"We're not Racist" - Twists of the Scouse-Manc debate
Anyone tiring of the Suarez racism saga? Me too, but I'm breaking radio silence to offer a few thoughts, just as Suarez serves the final week of his ban and in light of yesterday's fiercely fought battle between Liverpool and Manchester United - the second epic Soucse-Manc cup battle at Anfield this week.

By Eric Beard

Doesn't vehement hatred get kind of boring after a while? I mean, sure, if you want to let a little schadenfreude and anger out a couple of times a year, that's fine. Everyone's entitled to their fair share of irrational fandom. Maybe I'm not as creative as the Spanish press and [insert name of your Superclub]'s fans, but hatred gets kind of circular after a while.

Happy New Year to you and yours, Dynamo fans. Its been a hectic holiday season for me, with travel back to the glorious H-Town, family flooding in shortly afterwards, and two new nephews experiencing their first Christmas season. While watching them, alight with the holiday spirit, attacking wrapping paper with carnal fury, I had an epiphany of sorts.

With the news coming yesterday afternoon from Jesus Ortiz on the Chronicle that Brian Ching will not retire and will report to Montreal Impact camp when it opens, the ant bed that is Dynamo fandom was again stirred with a stick. Reaction varied from renewed anger towards Jesse Marsch to clever theories about when Ching will have to have season ending surgery that sticks the Impact with his large salary for the season.

Is fútbol in Mexico a sacred experience?

Did you know that fútbol became popular in Mexico because religious groups promoted it amongst their students? In this 17-minute video, which has an honors thesis-esque style, we look into how the experience of going to a match in Mexico or even playing fútbol has become a sort of sacred experience.

One of the best things about being a Dynamo fan is our players give 200% on the field -- yes, this is mathematically an impossibility, however, none of us would argue they do indeed give a full 200% -- except perhaps the occasional Right Midfielder/Winger from say Jamaica, not to single any one specific player out or anything.

Fandom, that is. Well, that and Addison's.

Anfield legend Steven Nicol has lambasted Daniel Agger for publicly questioning the commitment of his teammates after the poor Premier League performance against Swansea City.
Agger, who clearly forgot about the Liverpool principle of never washing dirty laundry in public, labelled his colleagues 'headless chickens', but the comment that really got on Nicol's nerves was the following:
"I think everyone was angry and disappointed, some more than others, but that is the way it is"
Nicol, who won the PFA Player of the Year Award in 1989, blasted:
"I don't think there's discontent in the dressing room but I think there's something wrong with him [Agger].

Like every aspiring plutocrat who loves AC Milan, I sometimes fantasise about owning the club. I have big plans for it. Investing heavily in the youth programme. Engineering unbreakable bonds of affection between players and club. Brokering a creative and generous understanding between our ultras and local government.

- Maxi Rodriguez

A broken thermometer near the grandstand reads 78°, but the truth of the matter is that games were always played nearer the century mark, our very own Qatari World Cup matches on a windswept field in Central California. The team, the Bakersfield Brigade, is long gone, victim to a downturn in local fortunes as much as misplaced presumptions about the local fan base.

Hello, good morning and welcome. The spectre of derby day looms. Wafting about the dinner table like Banquo's ghost. And what better way to mark the occasion than with a talk with Spurs fan, Guardian columnist and author of the fantastic Vertigo: One Fan's Fear of Success. John Crace. And if that wasn't enough, well, then, you're just plain greedy.

Though the course of the weekend and based on results (or your fandom), we want to know who you think will win MLS Cup. Will Real Salt Lake continue this streak all the way to the championship? Will Seattle finally make it past the first round in the playoffs? Let us know in the comment section.

A few weeks ago, the Manchester United FB Page asked the question 'Still thinking about the 8-2?'. I said hell yeah. What else was there to think about? The international break had most inconveniently followed, and I've never translated my United fandom to following England (for Roon one could argue, but now practically the entire right wing) or hating them (for Lumplard, Cashley and the likes).

John Crace, beloved author of the Guardian's digested reads, has written a book called "Vertigo: One Football Fan's Fear of Success," which we may suppose is John Crace's delightful way of offering a point of view into every football fan's fear of success.

From an excerpt in The Guardian, titled How football helped me to live with depression," we learn that he writes about being a Spurs fan in an abusive relationship with a club that promises glory and delivers heartbreak routinely.

AP photoBy Charlie Corr
ESPNChicago.com
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The game had no implications, but the Chivas de Guadalajara fandom came out in full force in the loudest environment at Toyota Park this year.
Chivas' Jorge Mora scored a 61st-minute free kick goal and Guadalajara defeated the Chicago Fire, 1-0, in front of 18,224 at Wednesday's international friendly.

All the so-called experts and many fans on football forums denigrated Australia for their recent World Cup Qualifier against Thailand.
Why?
Because we allowed Thailand to score first, we didn't pass with fluency, we launched the ball high into the box too many times, or maybe because we didn't win 6-0.

- Maxi Rodriguez

It happened again on Saturday.

It was about half past nine, and I was wrapped in an imitation Snuggie that gives you a bit of insight into how I spend my weekends. An exhausting marathon of football continued with kickoff between West Brom and Chelsea, and I reached for the remote, wondering whether I should pull the sheets over my eyes and call the whole thing off.

Who has been my least favoured player over the last 3 seasons? Emmanuel Eboue. Who has been my favourite Gooner of the last 3 seasons? Emmanuel Eboue. And herein lies the conundrum. How could such a likeable man become so annoying when he got on the pitch?

We have had many discussions over the months about the efficacy of Emmanuel; what he brings or doesn't bring to the team, but no-one has ever questioned his commitment to the cause.

Next week, the CONCACAF Champions League group stage gets under way with 5 MLS teams having qualified. In light of that, I thought a few readers might like a bit of an explanation about what the whole thing is all about.

By now, most MLS fans have at least an inkling of what the CONCACAF Champions League is.

Next week, the CONCACAF Champions League group stage gets under way with 5 MLS teams having qualified. In light of that, I thought a few readers might like a bit of an explanation about what the whole thing is all about.

By now, most MLS fans have at least an inkling of what the CONCACAF Champions League is.

Next week, the CONCACAF Champions League group stage gets under way with 5 MLS teams having qualified. In light of that, I thought a few readers might like a bit of an explanation about what the whole thing is all about.

By now, most MLS fans have at least an inkling of what the CONCACAF Champions League is.

On a busy London street, two Ancient Greek philosophers from 1980s Brazil happen upon one another. They are dressed in particularly fetching togas, with yellow tops and blue bottoms. It's confusing, but not in a bad way.

SOCRATES: Zico, to where are you hurrying on this fine summer's day, down the Holloway road?

Summer has delivered a collective beating to the confidence of US Soccer fans. Mexico dominated the Gold Cup final, some of the big national team names are in transfer limbo, and MLS sides have received some severe drubbings at the hands of European opposition going through the pre-season motions.

Tomorrow the Chicago Fire will take on Manchester United in a game that is less competitive than pre-season scrimmages. At least in pre-season scrimmages, players are fighting for their role on the team. That doesn't mean tomorrow's game won't be fun and that doesn't mean that tomorrow's game isn't an important opportunity for the Fire to develop.

So it's only a friendly tonight. Some would argue that means tonight's game is inherently less important that a regular season match. Well, they are... right. But that doesn't mean we can't have any fun! I know there's this whole mantra spreading around MLS fandom right now about "Trophies not Friendlies" and, in some respects, they have a good point.

TSG's Maura Gladys on the intersection of fandom and objectivity after yesterday's US Women's World Cup Final loss.

The US ladies get close, but are upended by a Japan team that kept coming...

In the end, this whole tournament was about heart. We saw that in yesterday's championship match, in the semifinals, quarterfinals, and group stage.

The President's posse... the Colorado Rapids.The President welcomed the reigning Major League Soccer champions Colorado Rapids to the White House this week building on his already bulging soccer credentials. He even compared himself to Barcelona great Lionel Messi.
Even though its customary for Presidents to welcome league title holders in American sports, Barack Obama has proven to be unique in his soccer fandom from his predecessors.

Photo by Lorianne DiSabato

As MLS fans, we often fail to realize how lucky we are that our clubs offer us a wide variety of fan experiences. If we are attending a game with a soccer newcomer or our kids, we can sit in the more traditional American sports seating sections and watch the action from our seats.

Most teams with one win, six losses, and three ties since the season began would probably feel like they have nothing to look forward to. But while Sporting Kansas City may have such a record, they sure do have a lot to play for, as tonight the true test of their rebranding will begin with the opening of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

Sports fandom is a peculiar portion of our existence. Being a sports fan is going to leave you heartbroken more often than not. No matter what league you follow or team you root for, odds are you may go your entire life without seeing your team win...
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"Carlo [Ancelotti] gave me a magnificent bottle of wine. But I immediately told him there is no point in giving such a wonderful gift if he then fails in the final. In fact, I told him I would only drink his wine once I see him lifting the Champions Cup." —Alex Ferguson, ahead of 2005's Champions League final

Those who follow Liverpool are hardly a monolithic block.

Cary Leibowitz, Misery Pennants (1989)By the end of the summer, I was in a dark place in relation to the men's game: unable to care about who wins what international tournament or league's season, because who cares what a bunch of spoiled brats do in the service of hyper-leveraged clubs that look more and more like individuated versions of the real estate bubble.

In stark contrast to the hopefully now infamous Wall Street Journal article (that I won't bother linking again), a video was released last night by locally based energy drink company Golazo. It's less than 5 minutes long, so it's not exactly what you'd call a documentary, but it is a cool look at football fandom.

HOLD THE PRESSES: No sooner did we post the news today when word came down that USA international midfielder Benny Feilhaber has signed a contract to play in MLS immediately. No word on which team yet, but Chivas USA is said to be first in line! Stay tuned for more.
STORY OF THE DAY – PORTLAND TIMBERS
Brucitorial
It's all about Portland now.

This Thursday night, 14 April 2011, the Timbers Army will sing the official "Star Spangled Banner" at a stadium in the heart of Portland, Oregon, and the local football club will play its first home match in America's top division. The Timbers face Chicago's Fire. The match will occasion large amounts of beer consumption on premises and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and play its own small part in hastening the decline of the traditional nation-state.

I think I've said this before, but it might be worth enshrining here for future reference. Therefore:

The First Law of Persecuted Fandom. If you are a passionate fan of one particular team, and you think you notice that that same team happens to be singled out, consistently, for outrageously unfair treatment by other fans, referees, and the media.

With actual MLS clubs involved in competition for the first time in months, we got to wondering whether the Champions League, which has struggled to capture even hard care MLS supporters, could ever be a draw European soccer fans. Out of town with only intermittent internet access, we thought now would be a good time to re-run Part III from our 2009 Bringing the Fans series.

Another MLS season is just a few weeks away and the league is hoping that attendance will continue to grow in 2011. Back in 2009, we took a look at how teams were looking to increase the amount of fans coming out to the stadiums. Part 2 of that series focused on families and their importance to the league's efforts to grow attendance.

For the next few weeks, Monday night will be literature night here on Twohundredpercent. We are delighted to welcome Football Hobo's Alan Smithy back to our pages this evening for the first act, if you will, of a seven part epic that he written for us which traces the life of the football supporter in relation to the celebrated monologue from Shakespeare's "As You Like It" that is best known as "The Seven Ages Of Man", or "All The World's A Stage".

There were several interesting reports this week about the fact that some of the best organized and most effective groups involved in the protests in Egypt came from what some saw as a surprising place: football fan groups. As a report on Gawker noted: "When asked about the role of political groups in organizing protests, prominent Egyptian blogger Alaa abd El-Fatah told Al Jazeera .