise in deep appreciation and analysis of their game about everything but their looks.

I'm not blind to it, but I'd like to think that the love I have of these women has matured. I've settled down with them. I think they are beautiful, each and every one of them, but everything matters now.

Yesterday I watched the match against Brazil with my wife. We were on vacation, celebrating three years of marriage, but we had to watch this game. My wife was not a soccer fan when we met. In fact, she knew nothing of the sport, but from the day we met seven years earlier she has been my greatest FBM experiment. Last summer the men's World Cup locked her in and she also took her first USWNT match in in Omaha, Nebraska. My love had become her love.

With tears in her eyes, she was slowly being crushed by each second that ticked away on the scoreboard in Dresden. Then amazing happened:

Two people have probably never made so much noise in their lives.

Hope Solo's penalty kick save and the five U.S. sharp-shooters finished off Brazil while Mrs. FBM placed her order for a black "Wambach" jersey.

My love has become her love. Someday our loves, each other and U.S. soccer, will collide when we have to name our children. Boy or girl we've got it settled.

Dempsey and Abby.

The greatest love is NOT the love in spite of... it is the love because of. Because I'm American, these are my American women, and, through all the years, they have done so much to make me the American soccer fan I am today.

I love them.

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Meet the 2011 Women's National Team (Part 2)

Official WWC Team Photo (Courtesy: US Soccer)

USSoccer.com has been putting together these mini-profiles of each of the USWNT players that will complete in Germany for the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Here are the rest of the profiles of each player on the roster. See the first set of profiles here.

Funny, random, factual.... all of the above. Meet your Lady Nats.

Heather O'Reilly and Abby Wambach:


Tobin Heath and Lauren Cheney:


Lori Lindsey and Megan Rapinoe:


Jill Loyden and Nicole Barnhart:

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The Drinker's Guide to the Women's World Cup (Part Zwei)

By Jobst Elster / Senior Bier Correspondent

A two part series focused on football, beer and kick-ass German cities

Check out our sampler to kick off the Cup, "Sudsy Facts About the Women's World Cup".

And Part One of our tour of Germany and "Drinker's Guide to the WWC"

On the Women's World Cup's first round final days we look at the rest of the Germany's host cities and their delicious beer. 

Mainhattan: Skyscrapers and World Cup Finals

Frankfurt am Main (the local river) is the financial capital of Germany, home of the DAX (German Stock market), and because of its atypical German skyscraper landscape, oft referred to as Mainhattan. Honestly, I have probably been to Frankfurt over 100 times, but mostly either coming or going to the international airport. The big-time brewery in town is Binding and the Binding Roemer Pils and Binding Export are perfect when enjoyed with a local Bockwurst or Frankfurter and Kraut. If you are craving a Hefe and can’t get your hands on a ‘real’ Bavarian, Binding’s Schoefferhofer Hefeweizen is a good stand in. While the regional beer is good, Frankfurt’s most popular drink is the local Aepplewoi or apple wine which is served in a stone jug and poured into a patterned glass. Ordering a ‘Bembel’ (1 liter of grown-up apple juice served in said jug) is mandatory while you check out the WWC action.

Frankfurt Ladies are dominant in German soccer.

Speaking of the World Cup, the Frankfurt venue holds 48,000+ and is the home to freshly relegated side Eintracht Frankfurt. In contrast to the men, the city’s female Bundesliga club 1. FFC Frankfurt has pretty much won everything in sight boasting seven German league championships and eight German Cups (including 2011) since 1999. The team is often compared to Bayern Munich of the men’s Bundesliga based on its on-the field dominance and the fact that many of its players (six in 2011) are on the Women’s National Team including goalie Nadine Anger, midfielder Kerstin Garefrekes and legendary striker Birgit Prinz. As I complete this post, the dust has already settled on Germany’s 2nd Group A match with Nigeria, which they won 1:0 in a closely contested, physical battle. The WWC favorites are now moving on to the quarterfinals and hope to travel back to Frankfurt in time to compete in the Final on July 17th.

Leverkusen: Home of the shunned ex El Capitan


Ex German National Team Captain Michael Ballack, shunned from Chelsea FC after the 2009/10 campaign, now earns his ‘Koelsch’ in Leverkusen where he originally played from 1999-2002. As fate (and genetics) would have it, this is the second year in a row Ballack can’t compete in a World Cup for his country. Last year, a devastating injury kept him out of action in South Africa, and this year the women’s team is in the thick of it, but clearly has no use for an aging diva such as Ballack.

Dombrauhaus Schlebusch

Back to the beer …Leverkusen, a city made famous through its biggest corporate resident Bayer AG (maker, of among other things, aspirin and loads of crop protection and pest control products), is located in Germany’s Rheinland region. To me, the Rheinland is best known for three things … horrible language dialects (not even a mother could love), carnival (equivalent to mardis gras), and Koelsch beer. Although Koelsch, as the name states, originated in Koeln (Cologne) it is also very popular in Leverkusen and is consumed en masse at the Dombrauhaus Schlebusch. Make sure you sample the Dom Koelsch, but realize even the ‘shot- size’ .2 liter glasses will make for wobbly legs sooner or later. While Koelsch is one of those beers you either love or hate (it’s not my fave), Altbier (locally just referred to as ‘Alt’) is it’s evil, sweeter and richer twin. Alt is originally from Düsseldorf but also readily available in Leverkusen. Try Diebels Alt (an InBev brand also available in the states).

As far as WWC matches go, First German Division club Bayer Leverkusen’s home stadium will host four games and can seat roughly 30,000 supporters. Leverkusen is a football town being only one of a handful of WWC venues that has both a men’s and women’s team in the Bundesliga. The next match pits Japan versus Mexico which surprised England with a 1:1 draw in their opener and have thus far earned my ‘most improved team’ tag.

Note to beer lovers: It looks like true beer connoisseurs need to return to town in August (or never leave), just in time for the Bierboerse Leverkusen-Opladen, an international beer festival featuring approximately 1000 beers from 75 countries including Lebanon, Ethiopia, Morocco and Tahiti- now that’s a world cup!

Welcome to the Ruhrpott

Moenchengladbach (Gladbach)and Bochum are German cities located in the so called Ruhrgebiet or Ruhrpott area in North-Rhine Westphalia and known for the hard-working, coal mining way of life. Hard work and football fanaticism go hand-in-hand so it is no surprise that the true hardcore German football followers live in this region with Dortmund (2010/11 Bundesliga Champion) and Schalke being the definite poster children.
The Borussia Park in Gladbach hosts 3 WWC games including Germany’s group A match-up with France (to determine the group winner) as well as a semi-final on July 13. The 45,000+ capacity stadium is the 3rd largest WWC venue behind Berlin and Frankfurt and already hosted one world cup match, the June 29th Brazil vs. Australia game, which Brazil won 1:0.

The Oettinger Brewery has a location in Gladbach and offers a broad spectrum of beers ranging from Oettinger Pils to Alt, Bock and Weizen. Gladbach is the WWC host city in closest proximity to the Netherlands and Belgium so if you have a half day to spare you should head further West and sample some of the famous Belgian ales and whites. With more than 125 breweries in Belgium, you are bound to find one that floats your boat.

Bochum: At the heart and soul of German football

The Bochum arena hosts 4 group stage matches during the WWC including the recent Group A France vs. Canada game which turned into a French route, ousting the Canadians from the tournament. The city located in the heart of ‘Ruhr’ country, is the home of 2nd league team VFL Bochum as well as Moritz Fiege Pils, a traditional family-run micro brewery which produces a very respectable pilsner. If you’d like to change it up and want a caffeine jolt with your beer, try a Krefelder, a local concoction of beer (typically pilsner or Alt) and cola.

Wolfsburg: Fahrvergnuegen and Fussball

Our ‘Deutsche’ WWC drinking tour comes to an end in the city of Wolfsburg, the home of Bundesliga club VFL Wolfsburg and more famously the German manufacturing headquarters of Volkswagen. Founded in 1938 to primarily house workers of the newly opened VW factories, Wolfsburg is still the Detroit of Germany although much of the auto manufacturing has been relocated to Mexico and other cheap labor countries.
While Rheinland’s Krombacher Pils is the official beer of the ‘Wolves’, a local favorite is Fallersleber Schlossbraeu, a Pilsner-style lager and also home of the official ‘Meisterbier’, a special beer brewed in small batches to celebrate VFL’s Bundesliga championship season in 2009.

Wolfburg’s ‘Arena im Allerpark’ will play host to 4 matches during the WWC, including USA vs. Sweden on July 6th which will most likely determine the Group C winner. By the time you finish reading this, the Women’s World Cup field will have been reduced to 8 and your interest and knowledge of German (beer) drinking culture hopefully exponentially increased.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and the last week of the Women’s World Cup. Prost!

About Jobst

I can be reached at Jobst@TheRealFutbol.com or on Twitter @TheRealFutboler. 

We’re just getting started withTheRealFutbol.com, so feel free to stop by and let us know what you think. All feedback is much appreciated. 

Auf Wiedersehen.

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New Feature - "Snorting the Endline": Celebrating Goal Celebrations

A long, long time ago we tried to start a soccer website; thought we were writers or something....

It was called "Snorting the Endline" named after Robbie Fowler's infamous goal celebration and one of our favorites of all-time. That site failed miserably. I mean who would want to read our ramblings!?!?!

The name, however, will live on in a new feature we're bringing to the Free Beer Movement. American soccer culture is just as much about what happens on the field and some of the greatest contributions to this culture are the creative celebrations that occur during the aftermath of scoring a goal. Some are premeditated while others are spur-of-the-moment.

We want to capture all of them in recognition of their contribution to American soccer culture. Welcome to "Snorting the Endline."

Today we're featuring a pair of creative celebrations from Saturday's U.S. Women's National Team 3-0 victory against Colombia.

First up... Megan Rapinoe's "Born in the USA" rendition. The second goal of the match. Springsteen definitely shouldn't worry about being outsung...



Second is the entire Lady Nats' celebration after Heather O'Reilly's 12th minute opening strike. Local U.S. military families from a nearby base were invited to watch the National Team train the day before and many were in attendance at the match in Heidelberg, Germany. The women lined up and saluted the crowd.

The pic from Getty Images:

Perfectly patriotic for this Fourth of July weekend.

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Meet the 2011 United States Women's National Team (Part 1)

Official Women's World Cup Team Photo (Photo Credit: USSoccer.com)

USSoccer.com has been putting together these mini-profiles of each of the USWNT players that will complete in Germany for the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Here are the first six videos featuring 13 of the 21 players on the roster.

Funny, random, factual.... all of the above. Meet your Lady Nats.

The USWNT will play their opening match of the World Cup Tuesday, June 28th at 10:45am on ESPN against North Korea.

Carli Lloyd and Hope Solo:


Rachel Buehler and Stephanie Cox:


Alex Morgan and Amy Rodriguez:


Tobin Heath and Lauren Cheney:


Shannon Boxx and Christie Rampone:


Amy LePeilbet, Becky Sauerbrunn and Ali Krieger:


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The Drinkers Guide To The Women's World Cup (Part 1)

Expect big, pro-German crowds for this summer's Women's World Cup

By Jobst Elster / Senior Bier Correspondent


A two part series focused on football, beer and kick-ass German cities

Check out our sampler from yesterday, "Sudsy Facts About the Women's World Cup".

It’s been five years since German movie producer Soenke Wortmann released his ‘sports-umentary’ classic “Ein Sommermaerchen” (A Summer Fairytale) following the German Football team’s 3^rd place finish at the 2006 FIFA Men’s World Cup. It was truly a fairytale summer … I somehow hit the lottery and scored tickets to see my beloved Germans play five times including their nail-biting penalty shootout victory over the Argentineans (thank god a 19-year old Messi was benched) at the Olympiastadion in Berlin; I spent five weeks at home visiting family, friends, and celebrating the revival of German football and witnessed my homeland’s successful and non-violent hosting of the world’s biggest sporting event.

To make that perfect footballing summer even more memorable, I made sure to pursue my other passion, beer drinking, to the fullest. Since I lost the urge to binge drink long ago and never got the point of a keg stand, I was unhampered to enjoy Deutsches Bier for beer’s sake and soak up the hometown flavor one stein at a time: Paulaner Helles, Augustiner Braeu and Prinzregent Luitpold Weissbier  in Munich;  Dortmunder Aktien Brau (DAB) in Dortmund; Berliner Pils and many lighter but flavorful lagers along my way.

Fast-forward to 2011, again it’s summer time, and again Germany is hosting a FIFA World Cup, this time the Sixth women’s edition (WWC) featuring the 16 best national teams in the world representing six continents. While neither plane nor match tickets have been secured this time around, I will do my best to help navigate the host cities and their brewed delights as well as offer up some nifty ‘Bier und Kick’ pairings a la FBM’s ‘Suds Up’ column.

Anheuser-Busch. NEIN! … If you are like most WWC visitors, you’d probably rather not pay big Euros for a Budweiser or Bud Light (still the official beer of the FIFA World Cup). While it is major blasphemy to have A-B sponsor the suds in Germany of all places, commerce and sponsor sell-outs are a fact of life and something we must all get over. At the time of this writing, we ‘re not certain whether A-B struck a deal with German brewer Bitburger, allowing fans to purchase small quantities of Bit, its flagship pilsner, at the world cup venues. This was the case in 2006, prompting us stubborn Germans to wait in ‘Bit lines’ for hours while the Budweiser taps remained untouched.

Our stops.

Wilkommen in Berlin 

Berlin is Germany’s old/new capital city and of the most diverse and colorful places you’ll ever visit. Football is one of many pastimes here and thanks to a strong 2^nd league showing, Hertha Berlin, the big football club in town, is back in the 1. Bundesliga. While the ‘old lady’ does not kick-off its 2011/12 campaign until early August, Germany’s Women will host Canada at the historic Olympiastadion on Sunday, June 26^th at 6pm German time.  The 73,680 capacity stadium will be sold out and in addition to hosting the first game, will include a short opening ceremony. Oddly enough, the opening match is the only one assigned to Berlin so don’t get too attached to venue or city. In terms of beer culture, Berlin is not on my top destination list, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good brews to be had. There is a smattering of decent Pilsners worth sampling with Berliner Kindl Jubilaeums Pilsner worth a go and definitely the smoother (and higher octane) representative of the BK lagers. Look for the ‘made in Berlin’ slogans and find Berliner Pilsner, the original East Germany beer first brewed in 1963 (a true baby in German beer circles), but since then modernized to reflect a global, future focused brand.  Find it throughout the city and go for ‘Fassbier’ (from the tap) for a refreshing fizzy drink. On the flipside, sometimes traditional and established doesn’t mean good. With that said, I suggest steering clear of the ‘tourist trap’ beer, the famous Berliner Weisse, a lower alcohol content, tart, wheat beer more often than not served with ‘Schuss’, a shot of red or green fruit syrup, designed to cover up the sourness.

Onward to Dresden

Rudolf Harbig Stadion, named after the Dresden-native track and field star of the 1930’s, is the home of 2^nd division club Dynamo Dresden and host to four WWC matches including the US team’s first group C game vs. North Korea on June 28^th. While the US will hopefully easily handle Kim Jong-il’s North Korean’s, the July 5^th matchup between Canada and Nigeria could prove to be an epic battle for who joins host Germany in the elimination rounds. The Dresden-area boasts several delicious lagers including local Watzke Pils and the more famous Radeberger Pils and is enticingly close to the Czech border and the beer meccas of Pilzen and Budweis (the original ‘king of beers’).  If you are ready to ditch the Pilsners and try something sweeter, don’t leave without having had a famous Schwarzbier (black lager). Koestritzer is a regional fave, one of the oldest and most popular black lagers in Germany, and brewed about 60 miles southwest of Dresden in Bad Koestritz, a stone’s throw from Gera.

Welcome to the good ole South

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier

Augsburg is one of the host cities with a football-only stadium built in 2009. The WWC venue is the home of FC Augsburg, a freshly promoted 1. Bundesliga team, playing in Bavaria’s 3^rd largest city. The 24,000+ capacity arena will have 4 games including Sweden and England. There’s no doubt that these games will sell out, if for no other reason than to make a day trip to big brother city Munich, located about 40 miles SE of town.

While I am honestly not familiar with any Augsburger beer gems, I do have to share one of my favorite beer finds, located in Bamberg, roughly 2 hours north. Here you will find the famous brewery tavern Schlenkerla and its signature Rauchbier (smoke beer). Ask any first time sipper and this smoky beauty will jolt your taste buds and have you believing you just drank a generous helping of smoked ham. Feeling really tough? Couple the Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier with a Laphroaig Islay single malt scotch whisky and satisfy even the most ferocious craving for smoked meat … hairy chest guaranteed!

Speaking of that day trip to Munich … Go to the Hofbraeuhaus for a Stein or two of HB Original, some Bavarian home cooking and more than your share of ‘chicken dance’ music. Of course it’s kitschy but it will put you in a good mood especially if your national team just lost its world cup match.

Motoring to the auto and high tech hotspot

Next destination, Sinsheim; a somewhat sleepy town in southwest Germany, historically known for its impressive Auto & Technik Museum featuring 1000s of classic cars, airplanes, and even a Russian space shuttle. These days, the bigger attraction is the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, a 30,000+ capacity stadium, built for 1899 Hoffenheim, the local Bundesliga club, and funded in large part by local hero and SAP Software boss Dietmar Hopp. Seeing Sinsheim as an increasing player in the German football scene and now even hosting WWC matches, is very impressive, especially since four years ago Hoffenheim was struggling in the 3^rd German league. The arena will host four WWC games including the USA vs. Columbia Group C match on July 2^nd and the 3^rd place match on July   16^th.

In terms of local beer recommendations, I am somewhat biased since I grew up around Speyer, a small city close by, situated along the picturesque Rhine River (and home to the Kaiserdom, the famous Imperial Cathedral of Speyer).  While some of the country’s finest Riesling wines come from this region, Speyer is a must stop-over when it comes to ‘slap your momma’ delicious home brew. The Domhof is the local micro brewery and serves up four distinct beers including Helles (light), Dunkles (dark), Hefeweizen and Bock.

Believe me, I have tried them all, over and over again, yet still make it my 2^nd stop (after saying hi to mom and dad) once on German soil. Beyond the beer, the food is fantastic as well, and a recently renovated Hotel Domhof is the perfect place to pass out after a long night of sampling. If you can’t make the Speyer detour, I recommend you grab an Eichbaum Ureich Pils, an herby lager brewed close by in Mannheim. While it’s not fancy or near as tasty as northern-style Pilsners like Jever, the ‘Friedhofwasser’ (cemetery water) as it’s affectionately called due to its proximity to the local graveyard, is worth a few Euros.

This concludes part 1 of our 2 part FIFA Women’s World Cup drinker’s guide. While you spend the next week or so sampling some of these tasty recommendations and I sober up from all of the grueling ‘research’, we’ll continue our whirlwind tour with beer and WWC coverage and hit Frankfurt, the venue for the WWC final on July 17^th as well as several hardcore football towns in the heart of the German Ruhrpott. Our visit concludes in Wolfsburg, a city best known for Fahrvergnuegen and the ‘people’s car’ and less for top notch German football (well at least until recently). 

About Jobst

I can be reached at Jobst@TheRealFutbol.com or on Twitter @TheRealFutboler. We’re just getting started with TheRealFutbol.com, so feel free to stop by and let us know what you think. All feedback is much appreciated. 

Auf Wiedersehen.

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