How can we make the United States fall in love with soccer? Buy your friends a beer and watch as a lifelong love affair with the beautiful game begins.
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Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
You may not have heard (Note: sarcasm), but EA Sports' latest installment of the FIFA Series, FIFA 13, was released this week to much fanfare. And while many will pick up their XBox and PS3 controllers and start their new seasons as Barcelona, Manchester United, and other European and global giants; there are quite a few American soccer faithful that will dutifully plug in with their Major League Soccer sides.
ESPNFC's Roger Bennett had a fantastic article about the FIFA franchise's impact on the growth of soccer in the United States. For many newbies FIFA has played a crucial role in bring them to the sport. The quality of gameplay and authenticity of the FIFA series has done so much on the educating and entertaining side of selling soccer (kinda like some other idea we've heard of…) Citing the recent Luker Sports survey, Bennett also penned this piece about the bright future of soccer in America and how demographics cannot be denied as soccer continues to shoot up the list of the nation's most popular sports.
Experts will go back and forth as to which, FIFA or FBM (hehe…), has had a greater impact in growing soccer here in the States, but no matter what the Jim Romes and “Pardon The Interruptions” say; soccer is here to stay.
EA Sports, in all of their global approach to marketing the game, have made sure that MLS fans are shown lots of love in the current incarnation of the video game (except for in the area of rendering MLS stadiums in the game…). In year's past several American soccer and/or MLS players have featured prominently on their covers. This year MLS fans can download over 20 different FIFA covers featuring MLS players.
Cooler than that are the web videos that EA and MLS created with four clubs and their most recognizable players. A real marketing coup and done with fantastic execution and humor. The great thing about these web videos is not just in the humor of them (although all these MLS players have done a pretty bang-up job), but in that EA recognizes the role that their game plays in bringing people to soccer and teaching them. The whole premise of the ads are less on the game play (which featured, but is pretty secondary), but on the understanding of the sport. You could take out the FIFA clips and logo art and have a damn good “Soccer 101” series, period.
Here's to hoping that FIFA not only continues to act as a gateway for newbies to soccer, but newbies to MLS as well.
Chris Wondolowski and Shea Salinas (San Jose Earthquakes):
Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara (Portland Timbers):
Austin Berry and Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire):
Kei Kamara, Graham Zusi, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, and CJ Sapong:
“You love them both passionately, but which one is the love of your life?
Up to now the answer completely depended on who was asking and where.
So in a bid to answer this once and for all we turned to science. In partnership with Professor Bruce Hood and Professor Marcus Munafo of the University of Bristol's School of Experimental Psychology, Puma carried out a series of implicit reaction tests on passionate, long-term supporters of Newcastle United to analyze whether theu favor their beloved team's best striker over this partners.”
Since NBC and the International Olympic Committee has put such a stranglehold on the highlights and footage of the 2012 London Olympics getting quality complication videos is quite a chore.
We're not sure how long this video will stick around, but it's got all the goods of a solid gold medal wrap up vid: dramatic music, slow-motions, pained-then-triumphant looks, and more.
It might even bring a tear to your eye… at least until the medal ceremony music.
Also, the ending is sweet.
The footage makes us think that the Lady Nats might be heading not to Canada for the 2015 Women's World Cup, but invading Russian in the winter a la Napoleon or Hitler.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
Playing Chelsea makes Major League Soccer look good.
In 2006 the English Premier League side came across the pond it was with the league trophy in hand. They left with a 1-0 loss to the All-Stars in Chicago. This time they waltzed in with the Champions League trophy and left with another loss; this time 3-2 losers.
Goals from Chris Wondoloski (LOL John Terry… although credit to your header goal later on), Chris Pontinus (game MVP), and “comeback player of the year” candidate Eddie Johnson (the “grown ass man”) put the All-Stars on the right side of this contest with one of Europe's best.
If you haven't yet, be sure to check out our 2012 “FBM All-Star Beer Team” where we choose our favorite beers of the year so far and pair them delightfully with a MLS All-Star.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
Only the ladies of the United States women's national team could make Miley Cyrus' “Party in the USA” bearable. With the opening match of the Lady Nat's London Olympics campaign just days away, forward Alex Morgan tweeted out this video gem of the team performing the unfortunate pop hit.
Glad to see they're all having fun in the run up to defending their gold medal.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
As Major League Soccer approaches the halfway mark (and the All-Star Game against Chelsea on July 25th at 7:30 CT), a look back at some of the best goals, saves, and moves of the first half of the season.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
You like goals? Yeah? We like goals, too! How about 36 of 'em including two from Mr. Beckham a five from the Western Conference leading San Jose Earthquakes over Real Salt Lake.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
After getting unceremoniously shelved by the U.S. Soccer Federation following the 4-2 Gold Cup loss to Mexico last year, Bob Bradley was off to Egypt to began anew. Egypt's first American national team coach (the continent's?) would assume the a side with a mixed history of success. The Pharaohs have won seven African Cup of Nations, but hadn't qualified for the World Cup since 1990.
If taking over the position during revolutionary times in Egypt wasn't difficult enough, mere months after assuming his role, the nation was rocked by the tragic deaths of 74 people at a soccer match in Port Said, plunging Bradley into the middle of a political and social firestorm.
Copper Pot Pictures (the makers of the 2012 Kicking and Screening premiered documentary on Kei Kamara) followed Bradley through the tumultuous first months of his reign in Egypt. Listen to the interview with the makers of the doc on the “Best Soccer Show” (starts about the 15 minute mark). The filming is expected to follow Bradley through the 2014 World Cup Qualifying stages to Brazil.
Planting the Seed of Soccer Across America: Danny Beerseed – 0 comments
Portland Timber's tifo for the home leg of their Cascadia Cup rivalry match against Seattle Sounders was pretty impressive. Check out this behind the scenes video of the making and unveiling of the massive project. Seattle has made some pretty awesome tifo in the past and Rose City's work is a worthy comeback.