21 September 2009

Oh, I'm sorry, are we supposed to contribute to this blog?

So, I've been a bit busy these days. Between getting drunk, being awesome, spreading my seed, and trying not to shart, my free time has been totally consumed. I'm still down for SA, and I'm still gonna be bringing the mojo to Cape Town.

Korea continues to amaze and baffle me. I've recently developed a rapport with a Paraguayana empanada restauranteur, who shares my obscure interest in "who the fuck will qualify from South America". Paraguay looks like a lock at this point, and I may have to root for them. My girlfriend suspects that I want to ball this lady, but the truth is, I just dig her amazing carne empanadas (and that's not a slang synonym for "cans").

And, with that, I'm out. I don't have time for this shit, b/c I've been drinking. Read the Stieg Larsson novel "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo". It will knock you out. I must go educate the youth of Korea, after sleeping it off for a few hours. Peace, amigos.

17 September 2009

Best soccer songs?

This is fantastic. Over on the New York Times’ “Goal” blog, photographer John McDermott — who has covered every World Cup since 1982 — talks soccer anthems:

In the 1970s, John McDermott started taking pictures of the North American Soccer League, photographing players like George Best, Franz Beckenbauer and Pelé. He became a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated and Newsweek, and has covered every World Cup since 1982. He was a member of the FIFA Photographers Pool at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.

In his second Ultimate XI for the Goal blog, McDermott puts down the camera and grabs his headphones to listen to the tunes that make being a soccer fan anywhere in the world a treat (or not) to the ears … the best soccer songs on the planet (in order of preference).


It’s about what you’d expect — “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is #1 — but there are YouTube links and fun mini-anecdotes about each. However, through what must have been a clerical oversight, McDermott missed what must be one of the cruelest-yet-funniest soccer songs of all time: “Always Look on the Runway for Ice.” Sung to the tune of “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from Monty Python’s “The Life of Brian,” this is sung by fans of pretty much any team Manchester United plays, and refers to an incident in 1958 when a plane carrying the United team crashed on its third takeoff attempt in Munich. Twenty-three of the 44 people on board were killed.

In other exciting World Cup news, I have officially purchased tickets to see the U.S. Men’s National Team take on Costa Rica in the final World Cup qualifier. The match is Oct. 14 here in Washington, D.C., at the friendly confines of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which I affectionately call The Bobby.


The Bobby.


Bring it.

______
* Probably not; I’m sure U.S. fans will be outnumbered by Costa Rican fans.

10 September 2009

More Chelsea Love in South Africa- England In



Chelsea's Frank Lampard and some dude named Gerrard that plays for some crap team in red scored two goals each to see England beat Croatia 5-1 at Wembley. (Some ManU guy scored, too).

It looks like England is "back" and we'll expect to see the London press having them hosting the World Cup trophey for the first time since 1966 in tomorrow's papers.

Oh, and Spain qualified as well.

Now, two of my three teams are in - here's looking at you US of A.

09 September 2009

Key game for Yanks tonight

Team USA has a tough road ahead in World Cup qualifying. I think we all assumed the United States would wind up in South Africa in 2010; it’s become a given in the past decade or so that we’d field a team in the tournament.

But it’s no picnic. Our erratic play has put us in an awkward position. (I blame Sunil Gulati, who could have hired Jürgen Klinsmann when he had the chance.) In CONCACAF, the top three teams qualify, and the fourth-place team plays a one-game playoff with a team from CONMEBOL, the South American zone.

Currently, the Yanks hold the #2 spot, behind Honduras, although both teams have 13 points. Mexico, after languishing in the cellar for a while, follows with 12 points (but an edge on the U.S. team in head-to-head). Costa Rica is in that dangerous fourth spot with the same number of points as Mexico. El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago are fucked, stuck at the bottom with five points each.

So this could get interesting. The USA has only three games left: at Trinidad & Tobago (tonight), at Honduras (Oct. 10) and home against Costa Rica (Oct. 14), a game I will be attending, since it’s at RFK Stadium (a.k.a. “The Bobby”) here in Washington, D.C.

Barring some sort of freak accident, we should emerge from T&T with a win. Honduras is a bitch place to play, and that could easily be a loss. So the key will be Costa Rica — that game could be huge. The Ticos could very well be playing for that third spot, so they’ll be playing their asses off. And we very well could require a win in that final qualifier to keep from dropping.

The good news is that we’re coming off a good, solid home win after besting El Salvador in Utah last Saturday night. The Yanks won, 2-1, although the score should have been 3-1. Clint Dempsey drained one in the 41’ and Jozy Altidore scored in stoppage time in the first half, both off great balls from Landon Donovan (he’s really growing on me, I hate to say). Tim Howard played beautifully, as usual, and we notched the win without defenders Oguchi Onyewu (yellow card accumulation) and Jay DeMerit (injury).

After watching that game, however, I was reminded of a simple truth we should keep in mind over these next three games: FIFA referees hate the United States. The U.S. simply isn’t going to get calls their way. Last Saturday’s game reminded me of our 2006 World Cup game against Italy, which might have been one of the all-time greatest officiating travesties of any sport.

Never mind the goal that should have been, the entire game was called unevenly. And that seems to be the way the ball bounces for the Yanks. We’re not going to get any favours, so we might as well shore things up as much as we can and play through it.

(Also: Does it make an ounce (gram) of sense that a Honduran official calls a game between El Salvador and the United States? How about someone from outside CONCACAF?)

08 September 2009

Michael Essien and Ghana...Come on Down!




In happier Chelsea-related news, the Michael Essien-led Ghana national team has qualified for the World Cup.

Michael Essien is revelling in the "fantastic feeling'' of qualifying for the World Cup finals after he scored one of two goals against Sudan to help Ghana seal a place at next year's showpiece event.

The Black Stars, who made their first appearance at the 2006 tournament in Germany, became the first African nation to book their place in South Africa after a 2-0 scoreline in Accra - the result coupled with Benin's 1-1 draw with Mali earlier in the day securing their passage.

Ghana joins hosts South Africa, Brazil, Holland, Japan, Australia, South Korea and North Korea as the eighth team to qualify.

We'll see you in South Africa.

03 September 2009

Chelsea Cheaters

Not to bump Drew’s important post off the top, but this is hot breaking news on Teh Intartubes right now. Twitter is a-twitter. Shit is going down. Besides, this is Drew’s and Scott’s favourite club, so I have to rub it in.

Chelski is in some deep shit with FIFA.

Chelsea have been banned from signing any new players until January 2011 by football’s governing body Fifa.

The Premier League club was found guilty of inducing French winger Gael Kakuta, 18, to breach his contract with Lens when he joined in 2007.

“Chelsea is banned from registering any new players for the two next registration periods,” a statement on Fifa’s website read.


Ouch!

Doesn’t Carlo Ancelotti know cheating makes the Baby Jesus cry?

02 September 2009

The Other Football Starts



We all agree that all of us here at FGOC love soccer. We are all going to the World Cup in South Africa next year to cheer for our favourite teams.


But, since we’ve established that despite most of us living overseas and adopting the world game, we’ve also established two other things.


We’re Americans.


And…


We’re Assholes.


So, I bring you the first weekend of College Football season in all its glory.


Last year, I lived in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and saw very, very little college football, but that will change now that I’m back in Melbourne with a (somewhat) proper Internet connection and Foxtel cable that beams college football games to my little home in Moonee Ponds.


Now, despite me spending four years at the stellar institution of higher learning called Southern Methodist University, my blood runs Razorback Red. You can take the boy out of Arkansas, but you can’t take the Arkansas out of the boy.


The other three guys from FGOC went to some place called Texas A&M University – a former all-boys military school in BFE East Texas.


These two football teams play in exactly one month to renew a rivalry that’s been dormant since 1991 – my first year at that football powerhouse SMU. Plus, the game is at the crappy new JerryDome in Hoover’s hometown of Arlington, Texas.


I’d like to put out there an offer that the four of us try to make the game a little more interesting with a little wager – because both of our teams suck this year and have no hope of playing post-season football. Maybe having to sing the other team’s fight song at a South Africa bar in 2010? Extol the virtues of the winning team throughout the college football season on the blog?


Interested to hear other ideas – and GO HOGS!