The Free Beer Movement

The Tuesday 10: Footballers as Fast Food

2012-01-31T06:13:00.002-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

Make every time a good time. We love to see you smile. Have you had your break today? Foods, folks, and fun. Over the years, the marketing team at McDonald’s has produced some of America’s most recognizable campaigns. You’d be hard-pressed to find a fast food consumer who doesn’t know the “I’m lovin’ it” jingle (Doodoo doo doo doo…), or who hasn’t Supersized just to get an extra Monopoly piece. Really, one of the reasons McDonald’s is able to boast “Billions served” on their signboards is their shrewd advertising. Until now. “You’re the Egg McMuffin of…” is perhaps the lamest thing under the Golden Arches since a hirsute Jason Alexander crooned about a hot-and-cold sandwich called the McDLT in the 80s.

But we’ve never been a particularly discerning bunch, so of course we thought the idea was the best thing since sliced…McMuffin. “Why stop with McDonald’s?” we thought, to which we couldn’t come up with a good answer, even after minutes of contemplation. So today we present to you the unauthorized list of soccer player fast food superlatives.

Mesut Ozil, you’re the Wendy’s Junior Bacon Cheeseburger of Real Madrid transfers. If Kaka is a deluxe Triple Stack, then Ozil must certainly be the bang-for-your-buck 99 cent JBC. Okay, so 15 million Euros might seem like a lot, but it’s a paltry sum in the Galactico budget.
Lionel Messi, you’re the White Castle/Krystal slider of diminutive forwards. Admit it, part of the appeal is his size. He’s like Napoleon minus the Napoleon complex. And like your favorite slider, he packs a surprising amount of flavor.
Paul Robinson, you’re the Taco Bell Beefy 5-Layer Burrito of EPL goalkeepers. When you opt for the Beefy 5-Layer, you’re hoping for complexity and versatility. What you get is slop. Ask for extra napkins because you will spill it. Robinson has been disappointing between the sticks this season, and like this burrito, he’s messy.
Clint Dempsey, you’re the Sonic Toaster Sandwich of American stars. Nothing says Texas Toast like Nacogdoches’s own Clint Dempsey. Plus, he’s a standout this season on an otherwise average menu.
Carlos Tevez, you’re the KFC Double Down of unpopular players. To most people, you’re repulsive. That’s fair. Like the bunless chicken sandwich, you’re not easy to handle. But boy, it’s fun to indulge sometimes.
Joey Barton, you’re the Chik-Fil-A Spicy Chicken Sandwich of hot-heads. Every good menu has an item with a little heat. Joey Barton fits the profile. Would the EPL be nearly as fun without temperamental philosopher-convicts like Joey?
Pepe, you’re the Dairy Queen Dipped Cone of paradoxical defenders. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. He spent the last pair of clasicos stepping on hands for some long stretches, falling over inexplicably during others.
Cristiano Ronaldo, you’re the Burger King Whopper of overshadowed superstars. The Whopper doesn’t get enough credit in the king-of-the-burgers discussion. Despite breaking records this year, Ronaldo still plays second fiddle to the back-to-back-to-back Ballon d’Or winning Big Mac.
USWNT, you’re the Domino’s 5-5-5 of Olympics qualifying scorelines. Okay, the math isn’t perfect, but they almost knocked in 15 goals against each of the Dominican Republic and Guatemala.
David Beckham, you’re the Hardee’s Monster Thickburger of foreign players in the MLS. I can’t figure you out. You’re either the best thing for America or the worst thing for America. The Monster Thickburger is concentrated death, but it sure is delicious. Beckham’s fickle and sometimes downright unbearable, but he’s certainly doing something right.

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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VIDEO - LADUMA Official Trailer

2012-01-30T17:44:00.002-06:00

Relive the 2010 World Cup through this amazing documentary by One Goal. Their film project followed the American Outlaws (and other American soccer fans) to South Africa. Their footage shows the amazing passion for soccer in the United States and the future for the sport in this country.

But "LADUMA" is more than just an American soccer film, but a tale of soccer in South Africa as well.

The film is currently being screened in theaters across the country. Get in touch with the awesome guys behind "LADUMA" through email (info@onegoal.com) and Twitter: @OneGoalUSA.

What is "LADUMA"?

"LADUMA" is the story of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, told through the eyes of adventurous American soccer supporters who traveled to South Africa to experience the first ever World Cup on the African continent. It is also about South Africa's long journey from a land suffering through the injustices of apartheid to a richly diverse nations that represents what the sport of soccer - and the world - is all about."

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That's On Point: "Canal Kings" (USMNT vs. Panama Review)

2012-01-26T06:53:00.001-06:00

It's about time, right? We've got ourselves a U.S. National Team writer. Mike Cardillo, who we've been reading for YEARS on his site, "That's On Point", for US preview/reviews and English Premier League musings will be providing some coverage of the Nats as they begin their 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.

Mike's has been writing about the National Team for as long as we've been reading about American soccer on the Internet! He's got a quick wit and pop cultural references up the ying-yang.

So welcome Mike to the site and your opinions on the USMNT fly!

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

By Mike Cardillo / Senior National (Team) Correspondent

U.S. 1, Panama 0.

First thing's first, there is a special ring of purgatory reserved for an American soccer blogger/writer with the temerity to poo-poo a result on foreign soil ... even in a no-stakes friendly. In that regard, let's say a hearty well done for Graham Zusi for being Johnny on the spot and scoring inside of 11 minutes and the rest of the U.S. players for holding off a semi-dangerous Panama team for about 30 minutes after Geoff Cameron's straight red card.

It gave Jurgen Klinsmann a solid 2-0-0 start to the 2012 campaign before next month's higher-profile friendly with the dastardly Italians in Genoa. If anything, it's better to see U.S. 1, Panama 0 for the next couple hours on the ESPN crawl, right?

At the same time, there was something, let's say retrogressive about Wednesday night's friendly, though not from a sporting standpoint. It simply felt, oh, like it was 1995 all over again.

During the afternoon on Wednesday American soccer fans were treated, first, to a taunt Liverpool second-leg Carling Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City on Fox Soccer, followed by the second-leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal between eternal blood rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. Depending where you were those games were aired in crisp, sparkling HD with pulsating atmospheres at hallowed soccer grounds at Anfield and the Camp Nou, where the eyes -- and tweets -- of the world cast their gaze.

This isn't a "U.S. can never be as good at soccer as it is in Europe argument", yet here it was a couple hours later and the U.S./Panama match wasn't available on cable in English, relegated to ESPN3 online and Galavasision's embarassingly awful Spanish broadcast in murky, standard definition.

Again, this is probably taking complaining on the Internet to another level, yet this felt like the days when my father and I would scramble and cross our fingers a U.S. game would -- if we were lucky -- air on Univision.

In short, everything felt a little second rate from what we've grown accustomed to, if in a totally spoiled first-world problem (ugh, buzzword) type of way.

However you frame it, the eyes of the world weren't exactly fixated on the Estadio Rommel Fernandez(*) for the U.S.'s 1-0 win over host Panama.

(*) Wonder if David Lee Roth and or Van Halen have ever performed a concert there? (C'mon, you know I'm not writing anything about Panama without sneaking a Diamond Dave or Teddy Roosevelt reference, however forced.)

Again, quality result for the U.S. "B/C" team. Did anyone on the field against Panama -- or Venezuela -- exactly distinguish himself for Herr Klinsmann going forward? Considering the German head coach still seems to rate Michael Orozco-Fiscal, it's thoroughly impossible to read between his ears.

Brek Shea, hellbent on a move to England apparently, is a lively player with a lot of drive and power wherever you stick him on the field. Nick Rimando, too, is solid as per usual in goal and should even at 32 remain in the mix as a second or third keeper.

The Bob Bradley-approved "Captain" Jermaine Jones and Ricardo Clark didn't do anything great or awful. Jones, for better or worse, appears right in the thick of Klinsmann's plans, even if the German-born midfielder's best chance to help the U.S. was probably in 2010 rather than 2014. If Jones reigns himself in, he's effective, but it all depends on what his role is: destroyer? disruptor? creator? shield? He launched some missiles from deep, but again drew a yellow card.

Clark? Glad he got a positive memory with the 97th minute winner vs. Venezuela, but if Kyle Beckerman didn't withdraw from the squad does he even see the field? Hard to see Clark vaulting past Beckerman or Michael Bradley or Maurice Edu or even Stuart Holden in the middle of the U.S. central midfield pecking order.

Moving on.

Tactically(*), with the U.S. playing a standard 4-4-2, until Cameron's sending off, the main focus of the attack seemed to come from the flanks. If this is going to be the main offensive strategy going forward, when the full U.S. team is called in it better be somebody like Shea serving crosses toward Clint Dempsey, not the other way around. If there's one thing Dempsey does -- obviously he does more -- but the Texan knows how to finish off movements in the box.

(*) These two matches weren't exactly the free-flowing, revoluntionary soccer Klinsmann hinted at in August, no?

Hard to say any of the U.S. forwards who saw the field did enough to declare themselves worthy of being called in for the Italy match -- which figures to be Euro-based player packed. Teal Bunbury has potential, but at what level? CONCACAF or a higher international? Chris Wondolowski is a nice MLS grinder and has the worst luck in a national team shirt, getting denied on an absolutely brilliant reaction save by Luis Mejia.

In typical U.S. two steps forward, one step back fashion Cameron shined against Venezuela only to get sent off for an arm bar on Blas Perez, who'd run behind the defense and had a clear 1-v-1 with Sean Johnson unless the Houston Dynamo man interceded. Did Perez let his feet go out from him rather easily? Sure. At the same time, in the state of the modern soccer game what is and isn't a red card anymore? Who knows. Cameron might have been better off stamping on Perez rather than leaning into his with his forearm.

Again, considering his track record it's probably fruitless to guess what Klinsmann gleaned from this month of practices and two friendlies. Aside from the Bundesliga Badboy, "Captain" Jermaine and Shea nobody else who featured is a sure-thing to play next month in Italy. Maybe a couple of the players, say, Zusi did enough to warrant a spot on a roster vs. a CONCACAF minnow to save guys like Dempsey or Landon Donovan a trip across the Atlantic.

Like most USMNT January friendlies, the best approach is to take the Homer Simpson reaction to the family's ill-fated shortcut to Itchy & Scratchy Land. So, as he said, "Let us never speak of this again."

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Soccer Marketing 101 - Chicago Fire/ Quaker Oats Jersey Sponsor Launch

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

Chicago Fire players pose in their new Quaker Oats sponsored jerseys. (Photo Credit: Chicago Fire)

Last week we posted the news and a snazzy video announcing that the Chicago Fire had landed a new jersey sponsor, Quaker Oats, after an empty-chested 2011. Given that several Major League Soccer clubs do not have shirt sponsors (by choice or otherwise), these news releases are always a sign of forward progress for American soccer.

The injection of cash for the club, advertising partners, and marketing initiatives that accompany these sponsorship deals help propel each team, hopefully, deeper into their local market. Many of these sponsorships are with local companies with large reaches like New England's United HealthCare, Houston's GreenStar Recycling. Seattle's XBox, or Toronto's BMO.

The new Chicago Fire deal follows this strategy of local corporate roots springing outward. Founded in 1877 its headquarters are still in Chicago.

Yesterday the Fire players walked out their new 2012 jerseys that followed your run-of-the-mill unveiling, but it was the behind-the-scene marketing of the Fire that really brought the whole announcement home.

The day before the announcement a package arrived at FBM HQ. "Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill." said the return label.

Hmm....

Open the box up and inside is a Quaker Oats can. Not dissimilar to the one that graces the kitchen counter already. This one, however, was cleverly labeled with several distinct Chicago Fire markings; the club crest and the new jersey. Slapping a marketing partner's logos on your stuff is a pretty basic outreach attempt so this was nothing to get too excited about.

But it was the attention to detail on the entire can that was a step above. The back of the can took the time to fully explain the fullness of the partnership between the Chicago Fire and Quaker. From jersey design, to community support, to stadium initiatives the depth of this sponsorship was well apparent; even down to the "ingredients" and "nourishment fact".

Inside the can were a few Quaker products (enjoyed the granola bar with Nick Jonas on it...) tucked in with the Fire's press release.

You could already chalk all this as a successful effort. More than superficial cross-branding, a deep commitment from a local company, and a creative approach to spread the news of this jersey/sponsorship.

But they had to go and tuck a jersey in the can well. Now its just getting absurd... in the best kind of way.

Us writers love free shit. Stuffed in with the oatmeal is THE shirt that the Fire will debut for the 2012.

A very nice touch, indeed.

Wait... what? What's on the back?

Chicago Fire marketing. FTW.

Free stuff aside this was a fantastic marketing effort the Chicago Fire put together. If they really wanted to take this to the next level they'd expand this cross-branding effort beyond just members of the media.

Putting jerseys in the hands of paying fans is objective number one, but if each one purchased at the team store came in the can (perhaps with a few Quaker products thrown in as well) or at the very least given out at matches... then you've got something that fans have not only on their backs, but probably in their homes as well.

The idea and execution has been so top-notch you could see this working well with the general public. Fire fans would appreciate the extra approach without feeling like this was some "gimmicky" effort between the Fire and Quaker Oats.

A great marketing move with even greater potential for the larger Fire fan base.

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The Tuesday 10: Last-Gasp Winner Edition

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

For today's entry, we bring you the top ten things Ricardo Clark’s 97^th-minute winner against Venezuela made us completely forget.

1. The entire 2010 World Cup, obviously. Welcome back Rico, all is forgiven.

2. Our ongoing scoring record against Western Hemisphere opposition. We just know Herr Klinnsmann’s going to play for the 0-0 draw away at Panama.

3. How bad our U-23 team must be. Seriously, they lost 4-0 to those guys? Sheesh.

4. Teal Bunbury’s meh performance. Apparently his desperation to have the Spanish language announcer once again tell the world how much he likes that Boon-Boo-Ree got him nervous.

: Jermaine no make clever passes into attacking third. Jermaine smash!

5. The fact that our main distributor for much of the game was Jermaine “SMASH!” Jones.

6. Those other crucial saves-off-headers made by Venezuela's top performer, goalkeeper Jules Winnfield.

7. The one nagging doubt we have about Geoff Cameron, who looked great, but seemed so determined every time he got the ball to say “Hey! Look at my passing range! Look at my ability going forward!” that we’d like to withhold judgment until we see him against a team that’s trying.

8.. Brek Shea’s too-normal hair. A disappointing (hair)day from The Rooster’s comb.

9. The C-team service coming from the fullback areas.

10. Clint who?

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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VIDEO - USMNT Highlights vs. Venezuela (With Post Match Quotes)

2012-01-22T09:13:00.002-06:00

Post Match Quotes from USSoccer.com

U.S. Men’s National Team head coach JURGEN KLINSMANN:
On Jermaine Jones and what went in to decision to make captain:
“It was certainly a difficult situation for Jermaine with the suspension in Germany. I spoke with his coach and the club and we agreed it was beneficial to all of us to have him come in. He arrived the night of the 14th and the next day he practiced twice. Everyone could see why he was playing with a Champions League team. He elevated the group within one training session with his energy and with his leadership. His vision on the field makes a big difference. These young players are all hungry that want to make the next step that want to know how to get to the next level. Jermaine jumped in and talked with the guys and took care of it, and that’s why it was an easy decision to make him a captain. We also wanted to give him a signal that we want this type of leadership from him.”

On whether the conditioning work paid off:
“I think that’s a good question for the players. I think it’s very difficult to bring a group for only two and a half weeks from an off season and get them ready for international competition. That is pretty much impossible. You take it just the way it ends up. You hope they have the legs to carry them. We also stretched it out for the past two and a half weeks. We did an extreme amount of work, and that’s what we told the players before the match: you had a tremendous attitude and effort for two and a half weeks, now go out there and get the reward. I think they experienced it now, where you can push it for two and a half weeks and get a win.”

On Ricardo Clark:
“I wanted to bring him into camp and see for myself why he was struggling. He had to get his fitness up to the level of the other players, so every day we pushed it a little more and a little more. I knew that when he’s on the field, he is a very technically gifted player. He can play one touch football. We needed to find a way in the second half to move the ball quicker, to get the ball in the box and be a little more aggressive. He gives us more speed with his distribution and we are very happy it worked out for him this way.”

On Heath Pearce and A.J. DeLaGarza:
“You’re curious to see and work with them coming off their seasons with their club. We played intense scrimmages and the way they integrated themselves was wonderful. A.J. is the type of player where he can play right back like he did tonight or in the middle. Heath is the same type of player. They understand their roles, and they both do that very well.”

On the players who got their first caps tonight:
“It was very important that they knew they were part of a group. We told them that they had a whole group of players out here to help them. Even if a mistake happens, you shake it off and move on. When you have your first camp, you’re nervous, you’re shaky, but the way the group helped them was really cool to see. It speaks for the group. It speaks for their characters that they help these young players coming in.”

On the impact that switching to the 4-4-2 formation had on the game:
“It added more danger in the box. We went with one striker, and when the time was right in the second half we pushed it up with two. We did that in practices and scrimmages. It’s good to see that the players can play one system and switch to another in the middle of a game. If we had Juan available maybe we would have started with the 4-4-2, but we didn’t so we switched to it to push the game and push the ball in the box more. It was just about getting one goal sooner or later. We got it—a bit late, but not too late.”

U.S. team captain and Budweiser Man of the Match JERMAINE JONES
On the game:
“I was feeling good. We had good training sessions this week, and we developed a good relationship. I think the game showed that we all connected together, and I think we showed a good game tonight.”

On the goal:
“I think the two corner kicks before were dangerous as well. I had it in my mind that maybe this was my last chance and I needed to hit a good ball. I was happy to see Rico was in the right place and scored the goal.”

On being named captain tonight:
”I think what was important to see tonight is that everyone was rooting for other guys. I was happy to be the captain tonight, but the important thing was that we played a good game tonight as a whole
team.”

U.S. midfielder RICARDO CLARK
On playing with Jermaine Jones:
“I think it’s the first time we’ve been on the field together and with games there is a better understanding of each other, but it is definitely a good start. It felt good to be with the National Team. Germany’s training is pretty rigorous, so it is not too hard to stay fit. I just wanted to provide some energy coming onto the field, and it is an ideal way for me to make an impression. I hope there is more to come for the National Team. Goals help to build confidence.”

U.S. midfielder BREK SHEA
On switching from the left side to the right:
“I’m trying to throw the other team off so they don’t get used to our tendencies. Sometimes we did it on purpose, and other times we did it to help each other out and we just stayed there. I don’t think it was my best tonight, but in the team won so it’s good. I’m fortunate to keep being called in, and hope to get better each game.

U.S. goalkeeper BILL HAMID:
On making his debut for the National Team:
“It’s good to put the uniform on and play for our country. It was a good game, a tough game. We had a good run and continued to create opportunities. Our defense played extremely well and were composed and organized. We played a full 90 minutes, and we were finally rewarded at the end. Hats off to the whole team for the effort.”

On whether it was easy to settle down in his first game with such good defense in front of him:
“The first couple minutes of the game the butterflies were flying. Once I realized the guys were doing well and felt comfortable, it gave me a bit of confidence to settle down and do what I needed to do.”

U.S. midfielder BRAD EVANS
On making changes in the second half:
“In the first half we were feeling them out. We came in after halftime and said “Let’s go for it.” When we watched them on film, they really pressured Costa Rica when they played them last time. It made it difficult for Benny to find the ball and the forwards to get a hold of the ball and spread it out wide. Our fitness showed through, and in the second half we got a spark from the guys on the bench and we pulled through.”

On coming in to hear a big ovation:
“The crowd was great tonight. I think having 22,000+ fans says something about Arizona soccer, which is big. I didn’t see too many Venezuela fans. It was mostly U.S. fans so it was tremendous.”

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That's On Point: USMNT Preview - Venezuela

2012-01-20T17:14:00.001-06:00

Smiles mandatory, umlauts optional.

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

By Mike Cardillo / Senior National (Team) Correspondent

"You want it to be one way ... but it's the other way." -- Marlo Stanfield.

Back in the spring of 2010, during my epic, streets of Bodymore, Muderland-tinged World Cup preview, that quote was used to describe a lingering sentiment hanging around certain corners of the U.S. National Team fans.

In short, there's anyways going to be a segment of the USMNT fanbase that who's hopes, dreams ... and maybe ideals of what the team should be don't exactly jive with the reality of the situation. Fast forward to a couple of months from now when the national teams of the big European powers trod onto the fields of Poland and Ukraine to the strains of the White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" (or more likely the ear-cancer, "I Got 2 Feeling" song by the Black Eyed Peas) and they'll probably be some American fans wishing (somehow) the U.S. was in the mix. They want to be decking out in the the latest Nike designed kit, belting out songs, throwing up confetti and jumping up in down in a state of pure nirvana.

Only ... the reality of the situation in June the U.S. will be playing Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala in third round CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Excitement is thy name.

Barring some sort of crazy game of "Risk" that gets applied to the real world, there's no way for the U.S. to up and leave the relative backwaters of CONCACAF for the higher-rent, more-exciting (in theory) world of UEFA.

That left a lot of U.S. fans, myself at times included, wondering if we can't exactly transplant the intensity and all-or-nothing aspect of European soccer, what's the next best thing?

Hire a European coach, nay a former superstar with a short track record of success but positivity out the ying-yang, obviously.

So in August 2012, out went Bob Bradley -- who despite his success at the 2007 Gold Cup and 2009 Confederations Cup -- was never 100-percent loved and embraced by American fans. In came the erstwhile Tony Robbins of German soccer, Jurgen Klinsmann who came to the States talking about changing the "culture" of American soccer, basically saying everything lots of supporters wanted to hear.

Stuff like "youth development" and creating a "mentality."

You know, vague-sounding buzzwords that inspire lofty aspirations in the mind, but in actuality take years, if not decades to develop to fruition.

In the interim, Klinsmann beat the backwaters of the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga for players with links to American passports, won a pair of games, lost four and drew Mexico in his much ballyhooed U.S. debut.

And here we are in January 2012 with the annual USMNT "B" camp for MLSers, out-of-season European players and whatever other castoffs are remaining without anywhere else to play -- hello Jermaine Jones.

The crazy irony here? When you scan the group of players Klinsmann has called to the Home Depot Center for a month of training, fitness tests, YouTube videos, and games of ping pong ... it's decidedly Bradley-ian.

The Internet's favorite U.S. whipping boy this side of Jonathan Bornstein, Ricardo Clark? Back, as our old pal Dave O'Brien would say, 'into the mixer.' The scorned Chris Wondolowski, of Gold Cup forgetibility, yep he's back too.

Peel away a level of cynicism, and there's some reason for optimism. Forwards at the camp CJ Sapong, Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo are all 23 or younger, and as we know a truly world-class, goal-scoring forward remains yet another 'White Whale' in the U.S. soccer fan canon on things we Quixotically always are left searching for.

Aside from that, there's not all that much to get jazzed up about. Or at least that's what ESPN and NBC must have figured since the friendly Saturday vs. Venezuela in Phoenix and Wednesday at Panama aren't available on English language cable. (Realistically, how many U.S. fans have ever thought of the Venezuela/Panama games more than, 'Oh right, there's a game this weekend.'?)

However you want to draw it up, here we are, as U.S. fans hoping and fantasizing for something that's probably unrealistic faced with a reality that is difficult to get all that jazzed up against until the games get spicy in the later stages of World Cup qualification, if even then.

The game is the game, yo.

Miscellany:

* Forever the reason, the guy amongst the training camp I'm most interesting to check out long term is Geoff Cameron in the center of the defense, perhaps that's since it appears the National Team careers of both Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez might equate to a pair of ships passing in the night, as it were.

* Brek Shea is likely the U.S. offensive focal point. He looked next to dead considering all the games he played in 2011 in his last time out in a U.S. shirt. Hopefully he picked up some good Andrey Arshavin stories during his time training with Arsenal.

* In a massive, nearly 100-player pool of possible internationals a good or bad thing? Or does it illustrate the U.S. might have a lot of solid players, but not a ton of sure-fire, five-star international caliber guys.

* Was Benny Feilhaber U.S. Soccer's "one hit wonder" via the 2007 Gold Cup?

Lineup Guess:

(This is purely a guess.)

GK -- Hamid

DEF -- De La Garza -- Cameron -- Parkhurst -- Pearce

MID -- Feilhaber -- Beckerman -- Jones -- Shea

FOR -- Bunbury -- Wondolowski

Final Thought:

Maybe this is a far too simplistic way to look at the last month of U.S. Soccer, yet, unless there's a portal on the 7 1/2 floor in a building somewhere in New York City -- or more likely the U.S. Soccer House in Chicago -- that leads into Jurgen Klinsmann's head, it's nearly impossible to gauge what was learned from the January training camp. You'd have to figure the training sessions or even the time together away from the field with the players will be more valuable than what transpires vs. Venezuela in what is about as low-stakes a friendly as possible barring the players wearing pinnies during the match.

Who We're Buying A Beer For...

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:00

The one thing we love more than drinking beer and watching some soccer is being able to share said beer with people. We do it all the time and so do the fine men and women that subscribe to the of the Free Beer Movement Philosophy. We share our beer with our friends, family, and co-workers who desperately need some education on the soccer front to understand the passion that drives our connection to the sport of soccer.

Some people already get it and they're working day in and day out to improve the atmosphere in the U.S. for soccer. Those people or groups deserve some recognition and we only know one way to say thanks.

A beer on us.

Each week we serve up a healthy dose of brewskies for the individuals and organizations that are building a foundation for soccer in America. Hey... kinda like us at the FBM!

Yeah... most of this is literary flourish, but if we were to ever run into one of our honorees, we'd be obligated to let them know that their next drink is on the Free Beer Movement. And we'd hope, dear readers, if you ever ran into one of the ladies or gentlemen you'd let 'em know the FBM owes them a beer (or better yet pick up a drink for them and send us a picture and the tab!)

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By Ryan Rosenblatt / Senior Los Angeles Correspondent

It is not rare for politicians to take a spin on the soccercarousel, but it is in the United States. Sure, President Obama tried his “Isupport West Ham” thing, but who really bought that? No one. There justaren’t a lot of politicians around these parts who have hopped on the soccerbandwagon, but there is one in Massachusetts who has and he’s even painted itred, white and blue.

For that, the man deserves a beer.

Senator Downing speaking to some mucky-mucks wishing
he was at his AO Chapter bar with a PBR instead.
(Photo Credit: Sen. Downing's website)

We’re buying a beer for Massachusetts State Senator BenjaminDowning , a man who has embraced American soccer and not just as a casualobserver. Downing has is all in.

Let’scheck out the tale of the tape as we evaluate his credentials:

· * American Outlaws Adams members can attest to hisbeing a regular at the chapter’s watch parties, where he can be found sittingat the bar and chanting along. He shows up wearing his U.S. scarf and is quickto put a PBR in hand.

· * He’s a PBR man (keep this is mind when you buythe man his beer).

· * He’s an everyday Yank. The man owns a Landon Donovan Everton shirt. He has touted the possible move of Edson Buddle toEverton, his adopted club because of the American presence.

· * Soccer, the U.S. and Everton specifically, are regularsubjects on his Tweeter machine, including gems like, “Email from fiancee,subject ‘Maybe #USMNT or #Everton?’ Bride makes her own Man City wedding dress.”

· * Downing has used his Twitter to advertise for AOAdams, telling his followers that he’ll be at watch parties and encouragingothers to come out.

· * He’s keeping an eye out for MLS, joining in onthe #ICareAboutMLS hashtag to push for the Revs to get a soccer-specificstadium.

Just assume he's recruiting Biden
to come to the next watch party.

We all know that President Obama is all on the Chicagosports bandwagon, but has he shown any affection for the Fire? Where wasthen-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger saying, “go, Yanks, go” as hedid with the Chargers? I don’t remember former President Bush showing up forthe first kick at an FC Dallas match.

Then there is Downing, who doesn’t just support soccer witha wave from a suite at a match here or an acknowledgement that a bunch of kidsplay the sport here. He lives soccer. He lives American soccer just like youand me. He lives it on Saturday mornings watching Everton and at the PNA Baralong with the rest of the AO Adams chapter.

Downing is all aboard the soccer bandwagon and he’s tryingto bring others along with him. That he has a platform to do it just makes itall the better. This man has earned his beer. Next election day, Downing won’thave my vote seeing as I am not a Massachusetts resident, but he can have abeer or six on me (a PBR to be specific).

Do us a favor and say thanks to Senator Downing for his support of American soccer through his Twitter account and let him know if you ever run into him you'll buy him a beer.

About Ryan

When not posting about adoracute animals posing with soccer balls, or flying about the country taking in USMNT matches, Ryan Rosenblatt deigns to cover MLS matches for SB Nation Soccer. The lollipop of Soccer, Rosenblatt's got a flavor that will appease anyone: coverage of the US national team? You got it. Stepping in to write about the Eredivisie? I bet you can't even spell the Dutch League correctly. Mocking Arsenal fans? It might not show up on the front page, but it's almost certain there's a running dialogue in this Spurs' supporter's head.

Rosey is also silly enough to be a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but that shouldn't make you take his soccer writing any less seriously.

Follow Ryan on Twitter.

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FBM DrinkWear - Our Scarves Available Again!

2012-01-17T21:23:00.000-06:00

They're baaaaaaaack!

After a unexpected layoff our Free Beer Movement scarves are back in stock! Our friends at Ruffneck Scarves are again our supplier and the case landed on the front porch of FBM HQ this afternoon.

Our scarves are 100% acrylic and Ruffneck Scarves is all USA (Seattle, WA)! If you own the most current American Outlaws scarf or any other recent Ruffneck scarf, our new FBM ones are made just like them. They're just slightly different in color from the original scarves from this summer. A darker brown and a paler yellow.

How can you get your hands on one of these beauts?

The FBM is about as mom and pop as it gets so we're all PayPal-enabled (someday we'll get a real storefront with our own beer, koozies, bottle openers... whatever) for your convenience (or not).

The scarves are just $25 each and that includes shipping from your friendly neighborhood Unites States Postal Serviceman (or woman).

Just head over to PayPal.com and send a payment to "freebeermovement@gmail.com".

Make sure you include your full name and mailing address so, you know, you actually get it in the mail.

Thanks, as always, for your support of the Free Beer Movement!

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VIDEO - Chicago Fire Announce Quaker Oats as Jersey Sponsor

2012-01-17T19:07:00.001-06:00

The new threads. (Home on left, Away on right)

The 2012 Major League Soccer season is right around the corner and clubs are gearing up in all sorts of ways. Not only are they stocking up on young talent through the SuperDraft and wily veterans in the Supplemental Draft, MLS teams are locking down sponsorships and marketing as well.

The Chicago Fire's previous jersey sponsor, Best Buy, didn't renew their agreement for the upcoming season, but the chests of their shirts will not be bare for 2012. The Fire announced today that Chicago-based Quaker Oats will adorn the home and away jerseys.

The Fire even put together this snazzy video to accompany the launch.

You'll have to forgive us, but the Logan Pause in the video looks like the son in "Arrested Development" all grown up.

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The Tuesday XI: Legion of Doom Edition

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

Way back in April, in what I'm pretty sure was our first-ever Tuesday XI, we devised a lineup of superheroes, ready to take the pitch against all-comers. Here now at last, we've found the comers, an opposition squad ready to give those heroes the fight of their lives, or at least a game every now and then on Sundays. Here's the Supervillain XI:

GK – Doctor Octopus – Just when attackers finally make it through our defense, they’ll face an impenetrable tangle of Doc Ock’s titanium arms.

LB – Taskmaster – Taskmaster has a pretty fascinating power, something his Wikipedia page calls “photographic reflexes.” It’s the ability to copy a physical activity merely by viewing it, one step down from what the direct-to-brain downloading they do in the Matrix. Long story short, we show him some tape of Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos, and end up with the best left back the world has ever seen.

: Kneel before Zod

LCB – General Zod – Our team of heroes sports Superman up top, so the villains have converted all-action Zod into a centerback to match his threat.

RCB – Juggernaut – All power and no restraint; he’ll go through the man, the ref, the goalposts, and the first few rows of the terraces to get his helmeted head on the ball.

RB – The Super Skrull – His ability to replicate the powers of each member of the Fantastic Four gives him the kind of versatility we need in our outside backs.

LCDM – Lex Luthor – Always one step ahead of the enemy, even if he tends to fall short just as he’s preparing to deliver the final ball. Dominates the center just as he bosses the Legion from the center chair.

RCDM – Kraven the Hunter – Agile, powerful, and with a preternatural sense for sniffing out danger and smothering it in the crib.

: Why Always Me meets Why So Serious

LAM – The Joker – Wild and unpredictable, yes, but a genius nonetheless. Think Mario Balotelli, only evil.

CAM – Loki – Though he only recently took the place of our former playmaker Magneto, who was banned for life for doping the ball with metal fragments, the trickster god’s unbridled creativity and talent for deception mean our team doesn’t miss a bit.

RAM – Captain Cold – Any defense is easy to get through once they’ve been stopped cold.

CF – Bullseye – A center forward who never misses? Yes, please.

Here, for the purpose of comparison, is the lineup of our heroic squad:

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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VIDEO - USMNT Vs. Baby Nats

2012-01-16T10:43:00.002-06:00

Goals, goals, and more goals. Watch the senior USMNT give the Baby Nats some schooling.

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VIDEO - LADUMA Trailer

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Feeling a bit misty for South Africa? Maybe hear Landon Donovan's goal call one more time from Ian Darke? "One Goal USA" just released the official trailer for their 2010 World Cup film, "LADUMA".

"Millions of people worldwide watched the 2010 FIFA World Cup on television, as Spain won the first ever soccer World Cup to be played on the African continent. But few have witnessed this untold story of the World Cup EXPERIENCE, shown through the eyes of American soccer supporters partaking in the World's greatest celebration.

This documentary is not about just one person. It's an experiential film about how two countries and two cultures were impacted by the Beautiful Game. This is the story of how soccer united the South African people against Apartheid, and how the sport brought Americans together in the magical summer of 2010."

ABOUT ONE GOAL:

We spread the love of Beautiful Game in the USA by making soccer films, and we're just getting started. HELP US GROW by following us on Twitter and Facebook and sharing this video.

Follow @OneGoalUSA

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VIDEO - Major League Soccer "Super Draft" Hype

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Great production value. Strong story line. If this doesn't get you pumped about an event you normally might not get pumped about then check your pulse.

But seriously, the SuperDraft, silly name and all, is where dreams start for a lot of players in our domestic league. Each one has the chance to make American soccer even greater.

If you've got some free time Thursday at 11am (CT) tune into ESPN2 or ESPN3.com for live coverage of the whole draft. Need to be more sneaky? Check in at MLSSoccer.com for all the coverage sans video.

All the hoop-la makes us really wish we were in Kansas City for the draft and the NSCAA Convention. And KC BBQ... craving some BBQ.

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

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-06:00

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 FoxSoccer. 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 almostseven years. And there are differences between the two about how they do thebusiness of soccer.

We’re very event driven. When there’s a big game we figureout, one, how to get in on our channel and two, how we’re going to cover it. Inthe past it was money driven because Fox didn’t put a whole lots of money intothe 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 tocover. I do cover the Champions League. Which I do love. I would argue thatChampions League is the best soccer on the planet. it’s the most money. It’sthe most interesting.

That’s never work. You get up and your job is to basicallycommentate for some of the best games imaginable. So I consider myself veryfortunate 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 liketo 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 theanthem and you stare down the flag and that moment hits you that you realizehow 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’reabout to be making.

The responsibility that goes into it is immense. There’sonly 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 countryat your position. Which is an incredible achievement.

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

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

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 canor where you want to show everybody how a team is run and how to build soccerin America?

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

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

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

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

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

There are the way things are going to be and there are theways things should be. If we do things the way they should be that probablymeans we’ll be excluded from the process. We’ve gotta try and find a way to getin.

Warren and I, as businessmen, simply want to do the best wecan. When it comes to a scenario where we’ll be in five years, ten years there’sa 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 andsay, “We’re doing things right and you’re doing things wrong” it’s we recognizethat 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 tohave to go off on your own. Our partners will probably be from Brazil and Italyand 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 gowith "Shock Top" or Blue Moon. I love “Shock Top” that’s probably my beer ofchoice.

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

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The Tuesday 10: Small Screen Edition

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

With Clarence…sorry, Clay Goodson appearing on House Hunters International late last year and Kyle Martino doing a stint this past Sunday on Cupcake Wars, soccer would seem to be having its moment in the sun…if you consider the wellspring and reason behind all life on earth to be hyper-specialized, reality-ish TV programs. We came up with ten more shows that could benefit from a soccer theme.

Probably not actually the Cupcakes War cupcakes.

1. The Mole – This one probably won’t take off when the Nats figure out the person sabotaging them from the inside is Edgar Castillo during the first episode.

2. Pawn Stars – When a young German comes into the shop with what he claims to be the headband Abby Wambach was wearing when she scored against Brazil, the crew brings in Nike reps, DNA testers, and finally the main woman herself to determine its authenticity.

3. Mythbusters – Can they build a kicking robot that can replicate a Roberto Carlos or a Beckham free kick? How much tainted chicken do you have to eat before you fail a drug test?

4. Project Runway – MLS and WPS stars appear to ask designers to work out functional and fashion-forward kits. Expect lots of griping about Rave Green.

5. The Real Housewives of Madrid – Get it? Get it? Re-al? No? Moving on.

6. Top Shot – Kasey Keller makes a guest appearance in a special sports-themed episode of the marksmanship competition. Contestants put down the firearms, bows, and tomahawks to compete in a different kind of shoot-out, one with penalty kicks.

7. Top Chef – Chef-testants have to prep a German-Mexican-American-themed post-practice meal for guest judge and noted Chik-Fil-A enthusiast Brek Shea and his U.S. national teammates.

8. Top Gear – Ohh wait, they did this one already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flKzjuDhFDs&t=4m20s

9. What Not To Wear – The wife says they’d put Bob Bradley on, because he dresses like a sixteen-year-old going to the gym. “Look at Pep!” she says. (The wife kind of has a thing for Pep.)

10. Celebrity Rap Battle – Yes, this was a thing. Deuce vs. C.J. Sapong. Done.

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

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

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.

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The 2011 Free Beer Movement "Person of the Year" is...

2012-01-06T07:01:00.001-06:00

Was there really any doubt that Clint Dempsey wasn't going to run away with this award?

As some of our commentors pointed out during the voting, it seemed a bit one-sided. Not just because of their own qualifications, but the over-whelming case that could be made for Sir Deuce.

With nearly 40 goals for Fulham in the English Premier League and counting Clint Dempsey has made the biggest splash of any American aboard, ever. Dempsey's soccer ambassadorial work for the United States has made him the most recognizable face for the red, white, and blue in any corner of the world (sorry Howard and Donovan).

But what makes him our choice for Free Beer Movement "Person of the Year" isn't so much the goals and the quality play that he brings to the field, but the audacity of what his brings to the field. His playing style, his take-no-prisoners attitude is the American way. Grit. Determination. Mixed results.

Think Dempsey's attempted scorpion kick during the 2011 Gold Cup. Think his towering header against Arsenal last week. Both near misses that were marked by both an insane amount of effort and incredulity.

And the beer side? Clint Dempsey, he of Modelo beer sponsorship and he of bottle-opening-on-his-boot goal celebrations has put American soccer on the map in a way that no other player could. A clear message that the suds play an important role in his life.

We love the beer connection in Dempsey's goal scoring life and his on-field exploits only further our mission to spread American soccer.

We could buy hundreds of thousands of beers 'round the globe and have only the fraction of an impact that Deuce has had on building American soccer at home in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Raise a pint for FBM's 2011 "Person of the Year"!

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NEWS - Major League Soccer's 2012 Schedule

2012-01-05T13:51:00.000-06:00

Major League Soccer released their full 2012 schedule today which will feature 89 nationally televised games on the ESPN family and NBC family of networks. Univision will be the Spanish-language broadcast partner for MLS.

The season and First Kick will be on Saturday, March 10th and feature five matches. NBC Sports Network's first broadcast will be the following day, Sunday, March 11th when FC Dallas hosts the New York Red Bulls.

NBC will televise a total of 41 regular season matches on both the national broadcast channel and the NBC Sports Network (just three on the main network, later in the season). See the full schedule of NBC broadcasts here.

ESPN will televise a total of 21 regular season matches on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN3.com See the full schedule of ESPN broadcasts here. ESPN2 will televise the MLS All-Star Game on August 1st and ESPN will feature the MLS Cup on December 1st.

From First Kick to the Cup the 2012 season is the longest yet at 267 days as each team plays 34 matches in an unbalanced schedule made to stress inter-conference rivalries and avoid playing on any FIFA international match days.

Every MLS game will be televised either nationally or on regional networks this season.

Check out the full MLS schedule here.

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Five "New Beers Resolutions" You MUST Make

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

Two shirts we hope to never see on the field for the USMNT again...

The new year is less than a week old and today (supposedly) Major League Soccer is releasing the 2012 schedule. American soccer is right around the corner! There's no time like the present to make a few "New Beers Resolutions" for both the upcoming domestic season and the year as a whole.

Here are five that we think you should have no problem committing to:

1) Bring a newbie to a game this year.

You'd be surprised who will go to a game for a free beer.

You had to know that this one was on the top of our list! You're already going to the games and already heading out to the bars to watch your favorite teams from coast to coast and a few across the pong. So why not bring a few newbies? We've got millions of soccer fans in this country and if we call resolve to just bring one, two, or a handful of friends, family members, and/or co-workers to a game sometime this upcoming season (with the offer of free beer, of course) then we've really got something going here with the FBM in the United States.

Its certainly not a difficult concept to grasp. 1) Attend Game. Done. 2) Buy Beer. Done. 3) Support Soccer. Done.

If you just insert "with a newbie" at #1, ""for a newbie" at #2, and "together" for #3 you've mastered the idea of the FBM. Throw a bit of soccer education and field a few questions from the newbie and you've got your doctorate in the FBM philosophy.

Do it. Make a "New Beers Resolution" to make this the year that you'll trying a bring at least one... ONE.... newbie to the stadium or bar this season.

(Note... Also see #5 for a bit of follow up)

2) Read more soccer.

Every soccer fan should attempt to enlighten themselves further about the sport. We all watch boat-loads of the game on TV, but go a bit deeper by adding a little of the printed word into your life.

Sure there's loads of great sites out there dropping the knowledge on you (Ours? Maybe? Nah...), but there are some amazing books we've read, or are planning on reading, and you should to.

If you've read "Soccer in a Football World" by David Wagerin (THE authoritative history on American soccer) you have to check out his follow-up "Distant Corners" which takes a magnifying glass on a few of America's "missed opportunities and lost causes" with soccer and what it could've been.

Also, Simon Kuper's "Soccer Men" explores the lives of such soccer personalities like Arsène Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Jorge Valdano, Lionel Messi, Kaká, and Didier Drogba. The author of "Soccernomics" is in search of the definition of what is the "modern" soccer player. A must-read for all the fascinating profiles of players, coaches, and the global game.

3) Get out of your beer comfort-zone.

There a huge beer world out there for the tasting.

We've all got our favorite beer. We're partial to certain brands, certain styles. But this can often mean that we're stuck in a rut with our beer drinking. Too often we fall back to the beer we know the best.

Make 2012 the year that you push your beer boundaries. If you're a mass-market beer drinker begin to explore some of the wonderful tastes of the craft brewery world. You might find that one of your fellow soccer fans (or maybe one of your newbies) might be able to point you in the direction of something quite tasty that you would've never tried before. Don't have someone to lean on? Head to one of our nearest beer stores or bars with a quality selection are there are many on hand to help you select a beer that will suit you.

Even those who already consider themselves a "craft beer enthusiast" should break the mold. Coming from from a self-declared "hop-head" it was hard to go in search of beers that didn't pack the same bang as an IPA, but over the years it's been hard to turn down a beer of any style in search of new flavors. Plus, it became increasingly difficult to find an IPA that hadn't been tried in our distribution area.

Through the end of 2011 the taste buds of FBM has experienced nearly 800 different beers from breweries across the U.S., massive to micro and styles that run the whole gambit.

4) Get movin'

Get out and play!

Sure you're watching the games, but are your experiencing them to the fullest? Playing soccer helps you see a game in ways that will astound you.

Maybe you used to play "back in the day", but you're a little rusty and think the game has passed you by.

Maybe you fell in love with the game, but never set foot on the field and don't know where to start.

Maybe you've had WAY to many free beers and look round like the ball rather than "fit" like the player.

Don't let this fears hold you back. Chances there are leagues in your area to match any experience level. The exercise will let you take down a few more beers without regret and it will probably do the ol' ticker some good too.

If you're already on the field then try and sneak another game into your weekly schedule. You'd be surprised how addicting, and satisfying, a second or third game of soccer-ball can be.

Ultimately playing the game gives you an intimate (although sometimes frustrating) experience of soccer that you'd never get solely from the stands or the stool.

5) Give American soccer a chance.

With the risk of calling our some loyal readers (and anyone that might stop on by... thank for reading mom!) there are several adherent to the FBM philosophy that use their powers of good for the global game, but wouldn't touch the American version with a ten-foot pole.

So if you find yourself waking up at 6am to watch a game half-a-world away (and there's nothing wrong with that... we do it EVERY weekend) then certainly it wouldn't seem like too much of a stretch to take in a MLS (or other local, live soccer) game this season.

This past MLS season was our best yet and the talent pool, competition, and dramas is blowing up. Sure, there's loads of duds throughout the season, but every league in the world has their "stinkers". That doesn't mean you've got to write off the whole league.

So if you're an American soccer fan, take one of those Euro-loving fan (we don't use "Euro-snob... that's just mean) out to the park and show them what MLS has become, FBM-style.

If you're a global game guy or gal... take another look at the domestic game (with reasonable expectations).. you'll be surprised that local, live soccer is a nice treat.

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

So there you have it. A list of five, simple things you can do to make yourself a better soccer fan in the U.S. AND make help us build it one beer at a time.

** Which of these do you think you can hold yourself to this 2012?

** Any other "New Beers Resolutions" we should've included on the list?

Let us know in the comments section.

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VIDEO - TIMMMY! Scores A Goal

2012-01-04T18:46:00.001-06:00

<a href='http://foxsports.com?vid=fac369d7-cda9-4662-a062-1b4b3af67df7&mkt=en-us&from=sp^foxsports_en-us_videocentral&src=FLPl:embed::uuids' target='_new' title='GOTD: Howard scores amazing Goal' >Video: GOTD: Howard scores amazing Goal</a>

Oh, you know... just another day at the office for Tim Howard. Saving shots and scoring goals.

Wait, what? Did you say score? Yuppers.

So to recap. AMERICAN Landon Donovan starts for Everton and AMERICAN Tim Howard scores a goal. In the English Premier League.

AMERICA.

Not too shabby.

Fun fact: Howard becomes only the fourth keeper to score a goal in the EPL and the first from open-play. One of the other four scorin' keepers? AMERICAN Brad Friedel.

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The Tuesday XI: Republican Candidate Edition

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

As you might have heard, there's some kind of election-thing going on today (We hear it may be important or something). In honor of those brave Iowans who are secluding themselves in small rooms everywhere to argue about which, we bring you this, a squad made up of Republican candidates for the 2012 presidential nomination, past and present. The formation is a bit...unusual, but the primaries are never about balance anyway.

GK – Donald Trump – Unfortunately, the owner of our squad is one of those annoying megalomaniacs who forces the coach to insert him into the starting lineup.

RB – Herman Cain – Got pretty used to back-tracking and spending time on the defensive there in the end.

RWB – Rick Santorum – Covers the most ground out of anyone on the team. Unfortunately, he never seems to do anything but run around.

: Eight of our XI in action.

RDM – Michelle Bachmann – So positionally rigid, she hasn't moved during a game for three years.

CM – Ron Paul – Never seems to get credit for his contributions in the center of the park, unless you count the vocal minority of people who spend all their free time making absolutely sure that everyone hears about how he never seems to get credit for his contributions in the center of the park.

RM – Tim Pawlenty – No wonder this team sometimes looks like it’s only playing with 10.

Right Carrilero – Rick Perry – A promising grab for our first team, but he's struggled to replicate his form from the lower leagues on the big stage.

RAM – Newt Gingrich – Like Giggs and Friedel, we can’t believe he’s still playing either.

W – Mitt Romney – Our cagey veteran, glad to pop up on either flank, wherever he can do the least amount of damage.

: Possibly Jon Huntsman?

CF – John Huntsman – Does a good job getting into scoring positions in front of goal, but not even his teammates are paying any attention to him.

RW – Marco Rubio – Though he only expected to get a game if somebody died, when Chris Christie failed to show up, we had to put him in.

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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VIDEO - New NBC Sports MLS Teaser

2012-01-02T11:28:00.001-06:00

Our cool-look logo for NBC Sports.

Well. That was goosebump-inducing.

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VIDEO - Under Armor: "If Americans Invented Soccer"

2012-01-02T08:43:00.001-06:00

Get up. Play on. Under Armour Spec Ad from Jonathan Wright on Vimeo.

So Under Armor wants to get into the soccer apparel business? Here's their first advertising crack from the brand that has made its name in the other football.

The premise is similar to one line from Nike's "Play Like American" ad that declared that we don't dive.

What do you think? Does UA have a shot to fit in your soccer heart and wallet?

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Team FBM - Our Ultimate Twitter Follower Guide 2011

2011-12-30T11:46:00.000-06:00

U.S. Soccer released its "Best of" nominee lists for 2011 (link to Facebook voting). Categories from "Male and Female Athletes of the Year", "Best Goal", "Best Fan Moments" and the like are all up for grabs.

The one that concerned us the most was the "Best Twitter" account which featured loads of USMNT and USWNT players and a few big media accounts.

First, we thought it a bit unfair that players a media were lumped into one. Second there were very few nods to grassroots sites/writers (just one actually) that do so much leg-work for soccer in America. Thirdly, US Soccer lumped their own accounts into the contest.

Lastly.... we were snubbed. But that's just sour grapes.

So we decided to assemble our own "Best Of" Twitter list for 2011. These are accounts we follow that fill our social media feeds with great in-depth reporting, valuable news, humor, style, and just plain random-ness from the American soccer world.

If you're a Twitter-er and a soccer fan you need to be following these accounts.

Oh, and if you're not following us on the Twitter-box yet, you should do that as well. We're at @FreeBeerMovemnt (yes, there's no last "e"... that user name would've exceeded Twitter's username rules... bah!)

D

Goalkeeper – @MLSReserves

Defenders - @MLS_Insider,@GrantWahl, @SoccerInsider, @SteveDavis90

Midfielders – @ShinGuardian,@AFootballReport, @TIAS, @BrianStraus

Forwards – @O87Minutes, @YanksAreComing

In the Booth – @davisjsn, @Jrodius, @AlexiLalas22,@KyleMartino, @Gaetjens, @ArloWhite,@Wynalda11

In the Stands - @AmericanOutlaws @YourLocalAmericanSoccerTeamSupporters

Kitmen - @BumpyPitch, @BP_TOW, @LiveBrtheFootball,@Objectivo

Water Boys - @GolazoEnergy,@YourLocalCraftBrewery

Team Chaplin - @ChurchOfSoccer

Manager -@FakeBobBradley

Hooligans - @DirtyTackle, @KCKRS, @NutmegRadio,@TheThirdKit, @ThatsOnPoint

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Real American Heroes? Forging A National Team Identity

2011-12-29T10:28:00.003-06:00

You know we had to go with this.

Preston Zimmerman opened a can of worms. Pandora's box. He let the cat out of the bag. Choose your overused cliche, but American soccer took a look at the elephant in the room yesterday.

The former U-20 National Team member set Twitter abuzz yesterday (and doubled his follower count) with comments about U.S. Men's National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann's squad selection so far. Zimmerman, who plays in Germany's Third Division for SV Darmstadt 98, was outspoken in the belief that Klinsmann is choosing German-American talent (and those with tenuous connections to the U.S.) over better "real American" talent from U.S. colleges and Major League Soccer.

Zimmerman: Controversial tweets.
(Photo mined from "The Shin Guardian")

While many American soccer fans uttered a collective "who?" when the name Zimmerman and his comments broke on a slow soccer news day, we've been following the 23-year old Washington native's journey in a series of articles and interviews done over at our friends, The Shin Guardian. There Zimmerman documents five years of difficulty in trying to land a club in Europe. A much less satisfying version of "The Jay DeMerit Story".

With that as context, Zimmerman chose yesterday to take to social media to let out his frustrations about the evolving make-up of the National Team and the lack of quality results in Klinsmann's early reign. Both of these discussion are nothing new among American soccer fans (particularly the latter one), but perhaps it took a higher-profile individual (even if that person is a former USYNTer and journeyman in Europe) to punch these topics (particularly the former one) out of a Big Soccer discussion board and onto the "front page".

The full timeline of his remarks is included below:

The United States of America was founded, built upon the backs of, and flourished because of the contributions of millions of immigrants that set foot on these shore since the first colonies of the 1600s. Whether early Anglo settlers looking for religious freedom to African slaves (even if not by choice) to other Europeans looking for economic opportunity and to escape political repression of tyrants to our latest immigration wave; people have sought out the United States as place for the "American Dream".

The same could be said of our soccer history. While the arc of American soccer history is long (just as long as baseball here) it does not have the same depth as some of our other sports. With the exception of St. Louis in the early 1900s our soccer history is shaped by the contributions of mostly-immigrant sides of Bethlehem Steel, the Fall River Marksmen, and countless other "company teams" that, at-times thrived and at-other-times, struggled to keep soccer alive in the U.S.

Gaetjens: Real American hero?

The United States National Team recruited foreigners with skeptical citizenship connections to their adopted homeland to play on. Our history's most celebrated hero, Joe Gaetjens was the son of a Haitian mother and a Belgian father. He was allowed to play for the U.S. in that fateful World Cup of 1950 because he expressed his intentions of becoming naturalized after the tournament. That would never happen. (Gaetjens disappeared in Haiti in the 1960s under dictator Papa Doc). Two other non-citizens would feature for the U.S. side in the "Miracle on Grass"; Joseph Maca, who was born in Belgium and Ed McIlvenny, a Scotsman.

The list of immigrant connections to U.S. soccer continues. The "Shot Heard Round the World" taken by Paul Caligiuri in 1989 comes from an American of Italian parents. Thomas Dooley, born in Germany and took U.S. citizenship in 1992 to become a member of the 1994 World Cup team and captain of the 1998 squad in France. Carlos Bocanegra and (dare-we-say) Jonathan Bornstein both have a parent of Mexican decent while Benny Feilhaber (called into the January camp) was born in Brazil.

We could go on.

What Klinsmann is doing is nothing new to American soccer and the National Team. From the early days of soccer immigrants have combined with natural-born Americans to forge our soccer-ing identity. It hasn't led to most attractive of results and certainly not a clear "style" like "Total Football" or "Joga Bonito", but in that chaos is what makes it uniquely American.

A struggle to accept diversity and integrate it into an American fabric.

_____________________________________________

So what is a "real American" or a "fake American"? Sarah Palin tried to define that during the 2008 Presidential election and now Zimmerman has brought that discussion to U.S. soccer.

On the face, as a National Team, we should never accept anyone that isn't willing to give everything to the American cause. That goes for any player natural-born or otherwise. But as an increasingly diverse nation and one with a massive global reach through history (thus so many children of American GIs now eligible for the U.S.) we must accept that our team will reflect the confusion, chaos and struggles that are a reflection of our national debate over what is and isn't "American".

Klinsmann has a diverse vision for the USMNT.

The discussion is good, but the end result must be that we, as National Team fans, should want the best eleven players on their field to compete. These players will come from California, Texas, New York, Mexico, Germany, and countless other countries around the globe. If those are culled from American universities or MLS or wherever we must field our strongest possible side. If the domestic game is being overlooked, as Zimmermann alleges, then Klinsmann's and his staff must have their reasons. We want to see the domestic game as strong as possible, but also acknowledge that we might (or probably) not be there yet.

Not because the United States Soccer Federation becomes a mercenary group snagging people in some sort of A-Team exercise, but seeking committed individuals to participate in the National side.

Some of these players will have less of a connection to the U.S., perhaps even speaking little English, but if the commitment to the idea of American soccer is clear then who are we to question that?

Klinsmann said it himself in an interview with Sporting News' Brian Straus:

“It’s a different part of American culture. It’s the global picture that America represents,” Klinsmann told Sporting News before a match in Paris. “Those are kids who came through military families or for whatever reasons, working reasons of their parents, then they grow up with a different educational system, which gives them in soccer terms an edge ahead of American kids growing up in the U.S.”

“But those kids (Fabian Johnson, Timothy Chandler, etc), they have a very special connection to the U.S. no matter where they’re born," the coach said. "The opportunity to represent the U.S. on the soccer field is another big emotional piece of their connection to their country. Now you live in this dual-citizenship world that is normal. It’s globalization. It’s just the way it is. If you’re Mexican-American or you’re coming from the Caribbean, South America or Europe, everyone has a special connection to the United States. That shows you the path of the U.S. Not only that it’s a country of immigrants into the U.S., but it’s also an export country. It goes both ways.

This new era for American soccer is confronting our identity issues head on. Klinsmann, when named National Team Coach earlier this year, said a hallmark of his reign would include scouring Mexico and Europe for players overlooked during the Bob Bradley-era (although Bradley did give Chandler, Gomez, Torres, their first caps). Ironically, this has been at the expense of the outstanding Hercules Gomez. Some people will be left on the outside looking in. That is up to the coach and for us Monday morning quarterbacks ("Post-International-Friendly-Couch-Captains" doesn't have the same ring to it) to debate.

Zimmerman has every right to asks these questions. The results for Klinsmann have, thus far, been disappointing, but the connection between results and recruitment is thin. We need more time to see how the Klinsmann Experiment (Grant Wahl... a new book?) will play out.

(Related note: All 20 players called into the January camp are U.S.-born).

We as an American soccer community has every right to debate them as well. As we move forward as fans of our evolving National Team these issues will continue to confront us. We must accept that there are no easy answers to this issues; as a National Team or a nation.

But our National Team will reflect our national identity of a conglomeration of races, ethnicities, religions, and increased globalization. As long as each player can show a love for country, commitment to the cause, and contribute to the team we must accept them as "real Americans" just as we have for millions of others for hundreds of years in this nation

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Nominees - FBM Person of the Year 2011

2011-12-27T09:09:00.000-06:00

Last year we debuted our first selection ever for "Person of the Year". The award went to the German ad agency Nordpol+ for their roll in creating the brat train and under-the-seat kegs at St. Pauli's (Germany) soccer stadium.

Beer and soccer indeed.

This year we're opening the award to out FBM community to decide. We've narrowed down the field to a few spectacular candidates for you all to vote on. Below is a profile of each nominee and their claim to be the FBM's 2011 "Person of the Year"

VOTE AT THE END OF THE POST.

1) Clifton Vial

We might be stacking the deck for our other nominees because Mr. Vidal's story is completely unrelated to soccer, but, boy, is it beer-related. Clifton lives in Nome, Alaska and one night while driving he lost control of his Toyota Tacoma and ended up in a snowdrift. Unable to contact anyone and stuck in below-freezing nighttime temperatures. Over three days he battled to stay alive. His only ally?

Let's go to the newspaper article:

His only provisions: Snow, and a few cans of Coors Light that had frozen solid in the cab. Vial ate the beers like cans of beans. "I cut the lids off and dug it out with a knife," he said.

Beer! Life-saving beer! How wonderful.

Just think if he would've had some Alaskan Brewing Company instead of Coors Light he probably would've been able to survive a week out there.

video platform video management video solutions video player

2) Keira Knightly

Keria Knightly is hot. No argument there. And she's a pretty talented actress as well. But what makes her a candidate for FBM's "Person of the Year" is this revelation in some asinine interview about her upcoming movie "A Dangerous Method".

The movie was shot during the summer of 2010 and Knightly said that given the heavy nature of the movie's subjects (psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung) her and her co-stars would go our each night and drink loads of beer and watch the World Cup.

And she still gets credit for her starring role in "Bend It Like Beckham" too, right?

3) Clint Dempsey

American? Check. All-time leading scorer for his countrymen in the English Premier League? Double check. Often celebrates those goals by using his boot as a bottle opener and drinking a beer? Triple check.

Clint Dempsey has now blasted in 39 Prem League goals and numerous ones have been followed up by his boot-and-beer celebration (like the one below from 2008). Deuce has cemented his place as one of the USMNT's most recognizable players alongside Landon Donovan and Tim Howard.

(Don't forget his other beer-credentials... spokesperson for Modelo)

Clint Dempsey is having a banner 2011. Can he add FBM's "Person of the Year" to his pile of accolades?

4) German Beer Drinking Kid

How long does it take a child to drink a beer at a soccer game? No one knows the exact answer to that question, but after watching the following clip of a youngster enjoying a beer during an early December Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and FC Schalke, we are led to believe that the answer lies somewhere around 25 minutes.

That conclusion was drawn from the evidence in the video above, which shows a child enjoying a beer and wiener schnitzel in the 62nd minute of the match, before washing said beer and schnitzel down with a water (or full glass of vodka) in the 89th minute.

The legal drinking age in Germany may be 16, but I guess it is never too early to begin expanding your child’s palate.

5) Will Ferrell

Mr. Ferrell starred in the Oscar-snubbed soccer flick "Kicking and Screaming", but that was back in 2005. He even appeared on "The Daily Show" in a Chelsea jersey, but now you're talking about 2008. What has the funny man done in 2011 to be included on this list?

Ferrell loves Old Milwaukee beer. He loves it so much that he offered to do ads for the company (apparently only in the Midwest where OM is most popular) for FREE. Free. That's something we like.

Will even coaches his son's soccer team in his spare time.

So does a beer-swilling-selling, soccer fan deserve to top this year's list? You decide.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

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The Tuesday Day: Bowl Game Edition

2011-12-27T07:29:00.001-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

To our mind, the only thing wrong with the Champions League is its outmoded method of determining the best of the final 16 teams through a two-legged, single-elimination knockout tournament.

Far superior is a method we've developed here in America: Using complicated algorithms and the arbitrary opinions of a tiny subset of people to determine who the real champion is. Luckily, UEFA has us around to apply this method to its premier competition. Today we bring you the Champions League Bowl Series.

1. Champions League Championship Game: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

A rematch? In the championship game? Are we crazy? Possibly, but you'd have a tough time making a case for another team as superior to either of these two. With this much offensive firepower on the field at one time, the game might even finish 9-6.

2. European Cup Bowl: AC Milan vs. Chelsea

This Great Uncle of Them All always matches up the champions from England and Italy. Unfortunately, one of those teams ended up ineligible, so the game had to reach and take Chelsea.

3. Beckenbauerbowl: Bayern Munich vs. Inter

Like any good bowl system, our formulas favor interesting rematches from years prior. That the Beckenbauerbowl grabs Bayern is just an added bonus.

4. Cruyff Bowl: Arsenal vs. Napoli

A fascinating clash of styles manufactured by our selection committee. Arsenal overcame Udinese, but can they pull a similar feat against Napoli's three-pronged counterattack?

Forget the cup, now
he's got his own Bowl.

5. Maldini Bowl: Benfica vs. CSKA Moscow

With both Milan teams off the board, the Maldini Bowl gets stuck with an unappealing matchup between two teams with fanbases who will have quite a ways to travel to watch the game. Plenty of cheap tickets are likely to be available for this one.

6. Di Stefano Bowl: Zenit vs. Marseille

A clash of teams on opposite trajectories, Zenit on top of their league, Marseille closer to the tenth place team than the first.

7. Platini Bowl: Lyon vs. Bayer Leverkusen

When in doubt, we select for historical drama that our announcers can hype during the game.

8. Diego Maradona's £10,000 Bidet Bowl: APOEL vs. Basel

Better luck next time, boys. We just won't know if you're ready to play in a big-time game until we see that you've won a big-time game.

And a pair of extra, bonus bowls:

9. Best Bowl: Manchester United vs. Borussia Dortmund

Winners of their leagues last year, narrowly in second this year, early flame-outs in the big one. A perfect match-up for one of our bonus bowls.

10. Blatter Bowl: Juventus vs. Dynamo Kiev

A fitting matchup between a pair of teams who have faced sanctions in the recent past.

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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Hoppy Christmas Everyone!

2011-12-25T10:01:00.000-06:00

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The Idea of the Free Beer Movement

2011-12-24T04:48:00.000-06:00

U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati speaks to U.S. supporters

(including the American Outlaws) in Chicago. He might have been taking about this....

The idea is simple: invite your friends to a soccer game, buy them a beer. There... you've done it! You're now a participant in the Free Beer Movement.

You watch soccer at home, in bars, at the stadiums, you might even have enough physical stamina to play the sport itself. Now it's time to take what you already do and share that love of this sport with others.

In the United States, for a number of Americans, the verdict is still out on soccer. We have no doubts of our own passion for it, but for millions of others they remain underexposed to the sport. Rather than have Jim Rome's and other old-school soccer-hating media-types define OUR sport to others, we must become the voice for soccer. We are ambassadors of our sport.

There are many ways one could do this, but the Free Beer Movement subscribes to the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) philosophy of life. What's more simple than a free beer?

Use your passion, use your knowledge, above all use free beer and expose the underexposed to soccer. Once they're in the door of the bar, the gate of the stadium, or just the comforts of your hope you've got ninety minutes for soccer to entertain and for you to educate that newbie.

Will every person you bring into your soccer home (be it your actually home or pub or stadium) become an instant fanatic? Probably not. The point isn't to indoctrinate these "soccer newbies", but to introduce them to what you love and help them develop and nurture an appreciation for the sport.

Beer and soccer. Looks pretty good together, huh?

Consider this: if each Free Beer Mover (that's you!) brought ten people to various games throughout the year and bought them free beer, that is most definitely ten people that would not have watched a second of soccer otherwise. If even one of those people became a true-blue soccer fan, that's one more person to be added to the rolls of the soccer faithful that would have NEVER touched the sport before if not for your free beer intervention.

It is a win-win situation for all involved! You're already watching and going to games (and probably drinking beer), so why not have some more company? We've all seen or been to games with either empty seats or them filled with too many of our opponents. Now is our chance to fill them with future fans.

A silly idea leads to serious economic support behind American soccer. More fans in the seats means more cash on hand for clubs to invest in marketing, stadium improvements (or building one!), academy programs, and player signings.... all things that increase the quality and attractiveness of our domestic league.

Being a soccer fan and supporting the game is nothing to be ashamed about. Too often, we soccer fans, are content with being that sporting outsider, supporters of a niche American sport. Outcasts among the ignorant. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THAT WAY! Soccer is the world's game and the fastest growing sport in the United States. We have a viable domestic league, an exciting National Team headed to this year's World Cup, and fans as dedicated and passionate as any other sport in this country.

The Free Beer Movement is not only a philosophy for growing the game, but an organization that wants to empower American soccer fans to take pride in their version of the global game.

Being a soccer fan does not have to be solitary life. Show your colors, define your passion, share it with friends over free beer and grow the sport in this country to where it is on par with the rest of the world.

"Invite your friends to a soccer game, buy them a beer".

It's a simple idea with big implications.

Help build American soccer one beer at a time.

And it starts with you.

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NEWS - Klinsmann's Roster for January Friendlies

2011-12-22T11:10:00.000-06:00

Der Bomber Jurgen Klinsmann, named his 20-man roster for January camp and the two international friendlies in Arizona against Venezuela and away in Panama.

The good? The bad? The ugly? What are your thoughts?

GOALKEEPERS (3): Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (7): Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), A.J. DeLaGarza (LA Galaxy), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), George John (FC Dallas), Zach Loyd (FC Dallas), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaelland), Heath Pearce (Chivas USA)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jeff Larentowicz (Colorado Rapids), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (4): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Teal Bunbury (Sporting Kansas City), C.J. Sapong (Sporting Kansas City), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

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The Twelve Days of US-Mas

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

We're in the holiday spirit here at the Free Beer Movement. For us, it means more time off, a return to the FBM motherland (Wisconsin), and a chance to try all sorts of tasty Midwest brews.

That doesn't mean we've jumped away from our soccer minds, though. Our little ditty covers some of the biggest American soccer stories of 2011 and a few hopes for 2012 and you may recall the ditty as "The Twelve Days of Christmas". We, however, always of soccer and beer minds presents....

"The Twelve Days of US-Mas"

On the first day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

A German at the head of zeee U.S. team

Das ist goot.

On the second day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Timmy Times Two!

Anchoring the backline for years to come.

On the third day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Three Cascadia Cupping!

The Pacific Northwest rivalry put MLS on the map this year.

On the fourth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Four Calling Harkes No More

Harkes, driving to the unemployment office.

On the fifth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

FIVE GOLDEN OLYMPICS RINGS! (USWNT in London 2012)

Putting the Women's World Cup in the past. Will the girls be golden again this summer?

On the sixth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Six Deuces-A-Laying Waste to the EPL!

37, 38.... Brian McBride's tally in the rear-view mirror.

On the seventh day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Seven Stu Holdens-A-Styling!

Comeback kid?

On the eighth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Ocho Cinco a soccer balling

Bo knows... only he could play two sports.

On the ninth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

A real "number nine" striker!

Anyone want to score for the USMNT? Bueller?

On the tenth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Ten Beckhams Bailing

David gets his MLS Cup victory and then "au revoir" to France?

On the eleventh day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Eleven Landons-A-Leaving

Here we go, again!

On the twelfth day of US-Mas my true love sent to me....

Twelve Beers-A-Brewing!

Beer and soccer. What a novel idea....

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE FREE BEER MOVEMENT!!!

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The Tuesday XI: Home For the Holidays Edition

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

Our week of seasonal celebrations continues here at The Other 87 with a special Tuesday XI featuring a cast of characters straight out of a typical holiday gathering. Naturally, we’ve lined them up in a 4-3-2-1, the Christmas Tree formation.

GK – Grandpa – Tries to stay out of the way (and more or less immobile until he’s absolutely needed.

LB – Your Significant Other– Does an admirable job each time out feeling her way through an unfamiliar role on a new team.

CB – Dad – Our older captain. Knows by now it’s necessary for him to jump into action and when to stay out of the way.

CB – Aloof Cousin – Only shows up because you're his only living relatives for three states in any direction. Does his job with a minimum of fuss, whether it be making tidy small talk or helping with the dishes.

RB – Youngest Child – Ahh, the weak link. Whether it’s a small cousin, young niece or nephew or even a baby sibling, you can’t kick the kid out of the game, but his or her presence can slow the game down when the ball’s in that zone. Best to tuck the little one over near the sideline where she doesn’t get plunked in the head with any stray shots.

LCM – Super Mom – The hardest working person of the holiday does the similar dirty work in the center of our midfield.

CM – You – The holidays can’t start without you, can they? Just as you’re the most important component of your family gatherings, you’re at the center of the action here, scoring goals and creating chances one minute and playing defense next.

RCM – Old Family Friend – An only child; when he heard there was a game he came right over.

LAM – Perfect Older Sibling – Gets to play the star role further forward, because it turns out he’s still better than you at everything.

RAM – Drunk Uncle – Crazy, unpredictable, dangerous. Alternates between barely paying attention the game and wreaking havoc on the field.

CF – The Family Dog – The ultimate scavenger, both under the table and in front of goal, The holidays are his time to shine, as more people, more booze, and possibly more small children mean more opportunities for him to pounce and put mistakes away.

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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FBM's Holiday Gift Guide

2011-12-19T15:53:00.002-06:00

In the midst of the holiday season and American soccer's off-season now is the time to reload your fandom with these ten FBM must-haves.

And don't worry... there's still time to get all of these great things!

Hell... you can just buy these for you as well. Treat yo self!

1) Bumpy Pitch Gear

Want some of the hippest soccer/lifestyle gear for the holidays? From tees to hoodies and a few raglands BP has you covered when you're off the field. Some of the softest shirts we've ever had rub against our nipples.

Original brand shirts from BP, some retro shirts honoring American soccer's past, and easily the best $30 you'll spend. Get some.

2) "Distant Corners: American Soccer's History of Missed Opportunities and Lost Causes"

David Wangerin is back with another examination of American soccer's long and complicated history. Wangerin is the author of the fantastic "Soccer in Football World (also a great read to pick up).

A great read to brush up your defenses of the sport in this country against those who say it has no place here.

3) "The Very Best of Pitch Invasion Writing"

The website "Pitch Invasion" has always been a great source for quality soccer writing and now some of their best work is in all-in-one edition. Read pieces from PI editor Tom Dunmore and others like Peter Wilt, Brian Phillips, Richard Whittall and many more.

Digital version for $5.99 or get some paper cuts with the in-your-hand version for $11.99.

4) Season Tickets to Your Local, American Soccer Team

Don't kid yourself... you're not going to get your money's worth from that gym membership you promised to follow through with for that New Year's resolution.What a better way to ring in the new year than with committing yourself to supporting local, live, American soccer?

Whether its a Major League Soccer team, NASL, USL or otherwise there's probably some level of American soccer being played nearby. Tickets (and especially season tickets in a supporters section) are dirt cheap. So why not buy two and bring a newbie each game?!?!

5) Beer (duh)

If you're going to go to American soccer games this year better make sure you're well stocked with beer for newbies (and yourself, of course).

Ahh... yes. Beer. That's what makes us tick.

Right now we're loving: Victory Brewing Co.'s "Yakima Glory" Black Ale (Downington, PA), Deschutes Brewery "Jubelale" Winter Ale (Bend, OR), Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. "Celebration" IPA (Chico, CA), and Alaskan Brewing Co. "Smoked" Porter (Juneau, AK).

6) Umbro's "Come Away With the Pints" Shirt

Beer and soccer, we believe, are the sport's version of the culinary world's peanut butter and jelly and this shirt by Umbro symbolizes that.

Umbro's blurb:

"WELL, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'VE COME AWAY WITH THE POINTS AND WE'VE GOT TO BE PLEASED WITH THAT..." TURN AN OLD FOOTBALL CLICHE ON ITS HEAD WITH THE LATEST DESIGN FROM OUR 12 TEES OF CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION, WHICH OFFERS UP THE MUCH MORE REFRESHING 'COME AWAY WITH THE PINTS'.

WITH A SUBTLY DETAILED DESIGN INSPIRED BY CLASSIC PUB TILES AND SIGNAGE, THIS BRILLIANT DESIGN WAS CREATED BY UMBRO'S OWN GRAPHICS TEAM, AND SCREEN PRINTED ONTO OUR BLACK COTTON TEE. GRAB ONE NOW FOR YOUR FORTHCOMING AWAY DAYS, AND MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR FELLOW FANS COME AWAY WITH THE P(O)INTS...

7) FBM Pint Shirt

There's nothing wrong with owning more than one beer and soccer shirt and if you absolutely must... please support the Free Beer Movement with our our "pint" shirt from Objectivo.

Plus, it might be the softest shirt you'll ever own. Just $28 here.

8) "Rise and Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story" on DVD

No American soccer games on the TeeVee right now so pop Jay DeMerit's biopic in the DVD player and celebrate a great bootstraps story of the USMNT's successful attempt to make it big in England.

Funded completely by donations from fans across the globe, the making of the movie is just as inspirational as the flick itself. Here's our interview with the producer from back in March when news of the movie broke (the first story about it anywhere!)

For $19.95 you can inspire the next generation of American soccer players with this movie.

9) American Outlaws Membership

All the cool kids are doing it. Join the largest supporters group for the U.S. National Team, the American Outlaws.

A $20 purchase (plus $4 for shipping) gets you a t-shirt, the signature bandanna, and discounts for U.S. Soccer tickets, Big Soccer Shop, Continental Airlines, rental cars, and hotels in game day cities.

10) Beer Bar Rags

As much as we hate to admit it... sometime we spill our beer. Usually after a goal is scored so that makes it more OK.

Clean up any beer-related messes with these cool beer-style "tea rags". They're artsy, too, hand-stamped with antique printing blocks.

$23.50 for four rags that say IPA, Pilsner...well... you all can read from the image here.

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The Tuesday 10: Beating Barca Edition

2011-12-13T06:36:00.000-06:00

: Not pictured: Him tapping the tips of his fingers together and/or petting a white cat.

Don't sweat yet another defeat in the biggest game on Earth, Mr. Mourinho. We've got ten ideas for how to win the return leg that will appeal to your evil genius side.

1. Get Carvalho back and once again play Pepe as a rearmost midfield destroyer, hoping his physicality can throw off the Barca rhythm just as Real's pressing did in the opening minutes.

: He needs your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.

2. Travel backwards in time to kill Lionel Messi before he ever got his tiny little legs injected with growth hormone. Watch out in case they send Carles Puyol back to protect him.

3. Maybe have someone, you know, follow the world's best player into midfield so he doesn't have so much time on the ball.

4. Hijack the Barcelona team plane, and demand that they release the European Cup or you'll begin killing hostages. Be sure to check that Pep Guardiola doesn't stow away while they're trying to evacuate him and thwart your plans.

5. Sign all of Getafe as your B squad. They seem to have this figured out.

6. Instruct your players to defeat then replicate their programming onto the genetic code of every non-Barcelona player on the planet, so that the April Clasico looks something like this.

: Whyyyyy? Whyyyyyy? Whyyyyy?

7. Pull a Tonya Harding on Dani Alves.

8. Go further back in time and keep Johan Cruyff's parents from ever falling in love by seducing his mother, preventing him from ever instilling in Barcelona his tenets of Total Football. Make sure that he doesn't thwart you with the power of Chuck Berry, or that you don't accidentally become his father.

9. Take the metaphor a step further by actually driving your bus onto the Camp Nou field.

: One Indiana Jones = Three Barça midfielders

10. Nuke the Barcelona training complex in March. Careful though, they could probably fit Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas all in one fridge.

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NEWS - Jay DeMerit Story Now Available to General Public

2011-12-08T11:35:00.001-06:00

DVD Now Available!

The Jay DeMerit Story is the true story of a young American's impossible journey. The film documents Jay's journey from the bottom - to playing in the English Premier League - to starting for the U.S.A. at the 2010 World Cup. Featuring World Cup footage and cameos from family, coaches, and stars including Landon Donovan, Wayne Rooney, Cesc Fabregas and more. It is here just in time for the holiday season! It is an inspirational true story for all ages and a perfect gift for athletes, coaches and fans.

Click here to buy.

(Insert Joke Here About MLS' Balls Dropping)

2011-12-06T20:01:00.001-06:00

By its 17th year this really should have happened already. (If you didn't pick up on it... that was our "ball-dropping joke).

Major League Soccer released their new match ball for the 2012 season and despite it kinda looking like it's wearing a thong, we think it's pretty cool.

Sporting the league's colors and minimalist design the MLS ball is a close cousin to the new Tango 12 ball for this summer's European Championship.

Designed exclusively for MLS, the adidas PRIME was created to improve on “accuracy, consistency and performance” under all field and weather conditions, according to adidas.

“We worked directly with both field players and goalies to rigorously develop a ball with the truest and most stable flight path,” said adidas' MLS manager, Ernesto Bruce, in a statement.

The aesthetics of the ball also change and will feature a new panel design, a matte finish designed for a better grip and a graphic look that employs the colors of the MLS logo and elements from the MLS Cup trophy.

Blah. Blah. Blah. Let's just hope that it doesn't do too much crazy shit like the Jabulani.

Photo Credit: MLSSoccer.com

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Philadelphia Union's Danny Califf and Sebastian Le Toux Can(Foot)Ball

2011-12-06T11:00:00.000-06:00

Just four guys. Having a bunch of skyward moments together.

What's a Major League Soccer player to do now that it's the off-season? Well if Jurgen's not sending you abroad then you've got some time to kill.

For the Philadelphia Union's Danny Califf and Sebastian Le Toux it was hanging out with the other football's Eagles and their punter and kicker for "Eagle's Confidential".

The Union teammates faced off against the bizarrely similarly-named Alex Henery (K) and Chas Henry (P) for a little cross-sports contest of skillz at PPL Park. PKs, field goal kicking, punting, and the "French national sport of soccer golf" (according to LeToux) were the order of the day.

Best part? Other than Le Toux nailing a monster field goal, he makes a PK save on one of the Eagles and screams out in his hilariously stereotypical French accent, "It's right here! Like an interception in football!"

Although the Eaglie punter Henry did get a good burn in on LeToux before his first field goal attempt. "French on the front lines? That's a first."

And how did Califf fare? Let's just say... his partner carried the two-some most of the afternoon.

In the end (and not that we're biased) it looked as though the Union pair got the best of the pointy-ball partners from the Eagles.

The full video is here. The Union/Eagles segment is the first one.

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The Tuesday XI: Ninja Edition

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Dec. 5, was the National Day of the Ninja. To celebrate, we arranged some of our favorite shadow warriors into a Napoli-style, counter-attacking 3-4-3, capable of putting the ball in the back of the net before you even know what hit you.

: Truly he is the Great White Ninja.

GK – Haru – Typically we don’t go for the “Fat guy as goalie” joke, but we’re confident the Beverly Hills Ninja has the agility to succeed in the position.

LCB – Frank Dux – Our defense is built less on stealth and more on solid, tough guy type ninjas. Dux invented his own American form of ninjitsu, won a Kumite tournament, was played by Jean Claude Van Damme, and is apparently a real person to boot.

SW – Batman – He’s made our team once before, and as we said then, if his ninja-training can make him good at everything else ever, then it only follows that he’d be a star footballer too.

RCB – Scott James – Okay, so he’s really Chuck Norris, but even beyond that qualification, he single-handedly defeated a group of ninja terrorists led by his half-brother. You think Cristiano Ronaldo’s going to be a problem for him?

LWB – Snake Eyes – Does the grunt work here up and down the flank, just as he does for the G.I. Joes.

LCM – Shredder – His combination of strength, touch and agility makes him a formidable presence in the center of the field. He may not always get along with his midfield partner, but their contrasting styles are incredibly effective together.

RCM – Splinter – A little old, but since his game revolves around getting others involved he’s like having a coach on the field. Plus, he plays a valuable role as a mentor for four of our brightest U20 prospects.

: He's more imposing in virtual form.

RWB – Scorpion – Our Mortal Kombatant uses a well-placed harpoon anytime his man threatens to break away into the space left by his forward runs.

LW – Daredevil – The ninja-trained hero may not be able to see the action on the field, but his heightened senses give him super positional awareness.

CF – Hattori Hanzo – So much more than the swordsmith from Kill Bill, this ninja-samurai and part-time protector of the royal throne is basically the historical antecedent for everything you loved as a child. The historical Hanzo was supposedly a master spear-fighter, so it makes sense that he’s the tip of our attack.

RW – Ryu Hayabusa – The Ninja Gaiden star plays in what seems to be slow motion, and is renowned for his ability to take on and beat multiple defenders on the dribble.

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MLS Legend - Andy Williams to Retire, Join RSL Staff

2011-12-05T20:38:00.001-06:00

Andy Williams, the last remaining original member of the expansion Real Salt Lake's inaugural 2004 season, announced his retirement today. The 14-year veteran will join RSL as a member of its technical staff.

From MLSoccer.com:

Williams, 34, was the last remaining member of the original RSL team, joining the club with the first pick of the 2004 MLS Expansion Draft and spending the rest of his playing days representing the Claret and Cobalt. He was a crucial part of the 2009 MLS Cup championship side, contributing two goals and six assists off the bench that year and playing the full 120 minutes in the title game.

Though his numbers dipped in 2011 — he managed just two goals and one assist — he was durable, appearing 31 times and logging 1970 minutes, the latter number his highest since 2005.

Williams also featured prominently for his national side, Jamaica, in the last decade and a half (including the 1998 World Cup), appearing 92 times and scoring 13 goals.

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Americans Abroad: Dempsey Becomes American All-Time Leading Scorer in EPL

2011-12-05T17:39:00.001-06:00

Photo Credit: AFP

The Deuce was on the loose this afternoon after the Nagadoches (Texas) native bagged a rebound goal to give his Fulham side a 1-0 victory over Liverpool. The goal, Dempsey's 37th in England makes him the all-time leading goal scorer for Yanks in England. Brian McBride, who also played for Fulham (and one of the stadiums bars is named after) now sits in second with 36 goals.

Dempsey was in "I-don't-give-a-shit-mode" all game and nearly had a goal minutes earlier when a nice cut in the box gave him space, but his curling ball struck the crossbar with Liverpool's Pepe Reina was nowhere near being able to stop it.

Video of Clint's goal:

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Phun With Photoshop - A "European Vacation" Is Good for the League and the National Team

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

Starrting: Juan Aguedelo, Brek Shea, Jeff Larentowicz, and Kyle Beckerman

The off-season ritual of heading to Europe for some extra training is no longer just the extra-curriculars of David Beckham and Thierry Henry. Now young Major League Soccer players and U.S. National Team players are getting time with clubs all across the continent.

And this list keeps on growing. Over a dozen young Americans are aboard during the MLS downtime. Some to stay sharp, others for a quick look my European clubs and their scouts. No matter the motives, given the shorter domestic season, a little TnT (training and touches) is better for the quality of the league and the Nats than R&R.

No matter how you feel about the pace and results of the Klinsmann revolution at U.S. Soccer, the Germany-American coach has used his continental contacts to get young players some great European experience, including FC Dallas' Brek Shea with Jurgen's former coaching colleague Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

The list of Americans aboard (from Goal.com):

Columbus Crew winger Robbie Rogers - FC Kaiserslautern
Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman - FC Kaiserslautern
New York Red Bulls striker Juan Agudelo - VfB Stuttgart
D.C. United defender Perry Kitchen - SC Freiburg
Philadelphia Union midfielder Zach Pfeffer - Hoffenheim

D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid - West Bromwich Albion
FC Dallas winger Brek Shea - Arsenal
Vancouver Whitecaps forward Omar Salgado - Fulham
Colorado Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz - Bolton
Sporting Kansas City forward Teal Bunbury - Bolton
Chicago Fire goalkeper Sean Johnson - Everton
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath - Everton
Philadelphia Union Amobi Okugo - Freiburg
DC United defender Andy Najar - Tottenham

And just last week New York Red Bulls starlet Juan Agudelo announced he was off to Mersyside for some time with Liverpool FC.

The explosive growth of young players recruitment aboard during MLS' off-season, even if a few players are lost to European contracts, is going to increase exposure for American soccer and further the leagues' international reputation as a laboratory for young talent.

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Americans Aboard - Jozy Altidore Tallies again in the Netherlands (and more)

2011-12-04T17:23:00.001-06:00

Jozy Altidore scored his fifth goal of the season for AZ Alkmaar, but lost 5-1, snapping an 11-game unbeaten streak.

How the rest of our Americans did check out Steve Goff's Washington Post blog.

Video of Jozy's goal.

Video from 723 Football Media

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Stadium Porn - San Jose "Could" Have the Best Seats in MLS

2011-11-29T18:33:00.001-06:00

"Ok. You guys both see that women waving in the black top over there? Wow." said the ref.

The San Jose Earthquakes are still a ways off from getting final approval for a soccer-specific stadium, but as they continue to push for it more and more details are coming out about its proposed design.

Just like LIVESTRONG Sporting Park raised the bar (haha... no FBM pun intended) last June and the sexy, new Houston Dynamo stadium will debut next May, the Earthquakes stadium may have the coolest idea yet when it comes to soccer stadium innovation; field-level luxury suites.

Sure the NBA has got court-side, but the only amenity for paying loads more than the proletariat is being close to the action and a few extra inches on the seat pad.

Hey! Down in front! Don't you know how much I paid for these seats?

San Jose's design puts 12 luxury boxes at game level and what you get is beyond anything the 10-foot, round-ball league as to offer for its A-listers.

From the Silicon Vallet Mercury News story:

Unlike that courtside seating, however, these amenities will include 24-inch padded seats, couches, cocktail tables, flat-screen televisions, a bar area, catered food and a sliding-glass door that just might stop the soccer ball before it knocks over your martini. As Kaval put it, "you'll have to be on your toes."

The price for the up-close and personal vantage point: $350,000 for a five-year contract. Despite the cost, Kaval maintains it's competitive with other luxury suites in professional hockey and football leagues, considering the number of events that will be held in the stadium. Each suite accommodates 23 people.

Now, of course, we're all about making the game-day experience as authentic as possible by supporting supporters groups and the like and shying away from fake-fan and overly family-friendly, but stadiums and teams have got to make money. Soccer still needs its sugar daddies and luxury suites are the avenue.The difference in SJ is that by putting these boxes down in the action you really are appealing to people that are to see the game and not hide it their boxes (hopefully).

Here's to innovative ideas in the soccer stadium and marketing world. We've come along way from Crew Stadium.

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The Tuesday 10: Occupy FIFA Edition

2011-11-29T06:05:00.001-06:00

By "The Other 87 Minutes" / Senior Unemployed English Major Correspondents

Corruption. Injustice. Obscene profits. In this week's list, we're assembling a crew of famous footballing names to Occupy FIFA. They won't rest until they bring down the soccer juggernaut (and Sharpie a moustache on Blatter while he's sleeping). Or until it's time to power-wash.

1. Kyle Beckerman: Our front-man. Sometimes looking the part is 90 percent of the battle.

Come at me, bro.

2. Edgar Davids: We need someone who is resistant to the onslaught of pepper-spraying policemen, and Davids has the ocular equipment to lead the line.

3. Alexi Lalas: Don't let the suit he wears these days fool you; he wants to be out there fighting the power.

4. Mario Balotelli: We need someone to draw an inordinate amount of news media attention while not necessarily doing anything.

5. Joey Barton: He's no stranger to run-ins with the police.

Chaaaange?

6. Antonio Cassano: The poster boy for our 99% wears 99 on his back every game.

7. Carlos Tevez: Has been a thorn in the side of the soccer world's monied class since 2007.

8. Jamie Redknapp: Gets to tag along for a few months since he has all of Daddy's credibility to fall back on.

9. Bicester Town FC: For their experience getting evicted from their ground.

10. Robbie Rogers: Newly jobless, he can help explain what the movement is all about.

Who would you enlist to march on FIFA? Have a set of bongos we could borrow? As always, leave a comment below and don't forget to follow us at @o87minutes on Twitter.

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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Phun With Photoshop - Jesse Marsch Pillages MLS for Montreal

2011-11-28T20:25:00.001-06:00

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