World Cup

[eagle eye]

What happened to all the people on this site who are such huge soccer fans? Nobody starting a thread about the beloved World Cup? No comment about the USA's win over Ghana? I've seen soccer related threads get a lot of hits, so where are you guys? Even I know beating Ghana was a big deal! It was probably nail biting time with the USA scoring the game winning goal in the 86th minute and having to hang on and weather Ghana's efforts to tie the match. What about Team USA striker Jozy Altidore's hamstring injury? Or the impact of forward Clint Dempsey's broken nose? Will the USA be able field a team when they face Portugal this Sunday? I'm trying to learn to appreciate soccer so I need some feedback here!

[Big T]

I think I am the only one left! Lol It was mainly CA and I who are the soccer fans. But if you want to talk soccer EE then I am down! How about Tim Cahill Repping the MLS today with a superb strike against the Netherlands who destroyed the reigning champs Spain 5-1. This game is currently tied 1-1 at the half. Mexico played Brazil to a scoreless draw yesterday and the CONCACAF is looking very strong in the WC this year. That US win versus Ghana Monday was one of the ugliest pieces of soccer I have ever seen. I will of course take the three points, but still that was terrible and if they hope to emerge from the Group of Death then they are going to have to play ten fold better against Portugal and Germany. Looks like Bressler is going to be fine and will be playing against Portugal. Joze Altidor is another issue but Klinsmann is ever optimistic and is saying he will be back at some point. I think a result against either Portugal or Germany will get the US out of the Group of death. They don't have to beat either team, just get a result and one point and keep the goal differential below that of Portugal's. Pepe for Portugal will be out for the match versus the US for the Red Card he received for that insane head butt against Germany. I really think Portugal is beatable. If the US does indeed pull off a win versus Portugal, they are guaranteed advancing to the next round. If the US can get out of the worst draw imaginable and advance to the next round, there is no telling how far this team can go. But I do believe that is all rests upon how quickly Joze gets back into the lineup. With out him they will be playing either Johansen or Wondo next to Dempsey and neither one of those guys strike fear into the hearts of opponents. Of course Wondo is known for being the poacher of goals for a reason so maybe they can go ahead and try him up front and see if he can't get a rebound. Overall, this has been a great WC. USA USA USA!

[Big T]

About Dempsey, sure a broken nose is going to hurt like hell but it will not keep him from playing like Dempsey. He may struggle with breathing at times and its going to throb every time he takes a step on that pitch but this is the World Cup nd he is not going to let a broken nose effect him. Now I would not put it past some players to try and target his head in the upcoming matches so he may be in a mask which could affect his vision. But overall, he will be fine. He has to be he is the only striking threat the US has left!

[eagle eye]

As for Dempsey, he could wear a mask similar to what basketball players have worn. A plexiglass or some similar type of head gear to protect the face and there is no impedance to a player's vision.

So Portugal's Pepe is out for head butting an opponent? Did nobody learn from the Zidane incident in the World Cup final in 2006? The Italian player was talking smack about Zidane's sister and Zidane looked like a mountain ram smashing into the Italian player's chest earning him a red card, an immediate ejection from the match and ultimately costing the French the World Cup. Dumbest move I ever saw in any sport. Here's a video of Zidane's disgrace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAjWi663kXc

[Big T]

Sooooo.... How about them Spaniards... That was shocking. The defending champs were beaten 5-1 by the Dutch and now 2-0 by Chile! The defending champs are out!

[Big T]

Joze is out for the game against Portugal. This changes things a bit. Klinnsmann is going to have to go back to the drawing board and find out how the US is going to be able to score. Maybe send out a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey as your only striker but with three supporting midfielders? If so then SKC's Gram Zussi will be the extra guy in the midfield. It will be interesting to see what Jurgen does. BTW, Zussi can score. The key to this game is going to be possession. If the US can possess the ball and control it for extended amounts of time in the attacking half, they have a very good chance of getting a result. If they allow the Portuguese to run all over them like they let Ghana, it will be over before they even start.

[eagle eye]

Is Portugal that much more talented than the US team? I'm asking dumb questions here but I really don't know. If the US overload the offensive side of the field can't they get burned if Portugal gets a breakaway or gets a favorable matchup?
Spain getting knocked out of the Cup is pretty huge as they are the defending champs. They've gone from first to worst???? I am going to try to watch the match Sunday. If the USA ties or beats Portugal they have a pretty good chance to advance don't they. Again showing my ignorance but the Group they are in is pretty brutal but even though the USA will be without their best striker Portugal is missing a good player as well. How even is the playing field for the USA right now? Do we have a shot?

[Big T]

Yes there is a shot. It looks like they are going to go with the same lineup minus Joze. Looks like they are just going to sub in either Johansen or Wondo in his place. Portugal has the second best player in the world playing for them in Christiano Ronaldo. He, however, is not playing at his full potential right now with a knee injury and there has even been some talk that he may miss the game. I don't believe that for one minuet. This is a must win game for Portugal. If they beat Portugal then they are automatically through. If they tie Portugal then the US must keep the goal differential below that of Portugal assuming that Portugal is going to beat Ghana. Germany beat Portugal 4-0. US beat Ghana 2-1. Right now there is a goal differential of three between the two nations in favor of the US. If both Portugal and the US come out of the Group with four points, it's going to come down to this goal differential.

[eagle eye]

I watched France and Switzerland play this morning but by the time I started watching France was already up 5-0 and they were just playing keep away. Needless to say that was a little boring to watch. Italy is playing now so maybe the game will be more interesting when both teams are fresh.

I will be interested to see the USA-Portugal match.

[baller]

Great second half between Ghana and Germany resulting in a 2-2 tie.I cant wait to watch tomorrow's USA contest on the pitch against Portugal.This makes our win against Ghana look that much better.So far so good in the "Group of Death."

[Big T]

Holy hell! That Germany Ghana outcome changes the entire picture!

[eagle eye]

You don't think the USA will have just a little more adrenaline going into the match! Win and they move on to the round of 16.

[baller]

Yea buddy.It is a shame striker Jozy Altidore is out with an injury but hopefully area native Clint Dempsey can come through again .

[Big T]

And I was right. They are going with a 4-2-3-1 with Dempsey as the lone striker and Zussi in the midfield. Lets go USA!

[Big T]

Gut wrenching 2-2 draw. Well at least they got a point...

[baller]

Well played game overall by USA.Dempsey says "unlucky" which sounds a lot like what European trainers say to soccer kids in training.

[eagle eye]

Can somebody tell me why they added 5 minutes to the game? And, can somebody tell me why Portugal was able to just go down and score with seconds left in the game? Gut wrenching loss is a gross understatement. To be so close to winning and let it all slip away is jaw dropping. Now the US team has to play the best team in the bracket and win to advance. The team had to be taking turns kicking each other in the arses for letting this one get away.

[LUSportsFan]

In reference to the extra 5 minutes...

If the question is why stoppage time was changed to 5 minutes from the previously announced 4 minutes, I don't know.

If the question is in reference to time added to the game generally, that is to account for stopping play for injuries and other things during the period. The clock does not stop during the period in soccer so stoppage time is calculated and added to the end. For example, I think 2 minutes was added to the end of the first period in yesterday's game.

In reference to the quick score, I don't know. 2-1 would have been a lot better than 2-2. I like stoppage time when my team is behind. I hate it when my team is ahead. :)

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk2

[Big T]

As for wining, they do not have to win vs. Germany. A win would seal it and a draw would leave it open, but they do not have to win it to advance. They just need to keep the goal differential below that of the next team and five points should be enough to get them through. A win would be nice. As for the five minutes. If the US had waited twenty more seconds to substitute Dempsey, then they would not have added that much. But because they subbed him before the official stoppage time had been added then the powers that be were able to add the time of the substitution on to the stoppage time. It was a miscalculation by the US team.

[KABrother88]

I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to say Big T but a draw would put both in either match would put USA and Germany through...we are both currently 1-0-1 (4 points) and a draw would put both teams at 5 points...Ghana and Portugal are both 0-1-1 (1 point) so a win for either team only put them at 4 points and a draw at just 2 points. That being said, if we lose and Ghana wins, Ghana can advance if either game is won by 2 or more goals. If Portugal wins it has to be a combination that gets Portugal's goal differential 5 goals higher than ours (i.e. 3-0 Germany and 2-0 Portugal) to advance...the next tie break after goal differential is goals scored (1 goal lead on Ghana and 2 goal lead on Portugal now)

Both matches are set for Thursday at 11 so no one will know what is going in in the other match...I think Klinsmann should call up his German buddies and say lets just kick it around for 90 minutes lol...for those of you that don't know, Klinsmann is from Germany and won the 1990 World Cup with them and coached the 2006 Germany team to 3rd place

[eagle eye]

Wouldn't it have been much simpler for the US team to NOT go completely to sleep with just seconds to play? I heard all the scenarios before on Mike and Mike and it seemed a little desperate to me. I know they said that Germany has like a 94% chance to advance and the US has about a 75% chance with Portugal and Ghana with minimal chances. That said, and regardless of what the US team says about the good a tie is in actuality you know they have to be more than a little demoralized. I don't know the name of the blonde haired chap who ignored a pass to him that allowed Portugal to take possession of the ball in those waning moments and the commentator correctly pointed out that ultimately the blame for the final goal has to start with him. If he takes the pass and just kicks the piss out of it toward the other end of the field the USA wins. Bonehead non-move.

[Big T]

I could be misinterpreting what you are trying to say Big T but a draw would put both in either match would put USA and Germany through...we are both currently 1-0-1 (4 points) and a draw would put both teams at 5 points...Ghana and Portugal are both 0-1-1 (1 point) so a win for either team only put them at 4 points and a draw at just 2 points. That being said, if we lose and Ghana wins, Ghana can advance if either game is won by 2 or more goals. If Portugal wins it has to be a combination that gets Portugal's goal differential 5 goals higher than ours (i.e. 3-0 Germany and 2-0 Portugal) to advance...the next tie break after goal differential is goals scored (1 goal lead on Ghana and 2 goal lead on Portugal now)

Both matches are set for Thursday at 11 so no one will know what is going in in the other match...I think Klinsmann should call up his German buddies and say lets just kick it around for 90 minutes lol...for those of you that don't know, Klinsmann is from Germany and won the 1990 World Cup with them and coached the 2006 Germany team to 3rd place


I wasn't very clear. The scenario for the goal differential was if the US lost the game to Germany but I forgot to add that in. Haha I am going to go out on a limb and say that Ghana will beat Portugal.

[Big T]

Well, we can now breath easy. The USNMT was able to make it through the group of death and have advanced into the knockout round of 16! Who would have thought that the US would be able to make it out of group that included Germany, Portugal, and Ghana? I was hopeful they could but skeptical that they would. Looks like they will be facing Belgium in the next round.

[KABrother88]

There are some great comedic posts on twitter today...couple of my favorites

@TheFakeESPN: Dallas Cowboys closely studying tape of USA vs Germany desperately trying to learn how to lose and still advance.

@jimgeraghty: Looks like we're going to play Belgium. Time to rename those things, "Freedom Waffles." #WorldCup

[baller]

To see the best foul by a referee I've ever seen on a player watch a replay of 28 minutes into the US - Germany match and see the center ref extend his arm and take out Jermaine Jones .This did not effect play but CBS Sports sure highlighted it.Belgium playing second half a man down so its not a lock yet as to who we play.

[Big T]

There are some great comedic posts on twitter today...couple of my favorites

@TheFakeESPN: Dallas Cowboys closely studying tape of USA vs Germany desperately trying to learn how to lose and still advance.

@jimgeraghty: Looks like we're going to play Belgium. Time to rename those things, "Freedom Waffles." #WorldCup


That first one is priceless.

[baller]

Belgium scores late so it is 1-0 and it looks like we will be playing them.

[baller]

Belgium wins 1-0 .

[eagle eye]

Talk about the stars aligning. Portugal beating Ghana was proof positive that the soccer gods are on the side of the USA. Pure dumb luck is about all you can say about the USA advancing--that and some inspired play to hold Germany to only one goal. I'm curious what the more experienced soccer fans think here--did the USA benefit from the soggy field conditions yesterday? I think everyone felt like Germany was the much better team so I wonder if torrential rains actually helped the underdog USA team. Another argument for the soccer gods pulling the US team forward.

Ha, ha. Always some way to get a dig in on the Cowboys even when it's another sport entirely. I did hear a joke yesterday from a co-worker who like to needle me about the Cowboys. Jerry Jones, inspired by the advancement of Team USA, is trying to figure out a way to tie AND advance to the playoffs. Since Dallas has gone 8-8 the last 3 seasons it may be Dallas only hope to advance. Geez, now even I'm aiding and abetting the Cowboys slammers.

[Big T]

If anything, I believe that the soggy field hampered the Americans. They are know for their ability to break out and run for fast break goals. You did not see that yesterday because the field was playing so slow.

[eagle eye]

What's the scouting report on Belgium? They play next Tuesday and I'm curious if Team USA is going to be a huge underdog. I'm sure Belgium is good to make it this far but I'm interested in BRI points of view on this match. There is speculation Joze could be back for that match.

[Big T]

IMO, the two teams are about even when it comes to talent. One thing is for sure, the US is not a huge underdog.

[eagle eye]

In the discussion on Mike and Mike this morning there were two things clear. 1) The USA has got a definite chance to beat Belgium tonight and 2) there was a debate about how effective Jozy Altidore would be IF he even plays. I didn't realize how stringent the substitution rules are for soccer matches and the reasoning was if Altidore plays it won't be until late if the US is trying to protect a lead or if they need a score. Either way it should be an interesting side bar to the match.

[eagle eye]

All you can say after today's USA/Belgium match is DAMN! For 93 minutes nobody scored then in the 30 minute extra period a total of 3 goals were scored. Unfortunately, for Team USA they were on the short end of that stick losing to Belgium 2-1. US goal keeper Tim Howard was brilliant but you have to feel like he ran out of luck in the extra period. Belgium had so many shots on goal during the match it was inevitable that his luck and skill would run out in the Brazilian heat. The heartbreaking thing is the USA almost won in the final seconds of the penalty minutes at the end of regulation when a header off a corner kick flew harmlessly over the top of the goal. It was such a hard fought match it would have been a shame for either team to lose but obviously I was rooting for the good guys. Sometimes the good guys don't always win. Belgium moves on to the quarter finals and the USA gets to come home but they can hold their heads high because they represented us very well, very well indeed.

[Big T]

I was only able to catch bits and snatches of the games today as I am in San Antonio with my mother and she is not a sports fan. Lol It was a hard fought game and I am not disappointed. Just think of what a team like this can do in four to eight years... The US is on a meteoric rise lead by Jürgen Klinnsman and in the next couple of years we are going to the development of his young players that he has found and are training in camps around the US and Europe. The US will be true contenders in eight years.

[baller]

The USA was outplayed for much of the game including time of possession and shots on goal.They did have a great chance to score in stoppage time and win.After Belgium scored two goals in the extra 30 minute period the USA played well and had multiple great chances to tie the game.The USA goalie had a game for the ages and was superbly positioned time and time again.Belgium was definitely better today but the USA is making strides.We should be proud of our team.

[eagle eye]

It's down to the semi's now. Brazil vs German (that should be a good match between maybe the best team in the tournament, Germany, and the home country rep, Brazil) and the Netherlands vs Argentina. Who do you guys think will be in the final?

According to the betting odds Argentina is favored to win it all with the other three teams all in the same area odds-wise. Since Brazil's best player, Neymar, was injured in the win over Columbia (I wonder which Columbia team member is murdered for this loss?) making the Brazilians chances of winning it all somewhat remote.

[eagle eye]

Okay, don't be one of those guys who claims he KNEW Brazil was going to be blown out by a score of 7-1 by Germany. I would buy it if you said Germany would win because Brazil was without their best player, Neymar who suffered a broken vertebrae in his back in the win over Columbia and the Brazilian team captain, Thiago Silva, who was serving a suspension after his second yellow card of the tournament in the same match vs Columbia. How could you could expect the Brazilians to win with such big hits to their roster? However, nobody, but nobody, could have predicted the Brazilian team would go into the tank being so close to the finish line. They hardly put up a fight falling behind in the 1st half 6-0. The fact is Germany showed some sportsmanship deliberately missing a goal in the second have and making a half-hearted effort to allow the Brazilians to score a goal late in the match. The pro Brazilian crowd chanted "OLE" for the Germans while booing their own team off the field. That's kind of like the way the Russian crowd turned around and cheered for Rocky Balboa when he defeated Soviet champ Ivan Drago. (Rocky IV in case you forgot.)

Do soccer fans take the sport too seriously? ESPN's Mike Tirico said that the announcer in the stadium encouraged German fans to remain in the stadium until they could be escorted out of the stadium by the authorities to avoid confrontations with Brazilian fans. Really? Soccer fans seem to want to take "fan-atic" to a different level. People, it's just a game. People don't have to be injured or die if your team loses. Sheesh.

[Big T]

Well, I can honestly say that I was not in the least surprised. Now was I expecting Germany to hang 7? No I wasn't. But I wasn't surprised in the least bit when they did. Germany is just that good and Brazil was a dejected team who was missing their best player and without him are just that average.

[eagle eye]

It's Argentina that has to face the Germans. In an earlier post I noted that Argentina was the favorite to win the World Cup and it seems the odds makers kind of know what they are talking about. Argentina had a rough go of through regulation and the 30 minute extra period. The Netherlands actually scored a goal but the scorer was off sides. Wow. However, in the penalty kicks at the end of the game Argentina took control and won. So the weekend is set. Brazil and the Netherlands in the consolation match and Germany facing Argentina for the Cup. Should be good. The only relevant question will Brazil be any better with team captain Thiago Silva back in the lineup? Or, will the ass whoopin' at the hands, or feet, of Germany demoralize them to the point of being neutered?

[baller]

Messi needs to have an impact on today's match against Germany for Argentina to win.His father Jorge has said that he is exhausted and feels"as if his legs weigh 100 kilos each." I hope this is just gamesmanship or Argentina may be in for a very long match.The 5'7" Messi is the inspirational straw that stirs Argentina's drink.

[Big T]

I don't care what type of game Messi has, it's Germany all the way.

[eagle eye]

The Argentines have had one less day of rest than Germany but it's still been four days. After the past weeks of the World Cup everyone is tired. Germany has the luxury of not playing extra minutes and a free kick period like Argentina and that extra day of rest. Argentina's marathon against the Netherlands didn't help but it didn't seem to hurt the Netherlands as they bashed the Brazilians yesterday. You're in the final of the biggest soccer event on the planet Messi will run on adrenaline. That's just what great players do in any sport. I think the Germans have been surgical in the way they've dismantled their opponents so far. The USA came the closest to beating them and we were dominated in every stastical category except the score. So, to make a long story a little shorter, I agree with Big T. Germany, baby!

[baller]

Halftime and both teams have had scary good chances to break the 0-0 tie.I too think the percentages are in Germany's favor but goals are so precious and the better team doesn't win as often in this sport as in some others.I am pleased the officials have not red carded anyone in such an important match.

[baller]

Congratulations to Germany for winning 1-0 scoring in second extra 15 minute period on a beautiful cross and equally special shot.It is the first World Cup championship for a European team to win in the Americas.Argentina had more quality opportunities than many thought they would have but Germany was the better team and scored the most goals in the tournament.On a more personal note,my wife,a devoted Lamar basketball fan, commented she sure is glad she didn't have to stay standing until her team scored like at basketball games.

[eagle eye]

The only thing left to wonder about is this, will anyone give a crap about soccer until the next World Cup? The last two WC's ended and you barely hear about the sport unless you specifically look. Is Colin Cowherd right, that soccer is growing and will be bigger than baseball very soon? Or is he full of crap and soccer goes back to being a niche sport that lives on ESPN the Ocho? (C'mon, you gotta love a "Dodgeball" reference!)

[Big T]

The average age of Soccer fans in the US is 37. That is compared to 46 for football and 53 for baseball. Soccer is growing in leaps and bounds and it is growing more and more popular with the young people of America. I can get into all of the political reasons of why it is now growing and why it will continue to grow in America, but it would piss someone off. But, one f the main reasons it continues to grow is the growth of the game at the low levels. More and more kids are starting to play and fall in love with the game. This allows the scouts to find more and more talent which then increases the level at which the game in America is played. It is a safe sport for a kid to play unlike football, it is a cheap sport for kids to play unlike baseball, and there is a culture of refinement that goes along with the sport that is lacking sometimes in basketball. (That is part of the politics) Sunday night, Seattle played Portland at CenturyLink Field and sold it out. It also had one of the highest TV ratings for an MLS game ever. The movement is unstoppable and I say in ten years the MLS will be the second largest sport in America surpassing Baseball and the NBA.

[eagle eye]

Wow, Big T, bold prediction! 2nd biggest sport?! In ten short years. I would say that soccer is still reaping the World Cup mania benefits and I would be more impressed if you told me the sold out game in Seattle and Portland was more than a one-time deal. Now, it think soccer is more popular in the northwest than it is other parts of the country so this may not be an unusual event but, I do think the close proximity to the World Cup means the attendence may have been something to do with that. You hear ads on ESPN Houston for the Dynamo lauding players fresh from the WC so come out and watch your Houston Dynamo. It's smart marketing but it doesn't necessarily mean long term results.
Teaching refinement in the sport? From the players constantly flopping to cheap shots all the way to fans (in other countries at this point) killing players or one another if they lose. All I can say is God help us if that's refinement. I understand that tennis depends on the integrity of tthe players and their opponents for matches not to devolve into a fist fight but the petulant nature of some players doesn't send a good message to fans. Golf has an unwritten LAW that there is a level of integrity that really goes deeper than tradition that honestly demands a person to be of high character to really be worth playing with. By far, I believe golf fosters the notion of being a high character individual. You want to teach kids about integrity and honor? Steer them to golf because every single sport I know of outside of darts and shuffleboard is about pushing the limits of the rules and benefiting when you get away with breaking one or more of the rules. Golfers call penalties on themselves on a regular basis. In golf, following the rules is everything. I know of no other sport like golf in this regard.
Now, I'm not saying Big T is wrong. If the new commissioner of baseball is a Bud Selig clone baseball will continue to lose traction among fans. Selig clung to tradition to the extent that he retarded allowing the game to morph into the 21st century. He turned a blind eye to the steroid issue until freaking congress had to get involved. Replay just now is being introduced. I think baseball does itself a disservice by fostering so-called "select" teams traveling all over playing tournament and that is happening year round now. By the time a kid in, or just out, of high school gets to that level they are burned out. The new commissioner has to be more visionary and rely less on it's past. I'm not saying forget who's gone before but that's why there's a Hall of Fame. Stuff like the arbitrary strike zone that exists from one umpire to another is total BS. Use the technology to call balls and strikes. This crap of calling a strike an inch outside the black on the plate is totally unfair to the batter. But, we're talking soccer. I'll be interested to see what happens.

[Big T]

Wow, Big T, bold prediction! 2nd biggest sport?! In ten short years. I would say that soccer is still reaping the World Cup mania benefits and I would be more impressed if you told me the sold out game in Seattle and Portland was more than a one-time deal. Now, it think soccer is more popular in the northwest than it is other parts of the country so this may not be an unusual event but, I do think the close proximity to the World Cup means the attendence may have been something to do with that. You hear ads on ESPN Houston for the Dynamo lauding players fresh from the WC so come out and watch your Houston Dynamo. It's smart marketing but it doesn't necessarily mean long term results.
Teaching refinement in the sport? From the players constantly flopping to cheap shots all the way to fans (in other countries at this point) killing players or one another if they lose. All I can say is God help us if that's refinement. I understand that tennis depends on the integrity of tthe players and their opponents for matches not to devolve into a fist fight but the petulant nature of some players doesn't send a good message to fans. Golf has an unwritten LAW that there is a level of integrity that really goes deeper than tradition that honestly demands a person to be of high character to really be worth playing with. By far, I believe golf fosters the notion of being a high character individual. You want to teach kids about integrity and honor? Steer them to golf because every single sport I know of outside of darts and shuffleboard is about pushing the limits of the rules and benefiting when you get away with breaking one or more of the rules. Golfers call penalties on themselves on a regular basis. In golf, following the rules is everything. I know of no other sport like golf in this regard.
Now, I'm not saying Big T is wrong. If the new commissioner of baseball is a Bud Selig clone baseball will continue to lose traction among fans. Selig clung to tradition to the extent that he retarded allowing the game to morph into the 21st century. He turned a blind eye to the steroid issue until freaking congress had to get involved. Replay just now is being introduced. I think baseball does itself a disservice by fostering so-called "select" teams traveling all over playing tournament and that is happening year round now. By the time a kid in, or just out, of high school gets to that level they are burned out. The new commissioner has to be more visionary and rely less on it's past. I'm not saying forget who's gone before but that's why there's a Hall of Fame. Stuff like the arbitrary strike zone that exists from one umpire to another is total BS. Use the technology to call balls and strikes. This crap of calling a strike an inch outside the black on the plate is totally unfair to the batter. But, we're talking soccer. I'll be interested to see what happens.


Seattle and Portland both sell out every game no matter what.

[eagle eye]

Gotta love the Pacific Northwest! How do Houston, LA, Washington and Philly do? I'm lazy and I don't want to do the research and you know a lot more than me about this anyway. I can be willing to admit I'm wrong but the way soccer disappeared from the front page the last two times it makes you wonder.

[LUSportsFan]

Doesn't look too shabby per the linked page of MLS 2014 average attendance...not nearly as much as the Sounders, but they would need to have matches at NRG to have capacity to match that.

http://mlsattendance.blogspot.com/?m=0

Sent from my Android device using Tapatalk2

[Big T]

Gotta love the Pacific Northwest! How do Houston, LA, Washington and Philly do? I'm lazy and I don't want to do the research and you know a lot more than me about this anyway. I can be willing to admit I'm wrong but the way soccer disappeared from the front page the last two times it makes you wonder.


Philly is a great MLS town. Houston, not so much. LA and NYC are both in the same boat in that they have great fan bases and get TV ratings but they rarely completely fill up their stadiums. Washington is a great soccer city but they play in old RFK and it's just a complete dump. They are getting their new stadium however. NE, Col, Columbus, and Dallas are all very mediocre when it comes to fan base. KC, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Toronto, Real Salt Lake, Orlando though they have not officially played their first MLS game, and Philly all have rabid fan bases. Chicago is a soccer town but for some reason it has not been able to build a MLS fan base. It's a very odd situation there and I think it may be best to move the fire to a town like SA and start all over in Chicago. The Fire front office just hasn't been able to sell a product there.

[LUSportsFan]

Explain why Houston support is poor.

Houston is averaging around 2,000 more in attendance than Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a higher percentage attendance, but their stadium has a smaller capacity; 18,500 vs 22,039 for Houston. Houston would have sold out every match this season if they were in Philadelphia's stadium. Attendance at BBVA Compass is running between 89-94% this season.

Houston is outdrawing New York by around 1,500 per game and at the first part of the season by 3,500 - 4,000.

Houston was averaging over 20,000 in the early part of the season. Attendance has dropped to a current ~19,500 over the season as it has with some of the other clubs, but Houston is having a very disappointing season, next to last in the Eastern standings. According to an MLS article yesterday, the Dynamo are "...suffering through as worse a defensive stretch as any in Houston Dynamo history...".* Even so they are still outdrawing a lot of others. Might have been good season ticket sales with a lot of no shows as the season progressed.

--------

As far as building the fan base for the game and ultimately MLS, I don't know about the rest of the city, but there are several large complexes with numerous fields here in West Houston that are always full. It has come a long way from many years ago when I was in Boy Scouts and we were introduced to this very strange game called soccer. :)

*Link to MLS 7/16/2014 article: http://m.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/07/16/goals-starting-come-back-houston-dynamo-turn-attention-leaky-defense

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[Big T]

Watch a Dynamo game, the stadium is usually only about half full if that. You know how you watch a Rockets game and they announce a sellout and you look at the stands and there are empty seat everywhere? That's because large corporations and businesses buy tickets and no one goes to the games or matches. Same in BBVA Compass Stadium. It is usually kinda bare. They sell tickets but no one goes to the games. Plus, there is no buzz in H-Town about the Dynamo. Houston is not a soccer city.

[Big T]

One last thing about Houston; I am a Seattle Sounders supporter. Every year for the last four years I have made the trek to Houston and to Dallas twice to watch them play the Dynamo and FC Dallas. Two out of those for years, the traveling Seattle Supporters have outnumbered the Dynamo Supporters and they always outnumber the FC Dallas supporters. I am not talking overall fans, but the Supporters Groups. The Dynamo have one of the smaller Supporters groups in MLS.

[LUSportsFan]

Good discussion...

I think comparing the Dynamo fan group with the Sounders fan group may not tell a whole lot except that the Sounders fan group and attendance is a statistical anomaly. There is NO ONE in all of MLS that has attendance close to the Sounders. I think the take-away is that the other clubs need to find out the Sounders' recipe and try to emulate it.

I look at overall attendance numbers and the Dynamo is not that far off from the rest of the league. It may be corporations buying the tickets, but that takes the market away from individuals. Paid attendance of 90-95% only leaves 1,000-1,500 seats available for purchase. I doubt Houston is the only place corporations purchase seats. I guess the corporations use the seats more at the other locations. Another explanation might be an air-condition society avoiding the heat and humidity in the middle of summer at a closed in stadium.


...In Houston, the advantage is the heat, something we saw the Timbers struggle with against FC Dallas at the formerly named Pizza Hut Park last year. Houston, however, has one upped their northern neighbors by not including any sort of breezeways in the stadium. In a few words, there will be no air blowing through...


http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2012/5/10/3012506/surviving-hell-playing-against-heat-bbva-compass-stadium

I'm not sure why anyone would design a stadium to be hot; especially in Houston, but that's apparently what the BBVA Compass folks did.

Looking at attendance figures across the league, one can quickly see that support for most of the West Coast clubs is higher than support in other parts of the country. Just about every West Coast club has capacity or near capacity attendance (except Los Angeles).

I think another mistake the Dynamo (as well as Rockets and Astros) made is signing a long term contract with ComcastSportsNet Houston. (The Rockets and Astros are on both ends of that since they are part owners in the network.) Only 40% of the city gets access to the network...I don't. One could make the argument that lack of TV would increase the attendance, but a counter argument would be that lack of TV closes off access of a casual fan to acquire an interest in the sport.

[eagle eye]

Your reference to the attendance of MLS game on the left coast sort of explains itself. The left coast states are sort of touchy-feely types who would embrace soccer because little Trevor is too frail for flag football and not worth a damn at baseball. They always give participation trophies in soccer so it boosts his self esteem. You've got your surfer crowd and skateboarding blew up there and the tree hugging nation was born on the left coast. Washington state gave us Starbuck's ($5 coffee), Nike athletic shoes ($140 shoes made for 20 bucks in Indonesian sweat shops) and grunge (a form of music crying about how much their lives suck or how their childhoods sucked, or both). You can see where lefties would be huge soccer fans. The rest of the country just isn't like that. Keeping it real in California would get a person shot in Texas. The east coast is so blue collar I'd wager the fans there are silicone valley rejects doing IT work because they didn't have enough jobs where they came from. The upper midwest stays too freaking cold too long to really embrace a sport that competes with football and baseball. As for Chicago, those people in the Windy City, America's Slaughter House, soccer is offensive to those who fancy themselves a badass because of the climate they live in to ever embrace a sport as "sissy-fied" as soccer. So, knowing this, is it possible that this sport even has a future in the USA? Because the difference in attitudes and with the price of property through the ceiling and the incredibly bad state of their economies, especially California, it's possible they could get kicked out of the Union. We would become a 47 or 46 state country. Soccer #1? Not a chance.





Hopefully you realize my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek. Don't get mad Big T!