All Entries in the "May 2010" Category
Yanks Player Ratings And Observations
Before I move on to rating the performances from Saturday’s final “Send-Off Series” match, a 2-1 American comeback victory over an outstanding Turkish team, I thought I’d share my three observations from my seat at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. I’ll do my best to keep them short, as Raf Crowley’s insights covered most the [...]
A History Of World Cup Songs
Waiting for the World Cup to approach is similar to the countdown to Christmas. Certain TV programs appear in the schedules, certain songs start appearing on the radio, certain housing estates that look like fresh meat would be at a premium spend seemingly thousands of pounds on gaudy, outlandish decorations, the cost of running them [...]
Growing Up Soccer
If you weren’t aware, readers (Okay, Dan, Neil, and my mom), I’m 21 years old. I was born on April 16, 1989, the day after the Hillsborough disaster. Coincidentally, 1989 is the year to which a lot of people trace back the modern history of American Soccer. In November of that year, Paul Caligiuri scored [...]
Puck’s Happy Hour: Tradition Edition
Ladies and gentlemen, I hope your week’s been a little bit less problematic than my existence over the last seven days. No matter what happened this week, or how we may feel about the hate crime committed by Bobbo on Brian Ching, there is still a new week to come. Today is Friday, which means [...]
Match Preview: USA v. Turkey
Saturday’s friendly match against Turkey will look different from the Yanks’ midweek outing/beating against the Petr Czech Republic in many ways, but the most apparent deviation will be that most the actual starters for both nations will be on the field. Tuesday’s debacle was correctly characterized as an experimental Czech side putting four goals past [...]
Brian Ching: Concluding Thoughts
When Bob Bradley released his 23-man World Cup roster on Wednesday, one decision shocked Yanks fans across the country (although, as anybody who read my last article will tell you, not me). Brian Ching, the Houston Dynamo striker and Hawaii native, was not included in the 23-man roster. Among the reasons given were: Brian Ching [...]
Donovan Murders Wayne Rooney!
What is there to say about this image besides the fact that it is incredible? Beyond the hold-your-breath matches, infallible fandom and myriad talking heads the World Cup will surely provide us, soccer-related artwork has become commonplace in the weeks leading up to South Africa. From ESPN’s caricatures of the USMNT on the Delaware River [...]
Player To Watch #8: Didier Drogba
Number 8: Didier Drogba Position: Forward Country: Ivory Coast Club Team: Chelsea FC, English Premier League American-Based Professional Athlete “Soulmate”: Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings Beyond the questions about South Africa’s post-Apartheid future, beyond the security concerns (now alleviated) about the possible visit of President Barack Obama, beyond the concerns about tourists being victims of [...]
World Cup: Home Field Advantage
This is the 16th in a weekly series of World Cup history lessons brought to you by our very own “Professor” Guy Bailey. He is not actually a professor; the only professor on staff is Jamie Clary. Well, sort of. The 1998 World Cup The 16th World Cup was held in France between June and [...]
ESPN: Assessing Pre-World Cup Efforts
From columns riddled with mistakes to chats featuring personalities equipped with resumes more suited for interning at The Yanks Are Coming, ESPN’s pre-World Cup efforts could hardly be described as “match-fit.” As the world’s attention shifts to South Africa over the coming weeks, relying on the four-letter network for myriad forms of coverage remains inevitable. [...]
