Tag Archives: soccer

Are you suffering from soccer withdrawal?

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Soccer writer Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated has put together an article at their website with ways for new soccer fans to capitalize on their new-found interest in the sport. It can be found here.

I don’t have much to add to it, but I highly suggest anyone with a mild interest in the game read it. Hardcore fans probably know everything in his article, but it can be a refresher.

His biggest suggestion I agree with is finding a team to follow. Pick one of the European teams as they have the best players, though an MLS team at home to follow as well can be beneficial.

As for the rest of the article, read it and read it well.

A final pre-World Cup entry

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I know what you’re thinking. You keep wondering why this asshole Michael Street is shoving soccer down your throats like a fat man at a buffet. I apologize. I really do. But I’ve also grown to love this sport, so writing about it keeps me calm as the days and hours tick away until the games begin.

And though some of you out there may yet not understand the significance of football around the globe, it’s not too late to learn. However, I could not come close to explaining it in any way. Thankfully, the folks at Nike Football spared no expense (reportedly this 3 minute long commercial cost $23 million) in showing what just one play in the course of a game can mean for a country.

The way players, fans, and other superstars react from one shot, one pass, one deflection, etc. is truly remarkable. I leave you with the video below. Enjoy.

German Captain Michael Ballack out of World Cup

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The captain of Germany’s World Cup unit has suffered an injury to his right ankle, and will miss the 2010 World Cup. This is a huge loss for the German squad, as Ballack is their stalwart leader who usually dominates the center of the field against any opponent. This is also a big deal for the US team. Germany sits in Group D with Serbia, Ghana, and Australia. This means that the US, in Group C with England, Algeria, and Slovenia, would draw a Group D qualifier in the knockout round (should they survive the group stage).

On paper, the US is the 2nd best team in their group, which means they would be poised to face the Group D winner in a knockout game. Germany minus Ballack has a tough task with a talented Serbian team and a motivated Ghana playing in the first African World Cup. However, they are still the best team in their group, with a mix of top talent and experience from the 2006 WC played on their soil. If they were to win the Group, and the US was to end up in 2nd in their Group, the two squads would face off with the loser going home. A Ballack-less Germany is an easier task than a Ballack-led Germany. And with the matches being played off the European continent, the US should be prepared to lay it all down and possibly reach the quarterfinal round again. Anything can happen from there…

24 days…

I’ve Been Experienced: Chapter 3

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I Have Been Experienced, by Jose Kortez
Table of Contents
I’m sure you racists are all thinking that I’ve been nabbed a bunch by border patrol or something, but that’s only actually happened twice – on the same night. But I’ve got a fairly wild past and I guess it’s inevitable that I’d have a few run ins with the law. So many, in fact, that I’ll be spending a few weeks recounting them all.

Women always seemed surprised by my actions even when they had heard from friends what would happen.

Women always seemed surprised by my actions even when they had heard from friends what would happen.

As with other stories, I’ll give these to you chronologically. Unlike other categories like rape, there are a lot of arrest stories and frankly, I don’t remember them all. That’s not to say they aren’t all spectacular. Just that sometimes with the help of alcohol, things merge together and you eventually forget them. Then you talk to a sane friend and they remember all of the events in detail and are shocked you don’t. That’s my life. Anyway, I’ll present these chronologically, but if I add another one in 5 months, well – my bad.

So, I was a terrific child. Seriously, the kind of kid that a parent dreams about having. I took all advanced courses. Other parents raved about how I was so well behaved. Then something changed. I suspect hormones. You see, I went from having no interest in girls, to only caring about myself and one of the greatest pleasures I could give myself was the company of an attractive young lady.

So, I never had any trouble – no detentions, no parent teacher meetings, not even a B- on a report card. Seriously, there was concern and tears if I got anything less than an A. And much like the ‘Simpson gene,’ right about when I hit puberty, things started to change. By the time I was 16, my first story begins.

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