What counts as a big game for American soccer fans? Over the weekend, world soccer provided multiple opportunities to answer that question. Milan - Inter Milan, Real Madrid - Barcelona, Club America - Chivas.... All three easily qualify as big games, arguably bigger than the leagues where those clubs play.
By Jason Davis - WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 22, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Among the many duties of the
serious American soccer fan - right along with advocating for the perpetual shakeup of the youth
ranks, pondering the wisdom of switches to any number of European-styles competitive formats, and
bemoaning the predominance of fast and physical players - is the near-obsessive tracking of how
Americans are doing in the far flung leagues of the world.
FIFA Ranking: 5 (as of July, 2012) Coach: Jorge Barcellos Number of Olympics Appearances: The US has participated in every Olympics where
women's soccer has been a sport (1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012), with two silver medals (2004, 2008)
and two fourth place finishes (1996, 2000).
Charlie Davies has moved leagues, leaving France's Ligue 1 for Denmark's Superliga. Specifically,
he's now a member of Randers FC, a club that hasn't been around very long. Here's what you need to
know about Davies's new address. Why Are We Here? Every American soccer fan is familiar with the
Charlie Davies story.
Gunning for the top... (photo credit: Matt Mathai)
This piece by Serie A and Roma expert Eric Giardini
Moving day....
This is the move USMNT fans have been waiting for.
With this move to Roma, Michael Bradley is taking a significant step forward in his career that
should ultimately pay dividends at the international level as well.
"I have never believed that something needs to be achingly popular for it to be interesting, and
for a soccer fan born in the wrong country at nearly the wrong time, few things are more
fascinating than the peculiar roller coaster the game in America has ridden across the decades.Â
As near as I can tell it's story has never really been told.
I got this video sent to me via e-mail, asking me to share and spread the word. I watched it and
by the end I felt confused. As an American soccer fan am I supposed to be amused or insulted? I
assume their implication is that major international tournaments, like the just completed Euro
2012, brings people like this out of the woodwork.
Every American soccer fan interested in seeing the game succeed in the States tends to keep an
eye on television ratings as marker of the sport's appeal to a domestic audience. With Euro 2012
and the MLS season back in gear, now presents a great time to take a snapshot of soccer ratings in
2012.
This post has taken me four days to write. And I'm still not certain it's good enough.
How does an American write about Clint Dempsey? Especially one that is a soccer fan, and a
Fulham fan at that? How do I write about a player that has meant so much to this club and to this
fan, when it all ended so messily and murky?
This post has taken me four days to write. And I'm still not certain it's good enough.
How does an American write about Clint Dempsey? Especially one that is a soccer fan, and a
Fulham fan at that? How do I write about a player that has meant so much to this club and to this
fan, when it all ended so messily and murky?
It's been several weeks since we've had a new post here on Two Touch Pass, and I've spent a week
or so contemplating my first post back. I suppose the reason we went away for awhile had to do with
our busy lives, full of new adventures, big moves, and the many distractions we have in life. But,
I'll be completely honest, my absence has been due to a post-Olympic hangover that has required me
to catch my breath (weeks later) after stressing for 3 weeks.
The week goes on, and what a week it is! The New England Revolution are still shedding dead
weight ahead of the September 15th roster freeze, and there's been a development in the allocation
order department as Luis Robles has agreed to sign with MLS and enter the process. Apart from that,
there's the massive controversy over the thrilling USA vs.
We're a day removed here and I don't feel like it's gotten any better. For as long as I've been
a New England Revolution fan - nay, a soccer fan - Shalrie Joseph was the anchor in the
Revs' midfield. For as long as I've been covering the sport, he's been one of my favorite
interviews in the locker room, and an all-around great guy.
The New England Revolution are gearing up for a three-match road trip by traveling north of the
border to Quebec to take on the MLS newcomers known as the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night for
their second game in just four days. It will be the second time in a row the Revs have faced a
Canadian side, having just fallen to Toronto 0-1 on the weekend.
Prior to the Seattle Sounders v Chelsea FC friendly NASL Sounder Roger Davies will be awarded
the Golden Scarf. The scarf is now awarded on a much more limited basis than previous years, but
there is little doubt that Davies deserves the recognition of his importance to Seattle's soccer
history. This guest post is to provide those that missed his greatness with a reminder of just how
much he meant to the Sounders.
Storylines, storylines everywhere! Where do I start? We could start with the standings of the NASL,
in which the top four teams are all separated one point each? We could talk about the resurgence of
the Atlanta Silverbacks, who, despite having a whopping -14 goal differential, have moved out of
the cellar and have pushed Edmonton down into the bottom.
Our final post of the holiday week brings Part III of our 2009 Bringing the Fans Series. It
was three years ago that we first raised the issue of bringing soccer fans into the hold. The
presence of those fans has recently been confirmed by the great ratings for Euro 2012. Can MLS
capture that audience?
Robbie Keane and the Republic of Ireland endured a difficult few weeks during their time at Euro
2012. The Irish lost all three of their matches, but the brave efforts they displayed were not lost
on their proud supporters.
Tragedy also struck the Irish while in Poland, when a 21-year old Irish fan fell into the river
Brda and drowned.
After scoring for the Galaxy against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night, Republic of
Ireland captain Robbie Keane paid tribute to James Nolan, the 21-year old Ireland fan whose body
was found at the bottom of a river in Bydgoszcz after accidentally drowning while out in Poland to
support his national team.
To the first dingy, ruffled sportswriter who offered a prediction toward a game, award, event -- I
shake my fist at thee angrily. (And throw your "press" card tucked into the bill of your cap into
the mud!) It's a necessary evil in the business. And if you're a soccer fan ahead of Friday's Euro
2012, you've no doubt seen probably 100 different picks by different writers, bloggers,
No column this week, but it will return next Tuesday with a preview of the independent documentary
"Gringos at the Gate," which should be required viewing for any Southern California soccer fan,
ahead of its LA premiere. Also, readers should know we are shifting the entire blog to a new
While there may have been more beautiful goals scored, few have been as remarkable as this one.
This was a hugely important goal, not only for French football but also for the country as a
whole.
No other sport other than soccer can bring out such passion like that of football fans. Enjoy
the passion expressed in these images of some of the most eye pleasing fans from around the
world.
"The Eyes of an Angel Fan" These eyes would make any soccer fan melt.
"The Kid Fan Supporter" This happy Polish soccer fan feels like the luckiest guy on
earth.
The USWNT defeated Japan 2-1 today to become gold medal champions in the
Olympics for third consecutive time and fourth time overall. Earlier in the day, Canada beat France
1-0 with a late stoppage time goal from Diana Matheson, earning them the bronze medal in the
tournament.
It's only nine days until the start of the English Premier League. Other European leagues and
tournaments are starting all through August. These are exciting times for any soccer fan. But
where is FOX Soccer in all this? They are busy putting ...
On today, the day of the opening ceremonies at the Olympic Games, I want to ask you, the avid
soccer fan, who won the first World Cup. It is likely you say "Uruguay". You may say that they won
their ...
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The latest episode of "Off The Bench" is live with Luke Lohr and Pedro Gomes debate the validity of
a rivalry, as well as pointing out the factors that make for a natural rivalry. Expansion talk and
possible news of the leagues 20th team lead to discussions about how the league should do things
and a great story of creating a new soccer fan.
NBA and Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki came out to enjoy the FC Dallas game June 23rd against
Chivas USA. Dirk, being German, is not surprisingly a big soccer fan. Click the article to check
out this little video made by the FCD PR crew of the former Champ's visit.
Soccer fans in the Pacific Northwest have gathered over the past few weeks in bars and cafes, or
hooked up their ESPN3-streaming computers to their television sets, to watch the impressive quality
of soccer being played in Poland and Ukraine. From Greece's unlikely upset of Russia to squeak into
the knockout stage, to the calm confidence Germany exerted over their "Group of Death," Euro has
not disappointed this year.
While the Jamaica national football team or Reggae Boyz didn't qualify for the 2012 London
Olympics, known soccer fan Usain Bolt and the rest of the Caribbean nation's track team...
