CONCACAF (soccer)

is that where the new mls team will play? looks pretty nice.

yeah it is. they'll close off the upper bowl though so it'll seat about 25k (last night's reported attendance was 56k). the turf needs work though.

I watched USA 1-0 Guatemala (first win there since 88) in a bar with exactly 1.5 other interested people, one patron and one busy bartender. People kept asking if it was the Olympics.

Mexico 2-1 Honduras
Canada 1-1 Jamaica
T&T 3-1 Cuba
Haiti 2-2 Suriname
Costa Rica 1-0 El Salvador

Still USA, Mexico, Costa Rica I'd guess.

wow Guatemala

http://www.soccerbyives.net/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/20/policia.jpg

shit

http://www.soccerbyives.net/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/08/20/policia.jpg

I saw Canada and Jamaica last night in Toronto. It ended in a tie, although Canada really needed the win, and should have beat them. It was perhaps the liveliest crowd I've ever seen at a sporting event in this city. And that includes the SkyDome back when the Jays were winning World Series'. It was bedlam. I thought the stands were in danger of collapsing at some points. The Jamaican fans were out in force too.

I WANTED TO WATCH THAT but it was so late and I didn't know where to go (ie what bar). I love my supporters club but they plan their activities at the WORST bar in order to accommodate people from New Jersey. I need an obliging alternate venue that'll put games on a tv.

C-CAF Champions League (ugh, that NAME) kicks off tomorrow!

http://www.concacaf.com/competitions/champsleague/index.aspx

I'm not sure who to support in this. I suppose one of the MLS teams, but New England and DC are definitely out, Houston probably too, so that leaves Chivas USA... On the other hand, MTL is second-division, so that's cool, and the Mexican sides are probably going to be the most fun to watch.

All of this is going to make for some pretty hilarious fixture congestion down the road. The team that can deal with that aspect will have the best shot.

I saw USA v. Trinidad & Tobago last night. Pretty sad that only 11,000 or so came out for the first home game of the qualifiers, but those that were there were decently loud. 3-0 is nice but not much to be proud of against such a small country. There was a decent amount of away support for the Trinis, which was cool to see.

If Brian Ching is still starting at lone striker in 2010 I am going to shoot myself.

us vs cuba this weekend was the most surreal thing. it looked like a lost videotape from the 70s

Totally, I caught the rebroadcast and was amazed at the unlit stadium watching the players wander around in the half-darkness.

lol @ DC in Champions League. MLS teams just don't have the depth to be able to compete in tournaments like this one.

A Mexican sports daily is pinning its hopes of beating the United States in a World Cup qualifying match on voodoo — with help from a U.S-based electronics chain. An advertisement in the sports daily Record on Tuesday invited fans to clip coupons and redeem them at their local Radio Shack store for a voodoo-doll likeness of a U.S. player.

lol I almost posted that yesterday

it's OK, the pitch in Columbus is ready for them

http://blackandgoldstandard.com/Images/2009/01/p1080047_01.jpg

the story that won't die

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iN6wSlOTtezFO-u0vUFYXQH7JfOwD966FEC00

i am taking the day off and walking to 'the kangaroo and kiwi' a bar i've never been to with a charming introductory statement http://www.kangarooandkiwipub.com/ (speakers on). is cheering in a bar always going to be weird? it'll be like 4 pm and i'll be bngripped at a bar on a dingy street, an old hooker street, aurora, with kangaroos and kiwis>?

i don't wanna predict becauze i don't wanna jinx anything, but i'd be interested in hearing others' predictions

Are you asking for bar predictions or game predictions? My bar prediction is that it will be weird but fun, because that has been my usual soccer pub experience.

As for the game... I don't like how overconfident a lot of the pro-USA internet writers and supporters have been. This is the first time there seems to be a consensus that we're favored against Mexico, and that makes me nervous. Still, it's likely going to be a hell of a game. I'm going to say USA 2-1 Mexico, but it'll be down to the wire.

also tomorrow:

Costa Rica v. Honduras
El Salvador v. Trinidad & Tobago

vaguely intersting photo recap of the top 10 USA/Mexico meetings, including Brad Friedel with lol hair

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/us.mexico/content.1.html

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/us.mexico/images/brad-friedel.jpg

http://sportsmedia.ign.com/sports/image/article/763/763357/christian-cage-interview-20070209032424066-000-000.jpg

is this game on tv in the u.k.? what time is kick-off?

well that was good sloppy fun

how about that red card? shit got TESTY

Man the Mexico fans around us were PISSED OFF about that. I couldn't tell if they were angry at the ref, Marquez, or both.

Chant of the night: Estados Unidos jamas ser vencidos!

Sven Out

My bar prediction is that it will be weird but fun

bar prediction otm.
fun: cute kiwi bartender, she made drinks strong
weird: guy next to me after the second US goal, @mexico "yeah, now get THE FUCK out of our country"

oh wait did we win

dos a cero

there was the ever-present crypto-racism (i.e. "mow my lawn") bullshit directed at the Mexicans, but thankfully that stuff is dying and gets shouted down really fast

also Mexico fans at the airport today want Sven to die, basically

my favorite tidbit
As with previous encounters, passions ran high after the match, with U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk receiving a slap to the face from an unnamed Mexican official. Hejduk was unscarred and unfazed after the match, calling the altercation "a love tap."

Over 50,000 in Montreal tonight for Impact v. Santos Laguna in the Champions League, contrast that with just over 10,000 in the same competition for Houston v. Atlante yesterday.

(in Houston)

http://www.fifa.com/clubworldcup/news/newsid=1057278.html

THE CHAAMPIONNNNNS

kind of getting stoked for tonight

UARRRGHGH I'm super stoked but the 10.30 start time is going to make it impossible for me to go out to a bar & watch, plus it'd take me an hour to get home after the game. So far, no one I know has admitted to staying home to watch it quietly.

Laurel have you ever used espn360 to watch games? It might be an option.

Thanks, Dan, but the laptop belongs to my roommate and the wifi belongs to whichever neighboring network we're piggybacking on at that moment, and usually is only good in 40-second chunks before we have to switch networks.

Sorry to shoot down a good suggestion but I basically have no media/electronics options at home. I was fine with that until televised sports became A THING in my life.

Ah, too bad.

Anyway, I'm interested to see who gets a start tonight. I'd really like to see Maurice Edu and Jose Torres get some time because of their recent club successes, but Edu's hurt and this game might be too important to mess around with inexperienced players too much.

Also, I'm curious whether Gonzalo Segares from the Fire gets to play at all for CR.

dan are you going to the qualifier in chicago this weekend?

Per Ives, half the starting XI for CR are going to be card-shy, which combined with really shitty old Astroturf makes me think this could be a hilarious(ly tragic) comedy of errors.

I want to go to the qualifier really bad, but a good friend is having a housewarming party the same night and I'm trying to save my $. I hear it hasn't completely sold out yet, so I might still cave in and go.

(said friend is a fan, so we'll be able to have it on in the background at least)

that fucking suuuuuucked