12-Pack Interview Series: Eric Wynalda on Working at Fox Soccer, National Team Duty, and his Favorite Beer

The dust has settled somewhat from part one of our interview with former U.S. Men's National Team forward and current Fox Soccer analyst Eric Wynalda.

Part two includes our conversation about working for Fox Soccer, what it's like to put on the red, white, and blue and play for your country, owning a soccer team, and his favorite beer.

Read on....

Photo Credit: Wynalda's Twitter

Free Beer Movement: You’re now on Fox Soccer. How’s the gig? How do you see FS shaping soccer in the United States?

Eric Wynalda: It’s been fun. I’ve worked with ESPN. I was there for almost seven years. And there are differences between the two about how they do the business of soccer.

We’re very event driven. When there’s a big game we figure out, one, how to get in on our channel and two, how we’re going to cover it. In the past it was money driven because Fox didn’t put a whole lots of money into the sport, but obviously with the purchasing of the World Cup rights in ‘18 and ’22 we have a vested interested in the game.

My job is kind of to sit and wait until there’s an event to cover. I do cover the Champions League. Which I do love. I would argue that Champions League is the best soccer on the planet. it’s the most money. It’s the most interesting.

That’s never work. You get up and your job is to basically commentate for some of the best games imaginable. So I consider myself very fortunate to still be involved in the game. 

Photo Credit: John Mottern/Getty Images 

FBM: You had a pretty storied career for the MNT. What is it like to wear the colors of and play for your country?

EW: It’s a very complex thing.  If you sit there and put your hand on your heart and you listen to the anthem and you stare down the flag and that moment hits you that you realize how many people you’re representing it’s pretty intense. It’s incredible. Because it’s a lot of people and there are a lot of impressions that you’re about to be making.

The responsibility that goes into it is immense. There’s only eleven guys in the country that are chosen to represent the country. Probably two at your position. That means you’re the best player in the country at your position. Which is an incredible achievement.

I’ve watched guys, and I won’t say their names, that are in very prominent positions now in U.S. Soccer and MLS, who wet themselves during the National Anthem because they couldn’t handle the pressure But they’re good coaches now and their good leaders now. They couldn’t handle that moment.

There’s that part of you that has to be incredible prepared and incredibly confident in your own abilities and be ready to handle the big moment because if you think about it too much you’ll scare the crap out of yourself.

FBM: You are with Warren Barton (and Clent Alexander) are a part-owner in the San Diego (Flash) team. Is this your little corner of the soccer universe where you can or where you want to show everybody how a team is run and how to build soccer in America?

EW: Well, eventually, yeah. I think the relationships Warren and I have will always provide a better platform for players if they’re good enough. Warren coaches the team and trains them. He does a fantastic job. He has a great soccer mind.

But it’s an endeavor I’m excited about. I haven’t really been hands on yet. I haven’t had time, but I think our plans for the future are to make the best out of the situation that we can. We need to talk about youth development, the progression of players, providing the right platform to learn the game the right way, to discover who they are, not to be taught to be something they’re not. I think that happens way too much.

I think our goals are to share the knowledge we have as players and hopefully that translates into some new successes.

FBM: Do you see San Diego as a MLS market? Do you see your team as a future part of the league? To exact even more change?

EW: From our perspective it makes sense to get involved. We want to do a lot of things. But San Diego is a tough market. It’s a hard sell unless it’s done perfectly. The demographic are good. There are so many reasons to believe it would work; the weather is fantastic. But it really is the matter of putting together a club and building a tradition of success before we integrate ourselves into the way things are done.

There are the way things are going to be and there are the ways things should be. If we do things the way they should be that probably means we’ll be excluded from the process. We’ve gotta try and find a way to get in.

Warren and I, as businessmen, simply want to do the best we can. When it comes to a scenario where we’ll be in five years, ten years there’s a lot of things that need to change before it’ll work.

It’s not that we want to stick our noses up to the world and say, “We’re doing things right and you’re doing things wrong” it’s we recognize that the powers that be prevent you from doing what you want to do.

If you going to do the things you want to do you’re going to have to go off on your own. Our partners will probably be from Brazil and Italy and England and Germany. They won’t be in Kansas and Texas and New York.

FBM: Do you have a particular drink of choice when you're watching soccer games?

EW: It usually hefeweizen. I picked that up playing in Germany. Franziskaner is usually the one. I’m a big fan of it. If I can’t get that I’ll go with "Shock Top" or Blue Moon. I love “Shock Top” that’s probably my beer of choice.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to limit the beer intake so I don’t get the belly.

Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com

Interview: Eric Wynalda has Some Opinions on What's Wrong with American Soccer (And a Few Ideas How To Fix It)

To say Eric Wynalda is opinionated doesn't do him justice. The man has opinions about opinions! When we caught up with the former Men's National Team player and current Fox Soccer deskman he had just finished recording his podcast, "Sent Off", with fellow Fox man, Christian Miles. He still had plenty of voice to share with the Free Beer Movement.

What's really interesting in talking with Wynalda is not only his knowledge about soccer, but his passion for the American game. That's something we can admire.The former all-time USMNT scorer's passion for American soccer has also made him one of the sport's most vocal critics.

Photo Credit: John Todd / MLS

As Wynalda said himself, "I'm never a in-betweener. People love honesty and I'm full of it."

The following are four stances that Wynalda laid out in the course of our interview. They were weaved into a 45 minute conversation about his career with the National Team, getting Major League Soccer off the ground in 1996, and the direction of soccer in America.

Wednesday we'll post part two of the interview where he talks about his job at Fox Soccer, owning a professional soccer team in San Diego, what it means to wear the red, white, and blue, and (of course, we had to ask) his favorite beer.


Opinion #1: Major League Soccer Must Switch to FIFA's Calendar

Stand-Out Quote: "For all the growth of MLS, until (Don) Garber listens to the voice of reason and engages in the real world, the real business of soccer, we’re in a state of stagnation."



Context: We asked Wynalda is he was disappointed that Fox Soccer didn't retain the broadcast rights for MLS.

Photo Credit: Free Beer Movement

Wynalda's Words: "I understand it. I understand why that happened. It’s a complex issue that takes some explaining. People say, “well if they really would've cared about soccer they would done that (kept MLS).” They (Fox) justput close to half a billion dollars into the sport. They’re obviously investedin the game, but they’re businessmen and they’ve taken a hard look at ratingsand they don’t get a big audience.

"I think Fox’s inclusion in soccer will be probably the one companythat has the ability to change the whole landscape. They’re going to forceMajor League Soccer to cooperate with the rest of the world and get on the FIFA schedule. Because there is no way you’re going to convince the suits at Fox tospend a dime on MLS if MLS’ idea of promoting the game is right up with Fox’scash cow, the NFL.

"For all the growth of MLS, until (Don) Garber listens to the voice of reason and engages in the real world, the real business of soccer, we’re in a state of stagnation. Wego up against the World Series, college football, and the NFL. There’s nobody watching our sport (at playoff/Cup Final time).

"If we were smart about it we would change our schedule and put the sport in a spot where we’re promoting the games of relevance, the playoffs, the games we really see as showcasing the game in May and June…  we’ll get the viewership.

"And then Fox Soccer will then say, “How much money do you need?”

It just makes sense to me to put the sport in a spot where people can love it without having to compete with the big boys of baseball and football.

Lastly, anybody who’s preparing for a World Cup in a World Cup year and is playing in Major League Soccer in April; they’re playing not to get hurt. You’re not going into a World Cup not nearly as ready merely because you’re trying to go from sleep to sprint and that’s a hard thing to do.

I’ve played in Europe before a World Cup and I’ve played in MLS before a World Cup and the experience was night and day, polar opposites. I wasn't ready mentally or physically.

We’re one of the only leagues in the world that plays through FIFA dates. That’s just crazy. You can’t have the two biggest entities in American soccer, MLS and U.S. Soccer, not even on the same page… they’re in different books!"

Will incentives for teams increase the competitiveness and quality of play in MLS?

Opinion #2: MLS Should Incentive The Game

Stand-Out Quote: "When everyone’s playing for something and you screw up and lose your teammates' money, you’re going to hear it. That accountability doesn't exist in Major League Soccer."



Context: We asked Wynalda about how far MLS has come and where it's going. 

Wynalda's Words: "I think it’s been fascinating. The stadiums have totally and completely changed the landscape, the perception of our league. They are events. They are fun to watch, to go to games. We’re not playing in borrow stadiums on borrowed time. It’s actually a great product and that gets often overlooked.

"I hope they entertain the idea of incentivizing contracts because that will make the level go up a notch or two. Right now, the way our league is structured, and the payment of the players, there’s not a lot ofincentive to win. Win, lose, or draw… if you’re making eighty grand, you’re making eighty grand.

"There’s nothing lost. And I’ve played in Europe and when you lose a game people lose money. People are upset. And rightly so. Not because they lost the game, but because they lost money. And when people lose money, things get more serious. There’s accountability.

"When everyone’s playing for something and you screw up and lose your teammates' money, you’re going to hear it. That accountability doesn't exist in Major League Soccer.

"Everyone wants to argue about relegation and promotion. Forget it. I would like to see some kid making forty grand go into the game into the 81^st minute and have a structure, let’s say five hundred bucks a point, and the game’s tied and the coach has given him instructions to kill the game. There’s going to be a point a moment in that game where that player is going to recognize that he could be a hero. That’s when coaches have to coach. When it gets real. When there’s a moment when the player says in his head, “I’m not just going to go through the motions I’m going for it. What if I win the game for us?”

"When you have the opportunity to win something you also don’t want to be the guy who screws things up. It makes you better.

"It’s what I learned in Europe and I’d love to see implemented in the United States. It makes soccer better and it’d make it better in a hurry. People that don’t get it have never been on a team with that kind of structure; it’s forced camaraderie. You’re are not allowed to not do your job when it’s someone else’s money.

"The games will be more exciting, the coaching will be… real. Let’s see where that one goes because it’s a tough sell to the owners."

Could more of these guys have been instrumental in building American soccer?
(Photo Credit: From "The Demin Kit" blog)

Opinion #3: Bring In More Former USMNTers From the Cold and Let Them Help Build American Soccer

Stand-Out Quote: "If you come to me and say 'I've been involved in soccer for the last 20 years' I arrogantly say, 'Congratulations, that’s 20 years of failure. Do you know how much better we couldn't been without you?' That’s where we are."

Context: We asked Wynalda about being a part of MLS history (the league's first goal scorer) and building soccer in this country.

Wynalda's Words: "When the league was getting started we were all over the place. Earnie Stewart was in Holland, Tab (Ramos) was in Spain, John Harkes in England, I was in Germany, Paul Caligiuri was in Germany, Alexi (Lalas) was in Italy.

"We were all contemplating coming back and we went with our heart. It certainly wasn't what we thought it should be when we came back; we played on really bad fields, football stadiums. It was hard. There were a lot of pieces there that weren’t put together yet.

"I remember I called Tab (Ramos) when he made the decision to become the first player to sign with the league and he said, “Well, it’s one of those all-in sort of situations. Are we going to pioneers or are we going to make a business decision? Because I’m coming back to make one-sixth of what I can make here (in Europe).”

"There was a lot of frustration because there was a lot of money that didn’t go to American players. It went to foreign players like Marco Etcheverry, (Carlos) Valderrama, (Mauricio) Cienfuegos who really weren't that good. There was a lot of frustration when we first came back.

"We didn't like the structure. We didn’t like the schedule.We didn’t like anything about it, but we were still committed.

"And if you look around there aren’t a whole lot of guys whowere a part of those couple of years of frustration that are involved today (with MLS or the U.S. National Team). We don’t see some of the people that should be helping the next wave, the next Tom Dooleys of the world. We don’t see Marcelo Balboa getting involved (Editor's Note: he is currently the color commentor for the Colorado Rapids) or Paul Caligiuri.

"It bothers me sometimes because those guys could have a lot to do with the next step, but the frustration is that we’ve got a lot of peopletrying to take us somewhere they’ve never been. If we want to get to the next level we better start getting some people involved that know where that place is.

"As much as we think it’s going in the right direction I would argue that, over the last ten years, 80 to 90 percent of that success has been accidental. There really hasn’t been much of a plan and it needs to change if things are going to get much better.I hope that it will, but I’ve been living in this realm of hope for a longtime.

"I tease Alexi Lalas about it all the time. He was the oneguy to have the chance (to work in the front office of a MLS team). I call him Anakin (Skywalker) as if he was Darth Vader because he went to the Dark Side,but he basically said, without saying it, 'you have no idea what that world is like'. It’s not really about progress it’s about a paycheck.

"If you come up with a solution (to fix some of soccer problems) do you know how many people you’ve just eliminated?

"If you come to me and say “I’ve been involved in soccer for the last 20 years” I arrogantly say, “Congratulations, that’s 20 years of failure. Do you know how much better we could’ve been without you?” That’s where we are.

"Weare in a state where people that are employed to do a job that come up with a plan and if the plan doesn't work they just come up with a new plan, but they stay employed. That’s the part that’s annoying because I guarantee there are some people that are being dis-involved from this process that can fit it in a hurry."

Opinion #4: Jurgen Klinsmann Is Not The Answer

Stand-Out Quote: "If you want to teach everyone to play. If that’s the plan, to play a certain way, if he tries to do that in a qualifier, if we try and go into a qualifier and try to play, we might not qualify. We. Might. Not. Qualify"

Context: We asked Wynalda about his opinion of the current U.S. National Team and it's coach.

Wynalda's Words: "I love this whole thing with Jurgen Klinsmann; that he has this plan. Anyone that comes at you with a plan is just trying to guarantee their employment until they can figure it out. It doesn’t impress me at all. It’s something that every coach does. It’s just a stall tactic to stay employed to find a solution.

I don’t think I’m out of line in reminding people that this is the United States of America, the people that we celebrate, we like to win.We’ve always prided ourselves on that. I don’t know anything about track and field, but when the Olympics happen and the board comes up with who’s winning the medals, who’s got the golds and the silvers, I get upset when the United States isn’t in first place. Cause I’m American.

When people come at me and say, “Well results don’t matter”.The hell they don’t! They always matter!

When we say winning doesn't matter… that’s un-American. I can’t stand for that.

I’m not going to go out there and represent the United States of America, put my hand on my heart, and say that I’m just going to play today. I don’t really care if we win or lose. It’s not important.

That’s total BS. Anyone trying to sell that to me is always going to get a stiff argument.

I want to see my country win. We can all go out there and play...

Quote Mia Hamm when she said, “Anyone who says winning isn’t everything hasn't won anything.”

The girls have won the World Cup a couple of times for a couple of reasons. They made winning important.

If you want to teach everyone to play. If that’s the plan, to play a certain way, if he tries to do that in a qualifier, if we try and go into a qualifier and try to play, we might not qualify. We. Might. Not. Qualify. Because it has nothing to do withsoccer sometimes. It has to do with winning the game you’re in. If we don’t start building that winning mentality now we’ll be searching for it at the wrongtime so that could be very, very dangerous.

He’s going to sell us on something that is achievable with or without him. We’ve chosen to employ him to do a job. I’m telling him to do it.Win the games. Beat the opponent in front of you.

It’s contest. It’s a competition. The idea is to win the game.  Not to worry about who’s watching, what we think, what you think. Two teams playing each other and all we remember is who won and who lost and who scored. That’s what this is about.

Everyone keeps talking about development, teaching, and philosophies, and all that crap, but the bottom line is you’ve gotta put eleven guys on the field and you gotta stick together and you gotta win games. And if you can’t do that then you shouldn’t be there in the first place.

Our challenge is to join the rest of the world by playing the game the right way.We’re not going to prove that until we win. I don’t care how good we look playing; that doesn’t impress anyone. The Dutch learned that the hard way. 

Wednesday: Part two of our interview with Eric Wynalda.

Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com

Five Good Minutes With.... Chris Wondolowski

FBM looking all "journalism-y".

Wondo: "You're so funny." FBM: "I know." (Note: These words are not apart of the audio recording below.)

So handsome.

During MLS Cup 2011 weekend we had the pleasure of running into San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski. Wondo was in town for a bunch of MLS W.O.R.K.S. events, but also to receive the MLS Castrol Index "Player of the Year" award.

Apparently because Wondolowski had nothing better to do he granted us an audience and answered a few  questions about a whole range of issues including: what his and San Jose's goals for 2012 were, what he does in the off-season, how to get his new trophy through security at the airport, and whether he'd melt down said trophy to make the Earthquakes MLS Cup rings if he had the chance.

Please forgive us it was our first audio interview we've conducted live on the spot so you're getting the full, unedited brilliance.  There's loads of bad jokes included.

ChrisWondolowski11.19.11

Wondo endorses FBM.

Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com

12-Pack Interview Series: Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl (Part Two)

Grant Wahl is the best-selling author of "The Beckham Experiment" and the head soccer writer for Sport Illustrated. Earlier this year he unsuccessfully ran to be nominated for the FIFA Presidency.


In part two of our conversation with Wahl he talks about that run for FIFA's top job, Sport Illustrated's growing soccer coverage in print and online, beer in Qatar, this summer's Gold Cup, early impact players for Brazil 2014, and the soccer's growth in the United States.


You can read part one of our interview here.

Speaking at the American Outlaws Rally.
Photo Credit: Renee Krenk Photography.

FBM: FIFA President. You fell a little short. I don't think you had the money to bribe any officials from federations. They didn't nominate you, but a couple of candidates did come out of the woodwork. What were your expectations? What were your goals? Do you feel like you made your point to the world soccer community?

GW: Oh, yeah. I look back on it now and I'm happy with how the message I was trying to send got out. The response global fans and media was so much beyond what I originally expected. I was pretty floored by the whole thing.

It actually became a lot more than I expected. As a result it became like a second full-time job. Here I am having to do interviews with upward 60 countries. It was interesting to me how much it reverberated in countries like Brazil or some of the European countries. That should, not that it had to do with me, but how much fans around the world are dissatisfied with (current FIFA President Sepp) Blatter and what they're doing.

I didn't know how it was going to play out, but I was trying to get the nomination. I did as much as I could. I contacted 150 FAs (football associations), I went to Paris, the UEFA conference. I was able to write a really long story at the end of it all explaining how hard it was for any outsider to get nominated. I was able to get some journalism.

I taught people to take a different look at FIFA and question some of the absurdities of the electoral process.

In the end I didn't get the nomination, but I was totally satisfied with the process.

FBM: Sports Illustrated had been historically short on soccer coverage. There hasn't been regular soccer coverage in the magazine. Lately, though, we've seen a bit more from SI; magazine stories on Charlie Davies and Jose Mourinho. How has the respect, or the desire to cover soccer changed since you've come aboard? Are you excited about the prospect of continued growth of soccer in Sports Illustrated?

GW: I am excited. I'm excited by their having me go full-time with soccer, by giving me the travel budget to cover it the right way. That's all good stuff. 

I'm excited. When I went full-time in January 2010 it was all about the World Cup, previewing and covering that event. Now that its over here I am covering soccer full-time and it's not about covering the World Cup and how's it going to go forward.

I'm excited about that challenge. It does mean all of the writing I do now for Sports Illustrated, more of it is going to be for the website then for the percentage of what I did for college basketball. And I'm OK with that.

I'm able to treat web stories like magazine stories.

We're in pretty nice position where Jose Mourinho will be willing to give us uncommon access, one-on-one to him, that he really doesn't give to journalists anywhere. Because one thing I've always seen over the years is that the top soccer figures in the world want to be bigger in America. Their willing to give access that they wouldn't give their own journalists in Europe. I can leverage that.

At the same time there's cool things going on in American soccer. I don't want to lose sight of that. I'm pretty much on the ground for every U.S. game. I'll be covering the Women's World Cup in Germany as well. 

I'm perfectly happy writing articles for the magazine, but also for the website.

FBM: SI.com has really carved out a decent home for quality, digital coverage of soccer. In this day and age, print media, magazines have weathered it OK. How does Sports Illustrated and its coverage of soccer stay relevant in the digital age?

GW: It is interesting. SI.com got a new soccer editor, Jen Cheng from ESPN.com, about a year ago and I tihnk he's been great. He's been given a budget to hire high-quality freelancers like Sid Lowe and Jonathan Wilson, Gabriel Marcotti, some really good writers so I don't have to do it all. It allows me the luxury of cherry-picking somethings and focusing on those.

If you look at our coverage of the sport on SI.com there's something good everyday just about now. There's someone in place there that gets the sport. Jen Cheng watches more soccer than anyone I know and he's really having a positive impact.


At the magazine, for about a year and a half now we've had new soccer editor who loves the sport. He's also the NFL editor. He's a rising star editor and he's willing and able to pitch stories to the main SI magazine and get us stories in the magazine. In years past there might have been a hesitancy at the magazine to do consecutive soccer features in the magazine.

It does matter to have a few people in key positions in the media, gatekeeper positions who love the sport. That John Skipper who is tremendously powerful guy at ESPN be a big soccer guy is, I can't tell you how big that is for the sport, for coverage of the sport. There's generation of media people where now, soccer is not a stigma attached to it.

FBM: Alright. A beer question. You knew there had to be a beer and soccer question in here. Beer and Qatar? How is that going to happen?


GW: From everything that I understand, I asked some Australians on Twitter if they were able to get some beers when they were at the Asian Cup. They said that if you're in the hotels before and after the games, but it wasn't like you could at the stadiums. You couldn't walk into a bar off the streets because they don't have any. My guess is, when the World Cup comes around, there will be places to get beer. I don't think its going to be easy. I think its going to be a lot harder that any other previous World Cup.

For as much as beer has been associated with soccer. Getting a beer at a soccer stadium has never been that easy.

Still impact players in 2014.

FBM: If you could project the impact players at the 2014 Brazil World Cup. What would be some of your early predictions for the U.S.?

GW: I still think Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are going to have big World Cups. Potentially Tim Howard. All three of those featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated for this World Cup. Then you try to project which other guys might be in there. Right now does Juan Agudelo look like a guy that looks like he could have a pretty big World Cup? Yeah, he does. Does Tim Ream look like a guy that could have a pretty big role? Yeah.

You look at what Timothy Chandler is doing in the Bundesliga and with limited time with the National Team and that's very promising. It's kind of hard to predict the future though, you know?

FBM: When you look at Americans abroad and even some players in the MLS that are making an impact and is it easy to be very optimistic about the trajectory of American soccer?

GW: I do. I think its incremental. There are set backs along the way. That's apart of life for the most competitive sport in the world. I wasn't so bothered by the U-20s failing at the World Cup qualifying as much as I don't really see, right now, potential upgrades on Donovan and Dempsey.

Is that a problem that those two guys are probably going to be the top two offensive players in the next World Cup? Considering that they'll be over 30... I guess I do see that as a concern. I look at a lot of these young U.S. players and I'm not sure they've accomplished all that much yet.


Other sports have had young players with a lot of attention, like LeBron James, and what makes you great is dealing with that stuff and still competing. Michael Jordan or Maradona or Pele. It's producing even after you get that attention.

Number five coming?

FBM: Predictions for the Gold Cup?

GW: It is going to be a very interesting tournament. For the U.S., they have the benefit of playing on home soil, but if they have a U.S.-Mexico final that stadium will be pro-Mexico. And that's no different from the 2007 final in Chicago or the 2009 final at the Meadowlands.

I think there will be a lot of pressure on them because Bob Bradley and all the players have talked about how important it was to go to Confederations Cup and have that experience and to qualify for the next. If the U.S. doesn't win there will be some criticism. We'll get a pretty good sense of what the next cycle for the World Cup will look like.

Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com

12-Pack Interview Series: Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl (Part One)

Earlier this year Grant Wahl made waves in global soccer by declaring himself a candidate for the FIFA presidency. Wahl was not nominated by any member nation's federation, but a light was shone upon Sepp Blatter's unopposed run for his fourth term as the leader of the world's game. In the end Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam stepped up to complete for FIFA's top job and Blatter squirms a bit more as the world questions just how beneficial his reign has been.


Wahl is the full-time, head soccer writer for Sports Illustrated and probably the most well-known of all American soccer journalists. He's covered four World Cups for the magazine and is the best-selling author of "The Beckham Experiment".

Damn you, Ditka!

(Aside: In 1998, Wahl was covering his first World Cup as the last of SI's American writers to stick around after the USMNT's crashed out in the first round. I was a freshman in high school having just returned from travelling in Hungary and France during the Cup. A long-time subscriber to SI (thanks grandma!) I was elated to finally see some coverage of soccer and I remember pasting up the magazine's pictures of the WC on my closet door. I watched the final and eagerly awaited the next issue of Sport Illustrated to come in the mail. 


When the magazine arrived I was furious to see Mike Ditka's face on the cover instead of a photo of Zidane burying a header against Brazil. In one of my first acts of advocating for soccer in America I furiously wrote a letter to the editor of SI with a litany of complaints. Wahl, SI, and myself have all come a long way since then.)


The Free Beer Movement had the chance to meet Mr. Wahl when we both spoke at the American Outlaws Rally in Las Vegas and Grant graciously agreed to an interview to talk about the effect of the "Beckham Experiment" in MLS two years later, his FIFA run, the future of soccer in print and digital media, and much more.


Our interview started as our usual "12-pack" of questions, but it turned into a fantastic conversation on media and the game so there's several more questions through parts one and two.

Free Beer Movement: How did you get your start in soccer? Did you play when you were younger? 

Grant Wahl: I played soccer as a kid just like everyone else. And just like everyone else... I quit when I was thirteen. I didn't really pay attention to soccer again until the 1990 World Cup. The US had qualifyied for the first time in forty years. I got into not just watching the US, but the other games. I remember, we didn't get TNT (which had the English-language rights to Italy '90), but we did get Univision and we watched Andres Cantor. Got into there and then slowly progressed from there.


I went to Princeton where (current USMNT coach) Bob Bradley was coach and covered their Final Four run in 1993. In early 1994 I applied for a scholarship at Princeton for students to do a project they could never do on campus. I proposed a project that would take me to Argentina for a four weeks and then Boston to follow the Argentina team when they played there during the Cup. It's funny to think back because it was Bradley that actually helped me make contact with Boca Juniors for the trip.


It was the first time I had ever left the United States; I was twenty years old. 


FBM: Where did you get your start in sports journalism? How do you think you've managed to rise so quickly in the business?


GW: I had always wanted to write for Sports Illustrated someday. I tried to do what I could to pursue that in college. I ended up getting a job offer to start as a fact check. Which is pretty low on the totem pole. It was a foot in the door and an opportunity to write. Early on, no one at the magazine wanted to write about soccer.


My first big thing with soccer was the 1998 World Cup. We have three writers over there and I was, by far, the most junior. After the U.S exit, I was the only one left to cover the Finals story. I know the magazine editor was freaked out about it. I was only 24 and I knew that was kind of a big chance for me. From that point on I've been the "soccer guy" at the magazine, but secondary until January of last year when I became full-time.

Wahl's FIFA Presidential Rally in Las Vegas.
Photo Credit: Renee Krenk Photography

FBM: You recently spoke at the American Outlaws Rally in Las Vegas. A "campaign stop" for your FIFA Presidency run. How was that event for you? How was it meeting the supporters and getting a taste of what it meant to be a supporter of American soccer?


GW: I totally enjoyed it. It's great to meet people in person who are passionate about a sport in American. I was really impressed with what American Outlaws has doen to organized fans. For me it was really fun. I had not planned for it to turn into a campaign thing. Back when I first accepted it was before the FIFA thing. I was pretty surprised to see all the campaign signs and buttons (put together by energy drink maker, Golazo).


What I wanted to say from the start was I've seen the rise of fan culture in American soccer and that includes the National Team and includes MLS teams. It's been very cool to see. I think that's what makes soccer 
fandom more interested and passionate than fandom of a lot of other American sports. I love the passion of it.


FBM: Having covered both college basketball and soccer for Sports Illustrated... what are the differences in covering each?


GW: Honestly I don't cover soccer any differently than I would a college basketball. The way you cover a sport is essentially the same. Soccer is different from college basketball in a media sense. I like being different and doing something that's not typical in sports journalism.


I love the variety of stories in soccer. In college basketball I did get the feeling that a lot of my stories or the story topics started to take on similar qualities. Every season I would do a story on the top freshman in the country that would be the number one pick in the next NBA draft. I didn't dislike that, in yet there wasn't a ton of variety in their personal stories and I feel like in soccer there's a lot more variety because of the volume of stories around the world. 


Soccer touches on so many different things; culture, politics, stuff like that. For the media that's exciting to look at from that perspective.


FBM: I'm going to make you make a defining statement here. Cameron Crazies or American Outlaws?


GW: (Laughs). You know. I made my choice a year ago to go in full for American soccer so I'll go with American Outlaws.

FBM: Beckham is in final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. He's almost done with his so-called experiment. How do you rate it in year five? From his perspective, the Galaxy's, Major League Soccer's?


GW: I think you have to look at is from different perspectives. For Major League Soccer and the Galaxy they would certainly sign him again because it brings a tremendous amount of attention. Not just from outside the U.S., but from inside the U.S. as well. From a business perspective it has been a tremendous positive. This guy's jersey was the top selling jersey in the world in 2007.


And yet at the same time, you've gotta look at the on-the-field performance. My book covered the first two years and it was a complete disaster on the field. Obviously it has gotten better since then, but even then you've got to issue some caveats since Beckham hasn't played that much for the Galaxy whether thats due to the loans or serious injuries. He's now playing in his fifth season, but this will be the second one in which he'll be playing the whole season with the team. Hasn't won any trophies.

Just as it was the case at Real Madrid it was very important that we won a league trophy before he left. He did that. I think it is very important for him that how people view his on-field legacy here to win a trophy before he leaves. 

It's very much a mixed bag. In 2011 he's helping create chances for the Galaxy, but to get five yellow cards in the first six games is kinda of ridiculous. 

When I first started my book on Beckham we didn't have any idea how it was going to turn out and for all I knew he was going to win championships like Pele did with the Cosmos and it did't happen that way.

I think its kinda of unfortuante that in some places I've gotten this reputation for being "negative" on Beckham. All I've really done is cover him straight up.

Jury is still out on the "Beckham Experiment".

FBM: It's unfortunate that you get painted those ways. When you're a "truth-teller" sometimes the truth hurts. It's not your fault it's negative. Your subject ends up... it's not the fault that you wrote down the facts; the facts tell a certain story.

GW: I totally enjoyed the whole process. I was able to get so deeply inside a team like I never had before. People were very honest the whole way through. I wanted it to be either really, really good (for the team) or really, really bad. If they were a mediocre team, it wouldn't be a very interesting story.


Turned out they were really, really bad.




FBM: It was really interesting to look at the inside of an MLS team. The only news coverage you got was from the team itself. "Sorry they're not staying at the Four Seasons... the Best Western is what you get for this road trip."


GW: (Laughs) I was lucky in the sense that MLS was still at the point, even with a guy like Beckham on the team, that the access I was able to get was awfully good what you would probably get for an NFL team or an NBA team.


FBM: This dovetails nicely into my next set of questions. The "Beckham Rule", the Designated Player.. if you've looked at the impact of it since his arrival... there's been a whole host of busts: Nery Castillo, Guzman in Toronto, Ladin in Houston. Or there are some that started successfully but then faded: Blanco in Chicago, Ljunberg in Seattle. How would you assess the overall program for MLS?


GW: It's good that teams at least now have the option and really open their wallets. Which wasn't there before Beckham. Is everyone going to make the right decision? No. That's certainly the case we've seen.

You could also argue, though, it allowed a guy like Landon Donovan to stay in the league. I'm a little surprised so many DPs have been busts. At the same time there have been some successes. The chance to bring some star power into the league is something that needed to happen.


In a league that gets microscopic television ratings (0.2 Nielson rating on ESPN) the only thing that moved the needle was Beckham, and maybe Adu the first year he was in MLS. The DP at least allowed the possibility that that would happen.


You are starting to see a divide between larger market and smaller market teams and their ability to afford players like that.

Did he know what he was getting into?

FBM: Do you think that the designated players come in with mistaken impressions of what the league is and what their impact will be?


GW: I do find it interesting. I would compare Henry to Beckham in this case. When they first arrived they, I don't think, they were prepared for the demands of being in the league, the heat, the conditioning required of players in MLS. That led, in part, to Henry not being at full fitness last season. Led to injures. He just wasn't in shape.


Neither one of those guys were fully aware of what they were getting into. I think maybe that's a lesson for teams in MLS, especially for some of these guys that might come in mid-season, from Europe, that they really need to be strong about educating these guys about what they're getting into. My guess is that some of the MLS teams feel like they want to overpower the player or their agent. MLS teams really should do more to educate those players before they actually arrive in the U.S. 


FBM: you also have to look at the scale. Are the expectations too high for the impact of these players? Soccer is a team sport. It's not like having a start quarterback or running back that will be THE silver bullet to it all. It does skew the scale of how you rate these players.


GW: They are one of eleven, but they are one very special player of eleven. I don't think it's unfair to think that Thierry Henry should score a lot of goals in New York based on how much he's getting paid. Now we're starting to see that. These guys get the benefit of being the stars, but there's expectation and that's no different in MLS than in Europe.


More of our conversation with SI's Grant Wahl in Part Two.


Get the NEW Free Beer Movement "Pint Glass" shirt! Only from Objectivo.com

Six-Pack Interview Series: Kyle Sheldon, D.C. United's Director of Marketing Communications (Part 2)

Editor's Note: This is a shorter version of our "12-Pack Interview Series" where we talk to the people, personalities, and groups that are shaping soccer in the United States.

Kyle Sheldon (far left), in action, at the press conference
announcing D.C.'s signing of Charlie Davies.

Selling soccer in America is no easy task. Particularly in cities with many other major sports teams abound makes bursting through all that more difficult. The men and women on the front lines of this marketing war for Major League Soccer and their clubs have their work cut out for them.

We've remarked before that there are MLS clubs doing some amazing things to sell their teams and bring soccer to the forefront of fans minds in the U.S.

If you're a fan of any MLS side you may or may not be aware of all the work that goes into the successful selling of soccer. Today (and tomorrow) the Free Beer Movement hopes to give you an inside look at the marketing efforts of one team, D.C. United.

We spoke with Kyle Sheldon, United's Director of Marketing Communication and self-proclaimed "soccer nerd". He was kind enough to sit down and provide, in excellent and extreme detail, the focus of his department in selling DCU for the 2010 season.

Given Mr. Sheldon's (very welcome) verboseness we've decided to take down a whole six-pack in one sitting may not be the most responsible thing ever so we'll give you all two days to get through it all. Think of it like respecting a very high-alcohol imperial IPA or barleywine... those need to be sipped slowly and enjoyed in their full flavor.

Much like Kyle's words.

[You can read "Part One" of our interview with Kyle Sheldon here.]

4) All season the FBM is focusing on the supporters’ impact on the MLS game. How important is having two major supporters groups for DCU? How do they make your job easier from a marketing perspective?

Our supporters clubs are of paramount importance to our success. Clearly, Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles set the standard for in-game support in MLS. They were doing 15 years ago what you now see in Toronto, Portland and Seattle – and, quite frankly, only Portland has recently approached the same fervor and intensity that our supporters have been bringing to RFK Stadium since 1996. In more recent years, La Norte and District Ultras have also joined the fray. While they’re still smaller than the originals, they’re bringing additional energy to an already rockin’ RFK.

When I have a conversation with someone who hasn’t been to one of our games, I always tell them it can’t be described, that they have to see it in person. One can’t understand what it’s like to experience several thousand people standing, chanting, singing, banging drums, waving flags and generally losing their minds for 90 minutes straight. It is truly awesome. While our product on the field over the last 15 years has – on the whole – been very successful, it’s really our unique supporters culture that has been the factor that sets us apart from other sports teams in-market. None of the other teams have what we have and that is a significant advantage.

From a marketing perspective, our supporters clubs make our job easier by creating one of the most unique experiences you can have at a sporting event. One of the most difficult things we face is trying to communicate that experience outside the 50-year old walls of RFK. You’ll notice in any video we produce, we include several shots of the supporters in action – seats bouncing, flags waving, drums banging. It’s one of the few ways we can attempt to capture that energy.

Also of note, for our College Night program – which saw 200% growth from 2009 to 2010 – we hold seats in several sections just behind the supporters. We don’t want them in the thick of it, but is there anyone that enjoys a rocking good time more than college students? I’d argue there’s one group that enjoys it more – our supporters. We believe large numbers of college kids will enjoy the experience so much that they’ll come back of their own accord.

5) You’re welcoming three International friendlies into town: Manchester United vs. Barcelona (August) and D.C.’s matches against Ajax (May) and Everton (July). All three games are a part of season ticket holders’ package. How do these sorts of matches help DC United’s image in the local market even when the focus is less on your team and more on the high-profile “other” teams? Is any soccer played in D.C. automatically good for DCU?

Our Executive Vice President Stephen Zack did an incredible job of securing games against Ajax and Everton early in the year and negotiating the inclusion of the FC Barcelona-Manchester United game in our season ticket package. Our club has a long history of playing big international opponents over the years. The likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, Celtic, Newcastle, Bayer Leverkusen, Boca Juniors, Blackburn and many others have made their way to Washington to play United. There are two major opportunities (among others) when hosting these games – 1) the possibility to make significant dollars (still very important for a League that has only a handful or profitable teams) and 2) the opportunity to gain attention from the soccer fan in-market who might not be a D.C. United fan.

I’m not sure If it’s unique to D.C. – I don’t think it is – but, our market has thousands of soccer fans who follow teams from England, Spain, Italy, etc., as well as Central and South America, but aren’t necessarily committed to their hometown club, D.C. United. The success of Toronto and Seattle, in particular, can be attributed to the fact that they were somehow able to capture the imagination, interest and (eventual) support of those very fans. Friendlies against the teams these folks support give us one opportunity to showoff our product – both that seen on the field and that seen off – i.e. our supporters.

Any big-time soccer played in our market is good for us, especially when we own the game. In the case of Barcelona-Man United, we’ve got the possible Champions League final coming to town. The Redskins actually own the game, but we did secure tickets – at significant cost to the club, as we had to pay full price – for our season ticket holders. While the cost was significant, we felt it would be a great value to our most ardent supporters to provide them with a ticket to perhaps the biggest game Washington has seen in a decade. That being said, we also know that we have fans who are only interested in seeing D.C. United play, so we offered those fans the opportunity to exchange their ticket for any other D.C. United match, whether in MLS or U.S. Open Cup play.

In summary, big games against big opponents provide big opportunities. In sum, big is big.

6) What sort of impact has the arrival of Charlie Davies had on ticket sales (season or singles)? From a marketing perspective how has his inclusion (and, so far, success) been a benefit to DCU? Is the hope to sign Davies to a long-term deal?

After scoring his fifth goal in his fourth game (the team’s fifth), Charlie Davies is on pace to score 34 goals in 2011. It’s safe to say, if he keeps up that pace, I think it will be everyone’s hope that we sign him to a 10-year deal. Clearly, though, Ben Olsen and the technical staff will evaluate his play over the entire campaign and decide whether or not to buy his contract from Sochaux at the end of 2011 (which would not come at a small cost).

It’s difficult to say exactly what impact Davies’ arrival has had on specific ticket sales. While it’s clearly had a positive impact, I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen more value from the relative awareness his presence has brought. In the several weeks Davies has been with the team, we’ve seen highlights on SportsCenter, major articles in Sports Illustrated, USA Today, the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post (on a few occasions) and dozens of interviews for local TV and radio. Still to come in the near future are features on SportsCenter and the CBS Evening News. His story and journey is clearly an incredible one and has resonated well beyond the average soccer fan. While we can measure things like web traffic (which soared when news first hit he was on trial and when we officially signed him) and see the increased media attention, it’s tough to attribute ticket sales directly. That being said, his presence has had nothing but a positive impact in that department.

Beyond the coverage and attention, Charlie is like a lot of the young guys on our team this year – great personality, a willingness to do whatever is asked, a positive attitude and, simply, a lot of fun to be around. In seven seasons with United, I haven’t seen a better group of guys when it comes to helping the club off the field, not to mention that they’re an absolute trip on twitter. Follow our guys here if you like having fun.

To expand upon that point, while Davies has clearly been the biggest story of the year so far, it’s the new-look squad, built in the image of Ben Olsen, that has really made the difference for us in the early stages of 2011. We’ve got a long way to go, both on the field and off, but with one of the youngest rosters in MLS and some of the best young players in the League – things are looking up for D.C. United fans.

I’m excited to be a part of it.

Finally, an offer, from one beer drinker to another:

In honor of the Free Beer Movement, I will be providing a delicious keg of the brand spanking new DC Brau at D.C. United’s May 14 game versus the reigning MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids. 

I’ll host the “Free Beer Movement Party” in our Lot 8 Tailgate beginning at 5pm. In order to qualify for free beer, you must simply bring a D.C. United/MLS newbie to the game, prove you’re over 21 and agree to soccer-nerd talk with me. Send me an email for more details: ksheldon@dcunited.com.

[You can read "Part One" of our interview with Kyle Sheldon here.]


All Photos Courtesy (and with permission) of D.C. United's Flickr account unless otherwise noted. 

Support the Movement. Get the Free Beer Movement T-Shirt. Only from Objectivo.com