Brews and Views Series: Why American Soccer?

We continue our new series on the Free Beer Movement. It's called "Brews and Views" and we pose a question or topic to various prominent soccer persons and, well, they give us their view on it.

We've got loads of get people that have already responded to our call for essay submissions and each week we'll feature a unique perspective on the current topic/question at hand. Kicking it off (pun intended) we're asking our respondents the question, "Why American soccer?".

As inhabitants of the U.S. of A we've got loads of soccer viewing options and limited amount of time. We want our panel of essayists to make their case as to why the American version of the world's game is the one we should all invest in.

Regularly readers know where we stand on this issue. Buy American. It's ours. Build and shape it so it ranks as one of the premier leagues in the world.

The series will include such diverse voices as former U.S. Men's National Team player Alexi Lalas, The Shin Guardian, MatchFit USA's Jason Davis, Church of Soccer, Nutmeg Radio, FutFanatico, MLS Insider, and many, many more.

Interested in submitting your own answer to the question, "Why American soccer?", then send us an email with your response. Please keep your submission to under 1000 words (that's like 2.5 pages typed!) and include a picture that you feel goes well with your response. Send it to freebeermovement(at)gmail(dot)com.

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Today's contribution comes from Lucas Lohr. Lucas is the founder and leader writer of "MLS Reserves" an up and coming site covering the American soccer world. Check out his site for great interviews with loads of MLS players and his coverage of our domestic league.

Why American soccer?

The answer to that is simple: if we as Americans don’t support our leagues and teams, who will? Since I was very young I’ve been a fan of Major League Soccer not because it’s the most talented league in the world, but rather because it is a league in my country working towards the betterment of the sport…the betterment of people.

Soccer is the world’s game and until the 1994 World Cup and the subsequent launch of Major League Soccer in 1996, the world’s game was effectively absent in North America. Sure, the old NASL and the various iterations thereafter brought soccer to the continent, but these leagues proved largely ineffective at creating soccer culture.

It has taken MLS over fifteen years to create soccer culture in our country. The additions of teams, academies and stadiums have begun to alter the perception of soccer throughout our country. Less and less has it been considered a taboo sport for those who couldn’t embrace the norm of football, baseball or even basketball.

The national team has reaped the benefits of this as well. MLS plays a major role in the success of American players at the world stage.

So I return to the question of why American soccer? I feel I’ve grown up with it. MLS has developed as I have matured. I was 12 when the league was formed. As it has gone through growing pains of player development, survived recessions, natural disasters and criticisms at others; I feel I’ve done the same. I have a personal connection to this league. While it went through changes, so to did I. I’ve done most of my maturing while the league did the same. It’s only reaffirmed my love for soccer.

Perhaps that seems overly emotional, but it’s the bond I have for the league. It extends beyond love for a team or any one player. I have many favorites throughout the league. When I was younger and a promising player myself, I looked up to my idols in Major League Soccer. I can remember actively trying to mimic how Taylor Twellman made runs and used his head to redirect a ball. I remember watching Bobby Convey come on the field at such a young age and taking on professionals with confidence. Moreover, I remember watching players passionate about their craft work hard so others could reap the benefits in the years to come.

It was not just MLS I suppose. I like so many others, watch the Men’s and Women’s National Teams break barriers with their success. They’ve upped the standard of play and so too the expectations of American fans across the country. Translating those national team fans to MLS/WPS fans is a challenge, but we’re on the right track for sure.

I love Major League Soccer. I love the league and I love the people involved in bringing top flight soccer to North America. As the game spreads throughout our country and throughout Canada, I see a soccer future for my children becoming respectable. I see the passion and excitement that other countries find in the game being brought to the younger generations. Above all, I see a promising future with inspiring stories for young soccer players to look up to.

I challenge anyone who reads this to bring more people into the fold. Expose more people to the beautiful game and educate them on what it can do for others. Soccer has brought wars to a halt in Africa. It has inspired countries to rebuild. Most importantly soccer brings people together…and if we can have more of that in America, then it should be supported.  

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The Tuesday 10: Emmy Edition

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!

So apparently the Emmys were the other night. Who knew? Apparently, most American didn't know as a dog killer and a throwball game out drew TV's premiere event. But don't worry... "The Other 87 Minutes" were taking vigorous notes and draw all sorts of dotted lines from the boob tube's most popular characters to the world of soccer.

Why else would they be watching unless for "research"?

Cristiano Ronaldo?

1) Don Draper, Mad Men -- Pep Guardiola -- Sauve, confident, classy dresser, but you wonder if there isn’t a darker side/secret behind all the moody brooding.

2) Walter White, Breaking Bad -- Joey Barton -- At times, a likeable (at least on Twitter), wicked-good player; at other times, capable of heinous deeds.

3) Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock -- Antonio Cassano -- What Tracy Jordan is to comedy, Cassano is to soccer: larger than life, has motivation issues, crazy good (sometimes) at what they do, and, well, basically crazy.

4) Michael Scott, The Office -- Diego Maradona -- The classic player-to-manager success vacuum. Michael Scott (RIP), great as a salesman, terrible as a manager. Maradona to a tee.

5) Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation -- Gennaro Gattuso -- The epitome of all that is man, in both cases. I wonder if Gattuso has a similar love for breakfast foods.

6) Dr. Who, Dr. Who -- Lionel Messi -- Seemingly descended from a race of superbeings, he stands for all that is right and good in the soccerverse.

7) Sterling Archer, Archer -- Cristiano Ronaldo -- Both absurdly talented at their respective careers. Both insensitive douchebags.

8) Charlie Kelly, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia -- Carlos Tevez -- The diminuitive wildcard. Throw him in, and you’ll get plenty of effort. Perhaps not to the effect you had hoped.

9) Jimmy McNulty, The Wire -- Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- Extremely effective, central to successful operations, disliked by his superiors because of his disdain for authority?

10) Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother -- Ashley Cole -- Really, we could have picked from any one of the womanizing soccer players. How could you possibly cheat on Cheryl Cole? One of life’s great mysteries.

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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Going Suds Up: The Best Beers, The Best Soccer

By Kirsten Schlewitz / Senior West Coast Beer and Aston Villa Correspondent


So fans of soccer in America, do you know what Fox Soccer would like to show you on Saturday? Blackburn – Arsenal is the early match, followed by Aston Villa – Newcastle. I’m a Villa fan, and I’m still not pleased by this offering. I bet even Arsenal fans aren’t happy to see their team on cable, because who on earth wants to wake up to watch Blackburn? That’s going to take a lot of alcohol, of the type this beer column doesn’t touch upon. So let’s move on from the English Premier League. And not to Serie A either, at least not for Saturday, because Fox Soccer Plus would have you believe you should be watching Cagliari – Novara.

No, let’s go to Germany! They have good beer, plus it’s Oktoberfest time. Or almost, anyway. Close enough.

Germany is one of the few leagues in which, you might be surprised to know, I don’t have a club. It’s just too much fun to watch Bundesliga – I can’t play favorites with them. But if we’re celebrating Oktoberfest, there’s just one team we can pick: Bayern Munich. Which means we’ll have to wait until Sunday, when their match against Schalke 04 is on GolTV, at 10:30 CT. But it will be worth it, I promise. I hope, anyway. Bayern just won their first Champions League tie 2-0 against Villareal. After four matches, they’ve got a perfect record, and although tied with Werder Bremen at the top of the table, have a nine point advantage on goal difference, having conceded just one goal this season. And no, this Napoli fan is not pleased to share a Champions League group of death with Bayern.

Now, for Oktoberfest, I’m not going to give you just one beer. Oktoberfest is more about the style of beers, which, of course, originate in Munich. You can get “Oktoberfest” beers from nearly every brewery these days, but for it to be a true festival beer, it must have been brewed within the city limits of München. That means no New Glarus, no Boulevard, no Sam Adams. That even means no Ayinger Oktoberfest, no matter how tasty it might be. Your Oktoberfest beer must be from Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbrau, Lowenbrau, Paulaner, or Spaten. You’re not likely to find the first two breweries, and the second two don’t distribute their Oktoberfest beer widely. Spaten is well known, but more for Optimator, which is strong, sweet, and similar to an Oktoberfest beer, but is technically a doppelbock.

You’re going to want a Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest Märzen, which, oddly enough, is actually brewed by Paulaner, for reasons I refuse to research right now. Like doppelbocks, Oktoberfests/ Märzens (they’re the same thing) are sweet and dark, the style Munich is renowned for. They’ve got a bit more bite than the sweeter doppelbock, and are typically slightly less alcoholic – this one is 5.8% ABV. It’s got a lovely caramel, spicy taste that is balanced by just enough of a bitter hop finish to make it interesting.

Prost!

About Kirsten

I may be a law student at Lewis and Clark, but soccer is my true love, with beer coming in a distant second. That's not to say I don't love beer--I've tasted over a thousand different brews, and listed many of them onRatebeer. Living in Portland, Oregon, I attend quite a few festivals and tastings, and am able to argue passionately about the merits of Cascade hops vs. Chinook. 

As for the soccer, I'm the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Aston Villa site, 7500 to Holte, the Italy Editor for SB Nation Soccer, and cover the Seattle Sounders on SBN Seattle (don't judge--I'm from Seattle!) Finally, I write for Two Footed Tackle when I find words worthy enough for the site. Want more? Follow me on Twitter!

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Shotgunning Thursday's Top News

All the news that's fit to drink.

And because you'd rather have a beer than be reading all the time... we've taken the day's top news and given it the Reader's Digest-treatment so you can get to that post-work pint quicker.


* JOOOOOLAZO! Altidore scores his 6th in seven games for his new Dutch club. Just three off his all-time, single season tally and ties the total amount he's scored in Europe in the last three seasons.


* For Major League Soccer the sun rises in the West. Match Fit USA's Jason Davis, writing for US Soccer Players, talks about the Western Conference's current domination in the league. But just a few years back it was the East calling on the shots. Just all apart of MLS' continuing parity see-saw.

"Several Western Conference teams have figured out recipes for success - something that has nothing to do with their conference affiliation - while Eastern teams have fallen behind in the ever-changing MLS environment. It’s luck of the draw, a natural ebb and flow, and purely coincidental. MLS isn’t immune to that odd phenomena seen in other pros sports, where a league goes through phases of one league/division/conference having dominance over the other.

Three years isn’t a very long time at all. Not much changes in three years. The order of things, in the macro sense, doesn’t typically over such a short period. In terms of soccer - certainly in most places - the possibility for sweeping change is essentially nonexistent. Europe’s leading leagues do not turn over the top teams in three year, and there’s never a geographic component. New challengers might pop up through investment or good management, but a decided lack of parity makes it nearly impossible for an entirely different group of teams to become the top echelon."

* With the huge imbalance currently in the league, Sports Illustrated's head soccer writer Grant Wahl says the playoff system is broken (even though it was just re-vamped for the 2011 season). Wahl spelled out a solution that was originally forwarded by
The Sporting News' Brian Straus to makes MLS' playoffs work again (if they ever did).

"What's the solution? I'm not one of the people who think MLS should drop the playoffs and go with a single table like most European leagues. Playoffs are more exciting, and playoffs done the right way are a rewarding way to crown a deserving champion, as we've seen in so many other U.S. sports.

But there's a much better playoff structure MLS could use, one that could start as soon as next year and remain in place permanently, no matter how many teams MLS adds to the league in the future. The idea (first proposed by Brian Straus, now of The Sporting News) is this: two World Cup-style four-team groups followed by a four-team bracket with league semifinals and a one-game MLS Cup final.

Here's how it would work. You'd keep the Eastern and Western Conferences. As I'll explain below in my idea for how to schedule a 20-team league, a regular-season schedule weighted with in-conference games would limit the cross-country travel that I think is a problem in the current setup. If MLS wants to hand trophies to the conference winners, then it can do so based on the regular season. Then the playoffs can start."

* Staying with our MLS theme "The Shin Guardian" gets it's first guest contribution from "The Blizzard" a UK-based quarterly magazine. Their subject? The brutal nature of our domestic game and the affect on the development of quality of play in the United States.

"MLS’ reputation as a physical league is well deserved: players are superb athletes, capable of maintaining a high level of play throughout a long season; they have to put up with countless hours of travel, crisscrossing time zones and enduring the kaleidoscopic climate variability of North America, but the implication of the negative insinuations of the word is to simplify the problem these injuries should be used to highlight. It would be folly to blame random chance for such a catalogue of injuries. Luck has played its part, but there is also an array of background factors, some easily reconcilable and some that require longer-term treatment. Injury is inevitable in all sport, but for its own development, MLS must create an environment in which the best players do not live in fear."

* Sporting KC's CJ Sapong tried his damnedest to win the heart of USMNT goalkeeper Hope Solo during training before tomorrow night's match at LIVESTRONG Park in Kansas City. As Dirty Tackle put it, And that's how C.J. Sapong won Thursday, September 15."

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FBM Founding Father - Rodney Marsh

It's important to remember that all revolutionary movements are built upon the work of visionaries before their own times. For Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams and the rest of the colonial propagandists during America's War for Independence they could look to philosopher John Locke and other Enlightenment writers.

The Free Beer Movement is quite the same. The idea of the FBM didn't start with us (credit where credit is due) and it's a cold hard fact that beer and soccer were lovely bedfellows many moons ago.

Think Frankie Hejduk was the first ever to drink a beer with fans? Thought Clint Dempesy's commercial (and accompanying web game) with Cerveza Modelo was groundbreaking? While the Free Beer Movement is certainly impressed with the beer and soccer combos of today, Deuce is not the first to break the beer-barrier nor is our honorary FBM spokesperson the first to slam suds with supporters (say that three times fast).

Set the way-back machine to 1980 and meet Rodney March. He was a striker for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the original North American Soccer League and although Marsh is an Englishman we're taking him as one of our own. During the heyday of NASL he made over 100 appearances (from 1976-79... with a brief return to England and Fulham) for the Rowdies and scored 53 goals.

But what makes Marsh stand out in our mind is this spot for Miller Lite. It's all thing terrible (much like the Dempsey spot), but we're not going to spit at a commercial crossing beer and soccer. Here we've got fossilized (aka YouTube archives) evidence of beer and soccer history.

Drink in its glory:



There you have it, folks, FBM history unearthed. A FBM Founding Father.

More to come....


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Shotgunning Wednesday's Top News

All the news that's fit to drink.

And because you'd rather have a beer than be reading all the time... we've taken the day's top news and given it the Reader's Digest-treatment so you can get to that post-work pint quicker.

* Timothy Chandler might not be a Nat after-all. At least not a U.S. Nat. Former USMNTer Tony Sannah said today that the Nurnberg defender is re-considering his options and will be meeting with German head coach Joachim Loew soon. Yanks Abroad Brian Sciaretta has spoken to Chandler on multiple occasions and heard that the German-American is committed to the USMNT. We'll find out in two weeks which side of the fence he's on.

"This news will certainly come as a disappointment to US fans who have become excited about the prospect of the German-born Chandler becoming a cornerstone of the US team. Chandler has had a breakout 2011 where he has emerged as a rising Bundesliga star.

 This latest uncertainty comes after Chandler has made to YA on three separate occasions that he had zero interest in playing for Germany and has only wanted to play for the United States...

 ...It'll be about two weeks until the USA and Germany announce their rosters for October. We will likely know Chandler's future then."

* Will a New York team be Major League Soccer's 20th team? No matter if its the Cosmos or not the league's growth since the opening of the millennium has been phenomenal and the bar is set high for the next expansion team, says Sporting News Brian Straus.

"The expansion bar already had been set higher by MLS. Portland, Montreal and the Seattle Sounders had a long tradition of minor league success and support. Philadelphia Union fans showed up en masse to league events before the franchise was even awarded. To enter MLS in the near future, considering its satisfaction with 20, would take an exceptionally special case. There would need to be a wealthy ownership group in place (the expansion fee alone could approach $100 million), a stadium plan (preferably soccer-specific) and a proven level of support."

* The art of the counter-attack is the focus of Steve Davis' "Talking Tactics" column on MLSSoccer.com. His evidence is DC United's Dwayne DeRosario and his movements this past weekend against Chivas USA.

Counterattacking soccer isn’t just tactics; it takes the right kind of players – actually, let’s make that the right kind of “attitudes” – to make the engine hum. United have several like that, none better than Dwayne De Rosario. 

The desire to drive forward aggressively is De Rosario’s hard-wired, default position on the field. On Saturday, he consistently collected the ball in midfield with a stubborn single-mindedness: a hell-bent desire to crash immediately forward. 

This was clear on the first goal. DeRo’s aggressive mindset lay the foundation for Charlie Davies’ eventual piece-of-cake finish. The Canadian star scooped up a fortuitous ball bouncing around midfield and didn’t hesitate for a nanosecond. It’s all about seizing the initiative. That might sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many players fail to fully exploit these begging situations. Too many managers value possession, constantly reminding their players that the bad guys can’t score when the good guys have the ball. So they win the ball but frequently forfeit the initiative when “possession” rather than “aggression” is prioritized.

* Want to know how much more MLS players make than you? Here's the full, team-by-team list of their salaries.

* Always wanted that 2007 Columbus Crew Andy Gruenebaum keeper jersey, but never knew how to get your hands on  one? How about a 2008 team signed New England Revolution game ball?

Now those fabulous items and more can be found and purchased at MLSCollectibles.com! Hope you're a huge fan of anything randomly MLS since 2007 and nothing earlier!

*"Why American Soccer?" Because it became the setting for rival Los Angeles gangs to face each other peacefully? (H/T The Third Kit)

Members of the notorious Vineland Boys gang from Sun Valley took to the field against rival Barrio Van Nuys, one of the oldest gangs in the Valley. Their weapons: A soccer ball and a minister's prayer for peace.   

"It was fun, A Barrio Van Nuys player works his way between two Vineland Boys during a soccer match between members of the two gangs on Aug. 24, 2011 at Delano Park in Van Nuys under the auspices of the city's Summer Night Lights program. 

"It meant unity between two rival gangs of the same race. It was just a little night of relief. "Instead of watching your back, you're having fun."

* Former USMNT coach Bob Bradley will be wearing the sweatpants of another nation, Egpyt, as multiple sources report he will be offered the job soon. Sports Illustrated head soccer writer, Grant Wahl, though, says sources close to Bradley have indicated that his appointment is not a done deal.

Egypt have appointed former United States coach Bob Bradley as national team manager, state news agency MENA said on Wednesday. 

Bradley replaces long-standing coach Hassan Shehata who left in June after holders Egypt struggled in qualifying for the 2012 African Nations Cup finals. They have since been eliminated. 

Bradley, fired by the U.S. in July, was on an Egyptian FA shortlist that included the experienced Francisco Maturana, who has managed Peru, Ecuador and his native Colombia, and Zoran Filipovic, the former Yugoslav striker and Montenegro coach. 

The American will be given the task of getting Egypt to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990.

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Brews and Views Series: "Why American Soccer?"

We continue our new series on the Free Beer Movement. It's called "Brews and Views" and we pose a question or topic to various prominent soccer persons and, well, they give us their view on it.

We've got loads of get people that have already responded to our call for essay submissions and each week we'll feature a unique perspective on the current topic/question at hand. Kicking it off (pun intended) we're asking our respondents the question, "Why American soccer?".

As inhabitants of the U.S. of A we've got loads of soccer viewing options and limited amount of time. We want our panel of essayists to make their case as to why the American version of the world's game is the one we should all invest in.

Regularly readers know where we stand on this issue. Buy American. It's ours. Build and shape it so it ranks as one of the premier leagues in the world.

The series will include such diverse voices as former U.S. Men's National Team player Alexi Lalas, The Shin Guardian, MatchFit USA's Jason Davis, Church of Soccer, Nutmeg Radio, FutFanatico, MLS Insider, and many, many more.

Interested in submitting your own answer to the question, "Why American soccer?", then send us an email with your response. Please keep your submission to under 1000 words (that's like 2.5 pages typed!) and include a picture that you feel goes well with your response. Send it to freebeermovement(at)gmail(dot)com.


Today's contribution comes from Eric Beard. Mr. Beard is the founder and the head writer of "A Football Report", a brilliant site that covers the global game.

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A game of moments.

For a moment, forget about Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria. Forget where you were, whom you were with, and how great the rest of your day was. Forget knocking Mexico out of the World Cup in 2002. Forget Clint Dempsey’s chip against Juventus. Forget Benny Feilhaber’s golazo that silenced 50,000 Mexicans.  Even forget the pain of losing to Ghana in 2010… and in 2006. Poof! Gone! It never happened. Now, how empty does that feel?

The beautiful game, it’s about moments. And in this sport, moments are universal.

If you forced me to watch a game of cricket, I would struggle profusely trying to pinpoint amazing. The average Englishman or South American would struggle in the same way with baseball. Nothing captures the imagination of the human spirit like soccer. The Bergkamp skill, the Abby Wambach header, the 70-yard bomb from Beckham, these aspects, by nature, are inspired by raw passion, perseverance, and pure skill. Though an educated fan will certainly appreciate all the nuances surrounding the game, the simplicity of soccer has lent itself to an ability to connect with almost anyone, anywhere.

But just because you can hop on the Internet doesn’t mean you should forget about where you are, how you were raised, and the heritage that surrounds you. In this modern America we live in, you can find the rest of the world within these borders. The melting pot of culture, the force that is globalization, has trickled down to help American soccer prosper.

No matter the stigmas you encounter, whether it be language barriers or ‘eurosnobs’, this game isn’t exclusive. Spanish fútbol lives and breathes in communities throughout the U.S., as does English football, Italian calico, Brazilian futebol, African, Asian, and any other brand of the game that exists.

You can love watching FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, that’s perfectly fine. There’s no reason to deny any love for this game. Support whoever you want to support. Watch the leagues that appeal to you. But give American soccer, the game’s final frontier, a chance. The community grows by the day and supporting American soccer is the best way to connect with the people that share your passion.

You want to watch Fulham – Manchester United on a Sunday at 2 pm? Well, thousands of Americans want to do the same. But after that English Premier League match there’s a Seattle Sounders – Sporting KC game on. And more fans, of the Sounders and American soccer, are in attendance than the loyal ticket holders at Craven Cottage. The game is here and it’s not going away. The signs of progress are undeniable.

Why American soccer? You know why. Next question. 


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Shotgunning: Top News for Tuesday, Slammed!

All the news that's fit to drink.

And because you'd rather have a beer than be reading all the time... we've taken the day's top news and given it the Reader's Digest-treatment so you can get to that post-work pint quicker.


* Who will Jurgen Klismann's new-look USMNT face on the Tuesday, October 11th open international date? U.S. Soccer announced Monday that it will be Ecuador at Red Bull Area. The match will be the end cap to the Saturday, October 8th match against Honduras in Miami announced last week.

It will be the third time in two year that the Nats have played a game in New Jersey.

* Need another reason "Why American Soccer?" How about the accessibility of players? According to Goal.com nearly 39% of Major League Soccer players are on the social media site Twitter.

"In its own unique way, Major League Soccer is increasingly becoming social. Throughout the front offices and locker rooms, social media is removing the microphones and cameras, and providing a new outlet and means of communication for players, staff members and executives to voice their opinions. It is a unique level of transparency that is not often seen in Major League Soccer, particularly with the current ease of publishing information."

* Why do the Red Bulls blow right now? SI.com writer Steve Davis says its all Rafa Marquez's fault.

"Marquez remains in the Mexican national team scene, having just returned from his latest trip with El Tri.  So, how in the world can a player who can still pass muster with a good national team look so inept, unfocussed and apathetic about his club?

We’ve seen it all before, of course. Lothar Matthäus set the N.Y. standard in 2000, when he managed to squeeze in 16 MLS matches between Central Park jogging sessions with his girlfriend. (In fairness, this isn’t a phenomena exclusive to New York; we’ve certainly seen it elsewhere in MLS as decorated men try to wring a few more paychecks from MLS clubs too naïve or star struck to recognize a bad fit.)

If you ask me, benching the clearly uninspired Marquez might provide a boost for Hans Backe’s team, some sort of inspirational addition by subtraction. At the very least, the couch would be saying to the team, “I care enough to make a bold move here, so it’s time for you to care, too.”

* The Third Kit is a pretty sweet site and the fact that they've got the soundtrack for the upcoming FIFA 12 all up and posted for the world to see makes them extra sweet. Did the crack into EA Sports headquarters for it? Dunno. Perhaps its all out there somewhere, but we don't read so well so finding it elsewhere is a chore. We'll just pretend they went all Tom Cruise-Mission Impossible to get their hands on it for is. Good work, gents.

* Want to know how loads of Americans plying their trade overseas did this weekend? Steve Goff at the Washington Post's Soccer Insider has quite the list each and every week. Although domestic Goff missed our phenomenal performance in goal this past weekend as it was reported on Twitter.

And in beer news...

* A truck carrying over 40,000 cans of Bud Light and Bud Light Lime overturned on a highway in Sacramento, CA. Eh.

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Tuesday XI: International Pick Up Edition

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!


We've already examined the stereotypical pick-up XI. But what would it look like broken down by nationality? We've assembled some standout players from our personal experience on the field to bring you an International Pick-Up XI.

GK – My Old Lady (Italy) – Spends his time at the back yelling about how they play football in the old country, how Totti is the second coming of Christ, and how Calciopoli was an English conspiracy that never happened.

LB – The Gentleman (England) – Sits on the backline chatting about how he has faith in Wenger’s long-term plans, completely ignoring the onslaught of goals around him.

CB – Mr. Popov (Russia) – Shows up drunk and leaves angry. Lots of unnecessary heel clips in between.

CB – Khawaaja T (Iran) – Manages to play in gold chains, jeans, and a black T-shirt without breaking a sweat.

RB – Commander Cowboy (United States) – Joins 15 minutes late because he was throwing a Frisbee; leaves 15 minutes early to throw a football.

LM – The Diouf (Senegal) – What he lacks in momentum, he more than makes up in swagger.

CM – Senor Pudge (Mexico) – Somehow this 5’2”, 200 pound hunk of player has both the height to reach lobbed balls and the speed to beat you through the middle of the pitch.

RM – The Spawn of Cruyff (Netherlands) – Can toy with you endlessly with seemingly simple moves, then leave you in the dust with a nutmeg. Every time.

LF – L’Étranger (Algeria) – Pretends to have the disaffected suaveness of a Parisian artist. Will complain about the slightest contact against him, then slide tackle you from behind and pretend he got ball.

ST – Super Eagle (Nigeria) – Knows how to do two things: pull off awkward roulettes, and sky shots over shoe goals into the parking lot.

RF – Seoul Train (South Korea) – Will destroy you for pace up and down the wing in the first half of the game, take a cigarette break, then destroy you once again in the second half.

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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Shotgunning: Today's Top Stories, Slammed

All the news that's fit to drink.

And because you'd rather have a beer than be reading all the time... we've taken the day's top news and given it the Reader's Digest-treatment so you can get to that post-work pint quicker.

* Grant Wahl says FIFA needs to get it's own "Red Zone Channel" like the NFL. The American Throwball league has a show that pops in and out of games around the country on game days featuring all the big plays, stops, and scores. Wahl proposes the soccer governing body do the same.

"There no reason this channel shouldn't happen. Call it whatever you'd like -- World Cup Goal Zone, World Cup Real-Time, FIFA Matchday Live -- but there are plenty of incentives for fans, as well as FIFA and its member nations. The fans get a fun, addictive, all-in-one service that currently doesn't exist (and would be of far higher quality than pirate online livestreams). Meanwhile, FIFA and its confederations would receive income that could be shared with their member nations." 

* Jason Davis at Match Fit USA calls for calm over Jurgen Klinnsmann's slow-growth revolution of the USMNT and cautions the inclusion of "Latin flavor" just for the sake of it.

"Jurgen Klinsmann wants to impose a new style on the USMNT. He'll go about his task by looking for players capable of executing his plan. If he wants to win, he can't afford to worry about hitching the new style directly to his other aim - integrating more of America's Latino flavor into the team. He can do both, but he should be careful that he doesn't send the message that the style can only come with Latin flavor. American soccer is already rife with stereotype and generalization. If Klinsmann falls victim to them or even appears to, it will only reinforce beliefs that will hold back the sport here in the years and decades to come. That will only make Claudio Reyna's job harder, handicapping a program already facing an uphill road to success. 

Let's go for that attractive style Klinsmann wants to play, and let's do so with all the abandon for which the American people - be they Latino, black, white, or other - are known. But let's keep in mind that style, as Edward Gibbons once said, is the image of character. American soccer's character should be inclusion, inclusion, inclusion; inclusion to the degree that the word no longer applies because there simply is no bias, and therefore, no need to label the role of any particular group of people as "included" as if some other group is being excluded. 

Let our style truly reflect our character, be the product of it. If not the one we have, the one to which we aspire."

* Charlie Davies bagged a hat-trick, Teal Bunbury got a brace, Real Salt Lake ended Seattle's streak, the Revolution beat FC Dallas, Toronto FC win for the first time on the road, and the Union continue to sputter... that and more in this week's MLS highlights.

* Major League Soccer also released the results of Facebook-fan voting on the 24 best players under the age of 24 in our domestic league and FC Dallas' Brek Shea took top honors. Juan Agudelo, Freddy Adu, Teal Bunbury, and Steve Zakunai round out the top five. A panel of nine "experts" will start revealing their choices for the best young players in MLS starting on Thursday.

* American soccer fans with a love of Euro-mornings already knew this, but the rest of the country is finally waking up (pun intended) to the idea of "breakfast beers", including the Wall Street Journal which recommends a few to try out.

"Athletes and moms, you might say, deserve a tall cold one for breakfast—but mere mortals? Few sneer at a weekend-morning mimosa or Bloody Mary, yet it's unlikely that cheap bubbly or a handful of celery stalks add much to a plate of eggs. In other words: boring. Beer, nourishment aside, is a livelier companion. In fact, paired with morning foods such as oatmeal or granola, unexpected flavors emerge like green tea and chocolate milk."

* In Dallas? Get to the "Bobby Rhine Memorial Kickaround" to benefit the FC Dallas Foundation at Rhine's family. Hosted by Street Soccer Dallas, Freddy Fund, and Good Football.

* In Austin? Check out the fantastic soccer documentary, "Pelada" at Draft House on West Anderson at 7pm. Proceeds of the showing go to benefit the "Multicultural Refugee Coalition Soccer Team". FBM will be there.

* Lastly, the former "American Soccer Show" hosts Jason Davis and Jared DuBois are still podcasting in between leaving the old show and beginning their new show somewhere else (who knows?!?!). Listen to this week's episode here.


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