I concluded my World Cup viewing at Fado in downtown Seattle. While it wasn’t packed to the point where you couldn’t walk (I have seen it that crowded for USA games before, including qualifiers), it was certainly highly populated. The numbers wearing German white/red/black/yellow and Argentine white/blue were almost equal, but the neutrals were overwhelmingly in favor of Germany. Interestingly, the most common jersey I saw was that of the Seattle Sounders (including the one I was wearing). It warmed my heart to see so much hometown support even in the midst of the biggest game in world sport.
The game was edgy, as were the fans, which was understandable with so much on the line. Germany’s goal near the end of extra time to give them the lead was greeted with the largest cheer for any non-U.S. or Colombia goal that I had heard since the first week of the tournament. And it was a fantastic goal, too. Even some of the Argentinian fans applauded the beauty of it, though their faces were stone. In the end, that one goal was enough, and “We Are the Champions” was blared from the speakers as the final whistle blew. For the first time since 1990 (and the first time ever as a unified country), Germany were world champions.
Later that day, my parents and I attended the first professional soccer game in the world after the World Cup - the Sounders-Timbers match at CenturyLink Field. Living in Walla Walla for the past three years, I’ve hardly had any opportunities to go to Sounders games, and I’d forgotten how much I’d missed them. The electric crowd was matched (and, in some cases, surpassed) chant-for-chant by the large Timbers Army contingent. The fire and fireworks were dramatic (and American) touches to the match, although in the area in which I was sitting ash rained down after the fireworks. The match ended 2-0 to Seattle, and I was happy to join in the celebration for Seattle’s second win over Portland in the space of five days.
During the course of this wonderful month of soccer, oe thing that struck me is that, despite significant growth in recent years, soccer is still very much a niche sport in this country. The World Cup may bring out the biggest crowds and a bunch of “bandwagon fans,” but even then there it is apparent that those who pay attention to the entire World Cup are definitely in the minority. Even among those paying close attention to the competition, there was still a clear difference between those who were along for the World Cup ride and those who watch European soccer and/or MLS regularly.
In this way, the World Cup gives a flattering impression of the level of this country’s love for soccer. But this World Cup also provided the first opportunity in 20 years for Americans to see truly top-level soccer in a somewhat-friendly time zone (with all due respect to MLS, the World Cup is a considerable step up in quality). Normally, one must get up at 7am on weekends to watch the English League play, and in the previous World Cup the games started anywhere from 4:30am to 11:30am Pacific Time. This year, the earliest games were 9am in the west, and the latest game (on the tournament’s second day) started at 6pm. And for those further east, the games were even more accessible, with none starting any earlier than noon on the east coast.
The favorable time slots gave many the opportunity to watch great soccer for the first time, and contributed to huge audiences for the games. Everyone I talked to said that bar/viewing party crowds were bigger than they had been in 2010, and many said that the level of support they’d seen for all the games (not just the United States’) would have been unthinkable eight or twelve years ago.
Major tournaments serve as a perfect introductory stage for newcomers to fall in love with the beautiful game. It was one of them which got me hooked, all the way back during the 2004 European Championships. And even though this World Cup is over, plenty more tournaments are coming up in the next two years: the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup (held in Canada, with the final in Vancouver), the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup (the North American championship, held in the United States), Euro 2016 (the European championships, expanded to 24 teams for the first time), Copa America 2016 (the 100-year anniversary of the first South American championship, held in the United States as an all-Americas tournament), and the 2016 Olympic Tournament in Rio de Janeiro. It is my hope that many will flock out to support these tournaments just as they came to support the World Cup. And while most will sadly stop paying attention to the beautiful game until the next major tournament, some will be converted, like I was, and start watching more club soccer year-round. And who knows? We yet may turn this country as soccer-mad as I am.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
SEATTLE - Home, and a Dragon's tale
I was so happy when I saw the Seattle skyline rise up in the distance on Thursday. While I may have seen some incredible places, met some interesting people, and thoroughly enjoyed my trip, there is nothing like coming home to my favorite city in the world.
For the third-place game two days later (the first during my time in Seattle), I went to the George and Dragon, Fremont’s famous soccer pub. This wasn’t my first time at the English pub - I had previously watched my favorite club, Arsenal, play their match against rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup’s third round (round of 64) this past January at 9am. Even at that early hour, the place was busy. Arsenal supporters took up one side of the bar and Tottenham supporters the other. The two sets of fans didn’t really interact much, but the atmosphere was electric, and by 11am I was celebrating along with the rest of the right side of the bar as Arsenal walked out 2-0 winners. In short, I had high expectations.
However, it was a quiet day at the George and Dragon for the third place game. While there were a lot of people there, only a couple were wearing Brazilian colors, and only two were in Dutch orange. The place was rather quiet. After the humiliation their team received at the hands of the Germans, the Brazilian fans were more subdued than usual, and two Dutch goals in the first fifteen minutes didn’t really help matters. Still, I had fun. The drinks and food were good, and I spent the match talking about soccer with my parents and two Brazilian men sitting next to us. In the end, the Dutch won bronze with a 3-0 victory (the first time any team has been shut out in the third place game since Bulgaria lost to Sweden 4-0 in 1994), and the crowd exited rapidly.
I then went to talk to the bartenders. Because I had been away from Seattle for the entire World Cup, and I wanted to know what had been going on in my hometown during the competition.
The people working at the bar were very kind, and willing to talk about all the fun experiences they’d had working during the World Cup. The George and Dragon was packed for many matches of the World Cup, especially in the group stage. One of the women told me that she had to work every day for the first two weeks to deal with the crowds. Everyone showed up full of hope to watch their team. As the tournament went on, some of the crowds thinned as teams got eliminated, but the showing has been very strong for the entire competition.
Aside from the expected masses of Americans and Englishmen, there had been huge contingents of Germans, Argentinians, Dutch, Brazilians, Mexicans, and Colombians. As the tournament progressed, a lot of people came to show CONCACAF (North and Central America’s soccer federation) solidarity with surprises Costa Rica as well. But the biggest surprises of the tournament were the large numbers of Iranians and Algerians, both of whom took up the entire outside deck for their teams’ matches. The Iranians in particular were a delight to host, dancing and cheering throughout their (short) stay in the tournament.
I then asked for particular stories or moments that had stuck in the memories of the bartenders. The first one that came to mind was a fan that they had all dubbed “Tambourine Lady.” A Brazilian woman had come in for a match (they forgot which one) with a tambourine that she banged so hard that it broke mid-match. The bartenders were somewhat grateful for this, as it had been loud and annoying. Another fan that came to mind was a Brazilian man from Brazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany, who was hitting things with his shirt on the way out and ended up hitting one of the bartenders in the face.
In general, the Brazilians were not the best-liked supporters. While they did show up in the biggest numbers, they were also the most rowdy, and not always in a good way. In contrast, the bartenders’ favorite fans were those who supported the Brazilians’ third-place opponents - the Dutch. Whenever the Oranje played, orange filled the bar, along with scarves and feather boas everywhere (the one talking to me told me that there would be orange feathers everywhere for days after a Dutch game).
For the third-place game two days later (the first during my time in Seattle), I went to the George and Dragon, Fremont’s famous soccer pub. This wasn’t my first time at the English pub - I had previously watched my favorite club, Arsenal, play their match against rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup’s third round (round of 64) this past January at 9am. Even at that early hour, the place was busy. Arsenal supporters took up one side of the bar and Tottenham supporters the other. The two sets of fans didn’t really interact much, but the atmosphere was electric, and by 11am I was celebrating along with the rest of the right side of the bar as Arsenal walked out 2-0 winners. In short, I had high expectations.
However, it was a quiet day at the George and Dragon for the third place game. While there were a lot of people there, only a couple were wearing Brazilian colors, and only two were in Dutch orange. The place was rather quiet. After the humiliation their team received at the hands of the Germans, the Brazilian fans were more subdued than usual, and two Dutch goals in the first fifteen minutes didn’t really help matters. Still, I had fun. The drinks and food were good, and I spent the match talking about soccer with my parents and two Brazilian men sitting next to us. In the end, the Dutch won bronze with a 3-0 victory (the first time any team has been shut out in the third place game since Bulgaria lost to Sweden 4-0 in 1994), and the crowd exited rapidly.
I then went to talk to the bartenders. Because I had been away from Seattle for the entire World Cup, and I wanted to know what had been going on in my hometown during the competition.
The people working at the bar were very kind, and willing to talk about all the fun experiences they’d had working during the World Cup. The George and Dragon was packed for many matches of the World Cup, especially in the group stage. One of the women told me that she had to work every day for the first two weeks to deal with the crowds. Everyone showed up full of hope to watch their team. As the tournament went on, some of the crowds thinned as teams got eliminated, but the showing has been very strong for the entire competition.
Aside from the expected masses of Americans and Englishmen, there had been huge contingents of Germans, Argentinians, Dutch, Brazilians, Mexicans, and Colombians. As the tournament progressed, a lot of people came to show CONCACAF (North and Central America’s soccer federation) solidarity with surprises Costa Rica as well. But the biggest surprises of the tournament were the large numbers of Iranians and Algerians, both of whom took up the entire outside deck for their teams’ matches. The Iranians in particular were a delight to host, dancing and cheering throughout their (short) stay in the tournament.
I then asked for particular stories or moments that had stuck in the memories of the bartenders. The first one that came to mind was a fan that they had all dubbed “Tambourine Lady.” A Brazilian woman had come in for a match (they forgot which one) with a tambourine that she banged so hard that it broke mid-match. The bartenders were somewhat grateful for this, as it had been loud and annoying. Another fan that came to mind was a Brazilian man from Brazil’s 7-1 loss to Germany, who was hitting things with his shirt on the way out and ended up hitting one of the bartenders in the face.
In general, the Brazilians were not the best-liked supporters. While they did show up in the biggest numbers, they were also the most rowdy, and not always in a good way. In contrast, the bartenders’ favorite fans were those who supported the Brazilians’ third-place opponents - the Dutch. Whenever the Oranje played, orange filled the bar, along with scarves and feather boas everywhere (the one talking to me told me that there would be orange feathers everywhere for days after a Dutch game).
Friday, July 11, 2014
PORTLAND - To Support and Serve
While they may support a team that I despise, the Timbers Army would be considered by many as the standard among MLS supporters groups when it comes to the combination of rabid fandom and community service. Their tifos and their log-cutting antics are known league-wide, and the Army, often through 107 Independent Supporters Trust (107IST, the governing body for the Timbers Army) gives a lot to improve the soccer community. One of the most interesting bits of community service that they do is Operation Pitch Invasion (OPI), a project by the Timbers Army to improve/construct soccer fields around the Portland area.
I met with Garrett, a member of the Timbers Army at the Horse Brass pub, an English bar where a bunch of the Timbers players used to meet up during the team’s USL days. He told be that OPI began once it became apparent that Portland was going to get an MLS team. The Timbers Army had been around since 2001 (although they were named Cascade Rangers until 2002), but they were, to use Garrett’s words, an “Army without generals.” For the step up to MLS, they wanted to increase organization, as well as increase their presence in the community. At a meeting at Cinema 21, one man, Fernando Machicado, suggested that the group build soccer fields throughout Portland to generate a positive impact on the city and its soccer culture. Everyone loved the idea, and the seeds of OPI were sown.
In Portland, the soccer fields at city parks are, according to Garrett, somewhat underfunded. Even recently, many fields were uneven, dirt, had sprinklers poking out of the ground, or were otherwise less-than-optimal. Improvements were needed, but it didn’t look like the city was going to be able to get to them in the near future.
At first, no one had too much of an idea about how to go about the project. They were able to raise money to help build Harper’s Playground (a playground with wheelchair-friendly equipment, named for the disabled daughter of one of the Timbers Army members), but they didn’t really know how to go about fundraising on a large scale. Garrett told me about how they would occasionally put on small fundraising concerts to raise a little money. But they really got the ball rolling when they started doing “Art Takeovers,” or design shows where they get local designers to create pennants/flags with Timbers designs/slogans and auction them off.
With the money raised from events such as these, OPI was really able to move forward with their plans. One of their proudest achievements in recent years has been the building of Bless Field, a 9,000 square foot, all-weather turf field. Named for Hartmut Bless, a founding member of Timbers Army who had passed away in 2009, the field was designed specifically for youth soccer, and is located in the highly-diverse New Columbia district of Portland. By obtaining Section 501(c)(3) status (which meant that corporations would be able to receive tax deductions for their donations), OPI was able to mobilize many groups, including 107IST, Adidas, and Portland Timbers, to donate generously to the completion of the field.
But OPI has also proved that they don’t need big sums of money to make a positive contribution to the Portland soccer community. Garrett told me that OPI would sometimes gather volunteers and go out to existing fields for a couple hours to make improvements. They’ll flatten out the field, replace dangerous sprinkler heads, and do various other projects to make the fields better and safer. I thanked him profusely for this work, having received a big gash myself from a stray sprinkler head in a soccer game when I was fourteen. Any organization that works to make sure that this and other field-caused injuries don’t happen to future generations of players earns points in my book.
Of course, Operation Pitch Invasion isn’t the only community outreach arm of Timbers Army. Recently, 107IST donated over $5,000 worth of soccer books to Portland schools, and their “Buy Your Capo (chant leader) A Pint” campaign raised funds for a summer camp for Oregon kids with speech, language, and auditory disabilities. While they may support my team’s rivals, they certainly do a lot to help out their community, and that makes the Timbers Army praiseworthy.
I met with Garrett, a member of the Timbers Army at the Horse Brass pub, an English bar where a bunch of the Timbers players used to meet up during the team’s USL days. He told be that OPI began once it became apparent that Portland was going to get an MLS team. The Timbers Army had been around since 2001 (although they were named Cascade Rangers until 2002), but they were, to use Garrett’s words, an “Army without generals.” For the step up to MLS, they wanted to increase organization, as well as increase their presence in the community. At a meeting at Cinema 21, one man, Fernando Machicado, suggested that the group build soccer fields throughout Portland to generate a positive impact on the city and its soccer culture. Everyone loved the idea, and the seeds of OPI were sown.
In Portland, the soccer fields at city parks are, according to Garrett, somewhat underfunded. Even recently, many fields were uneven, dirt, had sprinklers poking out of the ground, or were otherwise less-than-optimal. Improvements were needed, but it didn’t look like the city was going to be able to get to them in the near future.
At first, no one had too much of an idea about how to go about the project. They were able to raise money to help build Harper’s Playground (a playground with wheelchair-friendly equipment, named for the disabled daughter of one of the Timbers Army members), but they didn’t really know how to go about fundraising on a large scale. Garrett told me about how they would occasionally put on small fundraising concerts to raise a little money. But they really got the ball rolling when they started doing “Art Takeovers,” or design shows where they get local designers to create pennants/flags with Timbers designs/slogans and auction them off.
With the money raised from events such as these, OPI was really able to move forward with their plans. One of their proudest achievements in recent years has been the building of Bless Field, a 9,000 square foot, all-weather turf field. Named for Hartmut Bless, a founding member of Timbers Army who had passed away in 2009, the field was designed specifically for youth soccer, and is located in the highly-diverse New Columbia district of Portland. By obtaining Section 501(c)(3) status (which meant that corporations would be able to receive tax deductions for their donations), OPI was able to mobilize many groups, including 107IST, Adidas, and Portland Timbers, to donate generously to the completion of the field.
But OPI has also proved that they don’t need big sums of money to make a positive contribution to the Portland soccer community. Garrett told me that OPI would sometimes gather volunteers and go out to existing fields for a couple hours to make improvements. They’ll flatten out the field, replace dangerous sprinkler heads, and do various other projects to make the fields better and safer. I thanked him profusely for this work, having received a big gash myself from a stray sprinkler head in a soccer game when I was fourteen. Any organization that works to make sure that this and other field-caused injuries don’t happen to future generations of players earns points in my book.
Of course, Operation Pitch Invasion isn’t the only community outreach arm of Timbers Army. Recently, 107IST donated over $5,000 worth of soccer books to Portland schools, and their “Buy Your Capo (chant leader) A Pint” campaign raised funds for a summer camp for Oregon kids with speech, language, and auditory disabilities. While they may support my team’s rivals, they certainly do a lot to help out their community, and that makes the Timbers Army praiseworthy.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
MILWAUKE II - A thriving indoor scene, and an outdoors revival
For all the stick that we give Seattle weather, we really are quite fortunate. Never, in my entire youth, was the weather so bad during soccer season that I had one of my team’s games cancelled. But, as I’ve found out on this trip, there are places in the country that aren’t as lucky, and sometimes special measures have to be taken to ensure that soccer can continue despite mother nature’s wrath. Probably the best example of this I’ve seen is Milwaukee, where I experienced the world of indoor soccer for the first time.
It started out with a national team game. I had gotten wind a couple days earlier that the USA futsal (indoor soccer) team was playing France in a friendly the day I was there. So, after the World Cup’s opening match, I walked across town to the Milwaukee School of Engineering for the match. The first thing that struck me was how well attended the match was. While I had heard of futsal before, I had never heard anyone in Seattle talk about it, nor had I ever seen a match. But this game packed the (admittedly small) hockey arena of MSOE, with people having to stand on the concourse because all the seats were taken.
The match itself was quite entertaining. The smaller field and reduced team size made for a much faster pace of play, and it was the perfect setting for the showing off of each player’s skill on the ball. In a way, it was like hockey, with teams setting up their offense in the “attacking zone” like they do in hockey, and with the USA bringing their goalie up to be an extra attacker in the final minutes in search of an equalizer. In the end, however, the French emerged with a 5-3 victory.
During the match, I spoke with Forest Richter, a member of American Outlaws Milwaukee. He described the city as “thirsty for soccer.” Milwaukee’s most recent pro team, the Rampage of A-League (the USA’s second division at the time), folded in 2002. Several attempts to get an MLS franchise in the city in the last twenty years have also failed. Despite this, Milwaukee has a rich soccer history and a thriving indoor soccer scene. Brian McBride, a US soccer legend, started his career out with the Rampage, and the current coach of the United States futsal team, Keith Tozer, was the longtime coach for the Wave, Milwaukee’s indoor team. During this time, he was very active in the community, always willing to talk to fans and win them over to indoor soccer, making the sport’s popularity bigger in Milwaukee than it is in many other areas of the country, as was evidenced by the large crowd at the USA-France match.
In many ways, the thriving indoor scene is brought on by the climate in Milwaukee. The harsh winters make playing outdoors year-round impossible, and makes the maintaining of full-sized outdoor fields difficult. Because of this, the city of Milwaukee has very few outdoor fields, especially compared to its (richer) suburbs. This in turn has led to the game becoming a sport for the suburbanites, with the city high school teams constantly struggling against their suburban counterparts and the city teams in the local adult leagues struggling to find spaces to practice and play outside.
There are those spearheading a charge to change this, however. Quite by chance, I stumbled across James Moran as I was leaving MSOE. James is the founder and leader of the Milwaukee Soccer Development Group. The purpose of MSDG is to both show people that they can play soccer on any open space of grass (they don’t need a fully-marked field to play outdoor soccer), and yet at the same time to get more land from the city to create more fields, particularly so that the (largely Latino and African American) city teams in the local adult leagues have a guaranteed place to play. The ultimate goal is to make playing soccer affordable for everyone in the city, and to get the city teams on a level playing field with those from the suburbs.
To do this, MSDG organizes events throughout the Milwaukee area to increase interest in soccer. The one James was promoting at the futsal match was SoccerFest 2014, an event to “promote diversity, sustainability, health and wellness, and fair play” through soccer. The event featured mini-games (footgolf, soccer tennis, etc.), a skills competition, a 3v3 tournament, and “the cage”, a 1v1 game inside a small cage. James told me that he was extremely happy with how supportive the city had been for the event, saying that they had gotten great publicity on the internet and on TV, and that he’d even gotten someone from the Mayor’s office to help promote it. In the end, Moran believed the event had been a success, calling it “one of the best days ever,” and was even more blown away by how much Milwaukee has embraced the World Cup this past month.
It started out with a national team game. I had gotten wind a couple days earlier that the USA futsal (indoor soccer) team was playing France in a friendly the day I was there. So, after the World Cup’s opening match, I walked across town to the Milwaukee School of Engineering for the match. The first thing that struck me was how well attended the match was. While I had heard of futsal before, I had never heard anyone in Seattle talk about it, nor had I ever seen a match. But this game packed the (admittedly small) hockey arena of MSOE, with people having to stand on the concourse because all the seats were taken.
The match itself was quite entertaining. The smaller field and reduced team size made for a much faster pace of play, and it was the perfect setting for the showing off of each player’s skill on the ball. In a way, it was like hockey, with teams setting up their offense in the “attacking zone” like they do in hockey, and with the USA bringing their goalie up to be an extra attacker in the final minutes in search of an equalizer. In the end, however, the French emerged with a 5-3 victory.
During the match, I spoke with Forest Richter, a member of American Outlaws Milwaukee. He described the city as “thirsty for soccer.” Milwaukee’s most recent pro team, the Rampage of A-League (the USA’s second division at the time), folded in 2002. Several attempts to get an MLS franchise in the city in the last twenty years have also failed. Despite this, Milwaukee has a rich soccer history and a thriving indoor soccer scene. Brian McBride, a US soccer legend, started his career out with the Rampage, and the current coach of the United States futsal team, Keith Tozer, was the longtime coach for the Wave, Milwaukee’s indoor team. During this time, he was very active in the community, always willing to talk to fans and win them over to indoor soccer, making the sport’s popularity bigger in Milwaukee than it is in many other areas of the country, as was evidenced by the large crowd at the USA-France match.
In many ways, the thriving indoor scene is brought on by the climate in Milwaukee. The harsh winters make playing outdoors year-round impossible, and makes the maintaining of full-sized outdoor fields difficult. Because of this, the city of Milwaukee has very few outdoor fields, especially compared to its (richer) suburbs. This in turn has led to the game becoming a sport for the suburbanites, with the city high school teams constantly struggling against their suburban counterparts and the city teams in the local adult leagues struggling to find spaces to practice and play outside.
There are those spearheading a charge to change this, however. Quite by chance, I stumbled across James Moran as I was leaving MSOE. James is the founder and leader of the Milwaukee Soccer Development Group. The purpose of MSDG is to both show people that they can play soccer on any open space of grass (they don’t need a fully-marked field to play outdoor soccer), and yet at the same time to get more land from the city to create more fields, particularly so that the (largely Latino and African American) city teams in the local adult leagues have a guaranteed place to play. The ultimate goal is to make playing soccer affordable for everyone in the city, and to get the city teams on a level playing field with those from the suburbs.
To do this, MSDG organizes events throughout the Milwaukee area to increase interest in soccer. The one James was promoting at the futsal match was SoccerFest 2014, an event to “promote diversity, sustainability, health and wellness, and fair play” through soccer. The event featured mini-games (footgolf, soccer tennis, etc.), a skills competition, a 3v3 tournament, and “the cage”, a 1v1 game inside a small cage. James told me that he was extremely happy with how supportive the city had been for the event, saying that they had gotten great publicity on the internet and on TV, and that he’d even gotten someone from the Mayor’s office to help promote it. In the end, Moran believed the event had been a success, calling it “one of the best days ever,” and was even more blown away by how much Milwaukee has embraced the World Cup this past month.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Why the last four matches should be amazing
While this tournament has seen its fair share of surprising results (Mexico drawing Brazil, Algeria and the USA getting through their groups, Costa Rica reaching the last eight for the first time ever), the final four have an incredible pedigree.
BRAZIL - 5-time champions (most in World Cup history) appearing in their 11th semifinal. To impress the magnitude of that on you, this is only the 20th World Cup. Brazil has won 1/4 of all the World Cups, and has been in the last four of more than half. This is their first time in the semifinals since 2002 (when they won it all), which might not seem like a long absence (it is just two Cups), but for Brazil that is an eternity.
GERMANY - 3-time champions (3rd-most in World Cup history) appearing in their 13th semifinal, which gives them the record for the most top-four World Cup finishes. This is their fourth straight semifinal, which is also a record. However, despite all this recent success, Germany hasn't lifted the World Cup since 1990, and hasn't won any major title since the 1996 European Championship. The German fans are desperate for that drought to end.
ARGENTINA - 2-time champions (tied with Uruguay for 4th-most in World Cup history) appearing in their 5th semifinal. This is their first time in the last four since 1990 (the longest drought of this years semifinalists). Interestingly, Argentina has never lost a semifinal in the World Cup. They are seeking their first title since 1986.
NETHERLANDS - The only semifinalists yet to win the World Cup, this will be the 5th semifinal for the Dutch (who were runners-up in 2010). While the Germans have lost more finals, no team has been to the final as many times as the Netherlands (three times) and never won it. The Dutch, for their illustrious reputation as a soccer giant, have only ever won one major title, the 1988 European Championship. Like their semifinal opponents Argentina, the Netherlands also has a fantastic record in World Cup semifinals, only losing one of their previous four (to Brazil in 1998).
Fantastic pedigrees like that should be enough to whet anyone's appetite for the last four. But this year, we get even more: every single semifinal match and potential final/3rd-place game is oozing with history that should make these clashes sing.
SEMIFINALS
Germany-Brazil: - Two of the three most successful nations in World Cup history, and yet this is only the second time ever they've met in a World Cup. The only other time was the 2002 final, a 2-0 win for Brazil.
POTENTIAL FINAL/THIRD-PLACE GAMES
Netherlands-Brazil - This match defined the 90s World Cups. 1994 quarterfinal (Brazil won), 1998 semifinal (Brazil won again). Also, rematch of the 2010 quarterfinal where Netherlands knocked Brazil out 2-1.
Netherlands-Germany - Europe's biggest rivalry. They hate each other. Also, this is a rematch of the 1974 World Cup final and the Euro 1988 final (where Netherlands won their only ever major title). And they played each other in the group stage of Euro 2012 (Germany won).
Germany-Argentina - Huge rivalry back in the day, and it remains potent even now. 1986 World Cup final (Argentina won). 1990 World Cup final (Germany won). Also, Germany eliminated Argentina in the past two World Cups, both times in the quarterfinals.
Argentina-Brazil - Probably the biggest international rivalry in the world. They hate each other so much. A Brazilian that I met in South Africa four years ago was always ready to point out that he would never support Argentina as a neutral. And when the Netherlands eliminated Brazil in the quarterfinals, the biggest celebrations in Cape Town didn't come from the cities sizable Dutch population, but from the elated Argentinians, who were dancing on tables in delight. However, they haven't met in a World Cup since Argentina knocked Brazil out in the round of 16 in 1990.
Basically: This should be good.
BAY AREA - A diverse city with supporters from many nationalities
In the Bay Area, I got my first opportunity to watch an entire World Cup round, the quarterfinals, in one location. It was a nice experience, with sparse crowds at the Pyramid Brewery for the first game of the first day (Germany vs. France), but packed houses for every other match. In particular, it was a lot of fun watching Netherlands vs. Costa Rica at Danny Coyle’s. I somehow ended up hitting it off with a large group of crazy guys (and a couple girls), all in their mid-to-late 20s. We joked, laughed, gasped, and drank our way through the extremely tight game. When the Dutch subbed on keeper Tim Krul in the last minute (and every time he made a save in the penalty shootout), our little group filled the bar with a chant of “Krul! Krul! Krul!” In short, watching the games here was fantastic.
The day after the quarterfinals, I met with Momo, a Bay Area native who has followed soccer for the last nine years. Since most of her soccer-watching friends were international students from college, Momo was able to give me a unique insight on what she saw as the interesting differences between the supporter culture of some of the different nationalities in the diverse San Francisco Bay Area.
Momo is of Japanese descent, with both of her parents having been born in Japan. Therefore, she has a lot of experience with the Japanese and Japanese-American supporter culture, having watched games in Japan in the past and having organized a viewing party for the Samurai Blue’s first game of the World Cup, against Cote d’Ivoire. From her observations, Momo reported that the Japanese tend to be quite reserved when watching their team play. They are, according to her, “well-mannered and quiet” with not much chanting and somewhat limited cheering for big events. However, the Japanese are knowledgeable. Even though most of the people who attended the viewing party that she set up weren’t “super soccer followers,” they still knew everyone on the Japanese team and were able to make observations on some of the finer points of the game. Also, despite Japan’s disappointing performance this World Cup, there was little negativity from their supporters. Momo told me that Japanese culture values how you present yourself to others, so this precluded any overt public disparaging of the team. In addition, it also meant that the team and the country’s FA were very apologetic over their performance, going so far as to release a press report to say they were sorry for letting the fans down. After the viewing party (Japan lost to Cote d’Ivoire, 2-1), many came up to thank Momo for putting it together, grateful that she was able to bring them together in love for country and sport.
With the Koreans she knows, it is a completely different story. When Momo first started getting into soccer in 2005, most of her international student soccer friends were Korean, so she got to observe them watching their team in multiple World Cups, including going to a viewing party with her friends in 2010. The first thing she stressed about the Koreans is that they are extremely loud and excitable. At the viewing party she went to, energy was abundant. Chanting and yelling were omnipresent, as was the banging of inflatable thundersticks. Her international student friends were only focused on the Korean team, and even within the Korean team the spotlight was mostly on the several stars who played on European teams. And just as the Koreans are more outgoing than the Japanese in terms of their support, they are also more open with their criticism. She brought up a story about how a Korean fan greeted the team at the Inchon airport after their sub-par performance by throwing toffee at them (a degrading Korean insult). She added that, in general, the Koreans just aren’t very optimistic.
And then we came to the third nationality - the Americans. While Momo made sure to emphasize the energy the Koreans had, she immediately said that Americans “kick it up a notch.” For them, everything must be flashy. Their entire body must be covered in red, white, and blue. For many, that includes facepaint (while volunteering to do facepainting for the USA-Portugal viewing party at Civic Park, she received several requests to paint an American flag covering the person’s face). Americans also know a lot about their own team, but most lack the knowledge of the game’s finer points to understand some of what goes on as well as fans from Korea or Japan. This may be the result of a large number of “bandwagoners” who just pay attention because it is the World Cup. But these new fans are ever eager to learn about the game, constantly asking questions of Momo, me, or anyone else who follows soccer. What stuck out most to her was how optimistic Americans were. While other nationalities get depressed rather easily, Americans never lose hope that their team can pull off the win, no matter the odds.
The day after the quarterfinals, I met with Momo, a Bay Area native who has followed soccer for the last nine years. Since most of her soccer-watching friends were international students from college, Momo was able to give me a unique insight on what she saw as the interesting differences between the supporter culture of some of the different nationalities in the diverse San Francisco Bay Area.
Momo is of Japanese descent, with both of her parents having been born in Japan. Therefore, she has a lot of experience with the Japanese and Japanese-American supporter culture, having watched games in Japan in the past and having organized a viewing party for the Samurai Blue’s first game of the World Cup, against Cote d’Ivoire. From her observations, Momo reported that the Japanese tend to be quite reserved when watching their team play. They are, according to her, “well-mannered and quiet” with not much chanting and somewhat limited cheering for big events. However, the Japanese are knowledgeable. Even though most of the people who attended the viewing party that she set up weren’t “super soccer followers,” they still knew everyone on the Japanese team and were able to make observations on some of the finer points of the game. Also, despite Japan’s disappointing performance this World Cup, there was little negativity from their supporters. Momo told me that Japanese culture values how you present yourself to others, so this precluded any overt public disparaging of the team. In addition, it also meant that the team and the country’s FA were very apologetic over their performance, going so far as to release a press report to say they were sorry for letting the fans down. After the viewing party (Japan lost to Cote d’Ivoire, 2-1), many came up to thank Momo for putting it together, grateful that she was able to bring them together in love for country and sport.
With the Koreans she knows, it is a completely different story. When Momo first started getting into soccer in 2005, most of her international student soccer friends were Korean, so she got to observe them watching their team in multiple World Cups, including going to a viewing party with her friends in 2010. The first thing she stressed about the Koreans is that they are extremely loud and excitable. At the viewing party she went to, energy was abundant. Chanting and yelling were omnipresent, as was the banging of inflatable thundersticks. Her international student friends were only focused on the Korean team, and even within the Korean team the spotlight was mostly on the several stars who played on European teams. And just as the Koreans are more outgoing than the Japanese in terms of their support, they are also more open with their criticism. She brought up a story about how a Korean fan greeted the team at the Inchon airport after their sub-par performance by throwing toffee at them (a degrading Korean insult). She added that, in general, the Koreans just aren’t very optimistic.
And then we came to the third nationality - the Americans. While Momo made sure to emphasize the energy the Koreans had, she immediately said that Americans “kick it up a notch.” For them, everything must be flashy. Their entire body must be covered in red, white, and blue. For many, that includes facepaint (while volunteering to do facepainting for the USA-Portugal viewing party at Civic Park, she received several requests to paint an American flag covering the person’s face). Americans also know a lot about their own team, but most lack the knowledge of the game’s finer points to understand some of what goes on as well as fans from Korea or Japan. This may be the result of a large number of “bandwagoners” who just pay attention because it is the World Cup. But these new fans are ever eager to learn about the game, constantly asking questions of Momo, me, or anyone else who follows soccer. What stuck out most to her was how optimistic Americans were. While other nationalities get depressed rather easily, Americans never lose hope that their team can pull off the win, no matter the odds.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
SALT LAKE CITY - A business designed to spread the game
Cam Cameron had already thought of starting his own business in his undergrad years at the University of Michigan, which he attended on a soccer scholarship. Coming out of college, he thought about trying to go into MLS, but the low pay for rookies, grueling travel schedule, and aspects of the stereotypical player lifestyle (such as going out on the town with your teammates) deterred him from choosing that path, especially after he got married a week after graduating from Michigan in December, 2010. Instead, Cam moved out to Salt Lake City with his wife to get his MBA at the University of Utah while working a full-time job to pay the bills.
In his second year of the MBA program, Cam started taking entrepreneurship classes, in which panels of entrepreneurs were brought in to guide students on how to start their own business. These classes gave him the courage to believe he could do this, despite the risks. Specifically, Cam wanted to start a business that would add value to the game of soccer and help make the sport he loves more accessible. Soccer allowed him to attend college and travel all over the world to play. But he knows that not everyone is as fortunate.
Cam hoped that through his company, Just Play Cleats, he could make soccer equipment more affordable and thus help soccer grow in the USA and around the world. Many a time Cam had seen a player left behind, despite great talent, because of the costs of playing. Cam looked at the most basic yet most expensive piece of equipment: cleats.
Top-of-the-line cleats from the big brands can cost over $200 per pair, sometimes as much as $275. This is simply out of reach for many people. Cam wanted to create a shoe with a similar feel to the top brands that at the same time would be much more affordable, making good shoes more available.
According to Cam, top-quality cleats are extremely important for safety, and performance. While the difference in quality isn’t as big a deal for those who play at low levels, once a child hits 9 or 10 and starts playing “seriously” (select or school soccer), a good pair of cleats is essential. Not only will good cleats survive intense training much better than a cheaper pair, but they are also lighter, hold their shape better, and have a much more solid stud configuration (as opposed to the rubber studs on low-quality cleats which wear down easily). This means that they feel more comfortable, allow the player to maximize their athleticism, and better protect players from injuries like rolled ankles.
Michigan provided Cam with top quality cleats during his time at the university, so he already knew the feel that the expensive cleats gave players. This allowed him to tweak the established cleat designs to address whatever problems he experienced. He was also able to send them to his friends in MLS to try out, and after many rounds of revisions he eventually came out with the final product this past January.
However, this is no mere business venture (although that is certainly a large part of it). As Cam constantly stated during our meeting, he wanted Just Play Cleats to be a way to actively contribute to the soccer community.
First and foremost, Cam has tried to contribute by increasing the affordability of soccer. He told me about a mother of three sons with whom he had spoken, all of whom play soccer and all of whom wanted brand-name cleats. One of her sons was growing so fast that she had to buy him three new pairs per year at enormous cost. With ventures like Cam’s Just Play Cleats, it becomes a lot easier for families (especially with many young children) to afford good cleats, thus allowing more to play and develop their skills in their youth.
Cam’s attempts to improve soccer’s availability haven’t stopped at selling more affordable cleats; he says that forming his own company has given him the opportunity to donate equipment and time to help those who want to play. He spoke about traveling to the Caribbean island of Anguilla, where he and the rest of the Just Play Cleats crew met up with the president of the Anguilla Football association, Ramond Guishard, to donate 30 pairs of cleats to players in need. While there, Cam was also asked to lead a training session for the Anguilla Women’s National Team, since he had experience with high-level college training sessions that had never been available to these women.
Just Play Cleats has also contributed to Utah’s soccer community by working with Balance House LLC (a program that promotes recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction) to provide cleats for their Utah refugee soccer league. Utah has around 40,000 refugees from all over the world, and they have created a refugee league to give all of them something to bring them together. However, the players are severely lacking in equipment, to the point where those getting subbed off have to give their cleats to the player replacing them. Cam was able to work with Balance House to reduce the price of his cleats by over 50%, so they were able to provide over 100 pairs to those who needed them throughout the league.
All in all, Cam reflected that while it has been a lot of hard work, but it has been a lot of fun, and the thought of having an impact on the game he loves makes it all worth it. “I’d just love to see soccer grow,” he said. “It would be great to have some small impact on that.”
In his second year of the MBA program, Cam started taking entrepreneurship classes, in which panels of entrepreneurs were brought in to guide students on how to start their own business. These classes gave him the courage to believe he could do this, despite the risks. Specifically, Cam wanted to start a business that would add value to the game of soccer and help make the sport he loves more accessible. Soccer allowed him to attend college and travel all over the world to play. But he knows that not everyone is as fortunate.
Cam hoped that through his company, Just Play Cleats, he could make soccer equipment more affordable and thus help soccer grow in the USA and around the world. Many a time Cam had seen a player left behind, despite great talent, because of the costs of playing. Cam looked at the most basic yet most expensive piece of equipment: cleats.
Top-of-the-line cleats from the big brands can cost over $200 per pair, sometimes as much as $275. This is simply out of reach for many people. Cam wanted to create a shoe with a similar feel to the top brands that at the same time would be much more affordable, making good shoes more available.
According to Cam, top-quality cleats are extremely important for safety, and performance. While the difference in quality isn’t as big a deal for those who play at low levels, once a child hits 9 or 10 and starts playing “seriously” (select or school soccer), a good pair of cleats is essential. Not only will good cleats survive intense training much better than a cheaper pair, but they are also lighter, hold their shape better, and have a much more solid stud configuration (as opposed to the rubber studs on low-quality cleats which wear down easily). This means that they feel more comfortable, allow the player to maximize their athleticism, and better protect players from injuries like rolled ankles.
Michigan provided Cam with top quality cleats during his time at the university, so he already knew the feel that the expensive cleats gave players. This allowed him to tweak the established cleat designs to address whatever problems he experienced. He was also able to send them to his friends in MLS to try out, and after many rounds of revisions he eventually came out with the final product this past January.
However, this is no mere business venture (although that is certainly a large part of it). As Cam constantly stated during our meeting, he wanted Just Play Cleats to be a way to actively contribute to the soccer community.
First and foremost, Cam has tried to contribute by increasing the affordability of soccer. He told me about a mother of three sons with whom he had spoken, all of whom play soccer and all of whom wanted brand-name cleats. One of her sons was growing so fast that she had to buy him three new pairs per year at enormous cost. With ventures like Cam’s Just Play Cleats, it becomes a lot easier for families (especially with many young children) to afford good cleats, thus allowing more to play and develop their skills in their youth.
Cam’s attempts to improve soccer’s availability haven’t stopped at selling more affordable cleats; he says that forming his own company has given him the opportunity to donate equipment and time to help those who want to play. He spoke about traveling to the Caribbean island of Anguilla, where he and the rest of the Just Play Cleats crew met up with the president of the Anguilla Football association, Ramond Guishard, to donate 30 pairs of cleats to players in need. While there, Cam was also asked to lead a training session for the Anguilla Women’s National Team, since he had experience with high-level college training sessions that had never been available to these women.
Just Play Cleats has also contributed to Utah’s soccer community by working with Balance House LLC (a program that promotes recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction) to provide cleats for their Utah refugee soccer league. Utah has around 40,000 refugees from all over the world, and they have created a refugee league to give all of them something to bring them together. However, the players are severely lacking in equipment, to the point where those getting subbed off have to give their cleats to the player replacing them. Cam was able to work with Balance House to reduce the price of his cleats by over 50%, so they were able to provide over 100 pairs to those who needed them throughout the league.
All in all, Cam reflected that while it has been a lot of hard work, but it has been a lot of fun, and the thought of having an impact on the game he loves makes it all worth it. “I’d just love to see soccer grow,” he said. “It would be great to have some small impact on that.”
Thursday, July 3, 2014
DENVER - Match Report 5 - America bows out
It is July 1. It’s the USA’s time to shine in the knockout round, and my friend and I arrive at the Three Lions pub at 9:30 A.M. anticipating a fantastic day of soccer. However, for being such an important day, the crowd is thin early on. Although the place isn’t empty, there are plenty of open tables. About 3/4 are in their USA gear, the other quarter are in Argentinian blue and white. I am the only person wearing the red of Switzerland for the day’s first game. Nevertheless, the crowd is still quite amiable towards me. A kind Argentinian woman in her late 20s invites me and my friend to sit with her at the best table in the house (even though I am “wearing the wrong jersey”).
During the Switzerland-Argentina match, the bar rapidly fills up. By half time every table is full, and by the end of regular time I have to fight through the crowd just to reach the bathroom. As in other cities, the patrons, though almost exclusively clad in USA gear, are as engrossed in the day’s first game as they would be if their own country were playing. A gasp for every big save. A loud cheer for Argentina’s go-ahead goal three minutes from the end of extra time. A groan of dismay when Switzerland’s Dzemaili hits the post with a header two minutes later. The American fans also offer up consolation generously. In the half hour after the game, I get many pats on the back and words of comfort praising the Swiss on their good fight. I need this, as the heartbreaking nature of the loss has me closer to tears than any other moment so far this World Cup.
However, there is no time to mourn. The USA plays next, and I needs must change into my USA outfit (complete with lucky socks).
In the lead-up to the match, there are the customary cheers for Klinsmann and boos for the Belgian squad, but compared to everywhere else I have been there is very little chanting until just before kickoff. This isn’t for any lack of voices, though. Every inch of space is taken up 30 minutes before game time, and the bar has to stop letting people in before the match even starts.
As usual, the national anthem is sung a couple beats behind the music on the TV. A couple boos are scattered throughout the Belgian national anthem. And with the songs out of the way, the game begins.
In the first half, energy of the bar seems to have little to no relation to the game going on. Seven Nation Army is sung, as is Florida State’s War Chant. The crowd is just as partisan as in Philadelphia, complaining about most calls against the USA even if the decision is obviously correct. Otherwise, the fans start out quite cheerful and optimistic, with the only target of negativity being Michael Bradley, who has had a very poor tournament by his high standards.
At half time, another friend, who joined us during the game, asks how my original friend and I know the people we are sitting with (in addition to the Argentinian woman, four American men have joined us). We respond by saying we don’t know them, and that only because of soccer are we able to converse as easily as we are. This then leads to a discussion of how wonderful it is that the beautiful game can bring together people all over the world with nothing in common but a love for the sport. The conversation is broken up when a gigantic American flag is unfurled, covering the everyone on the ground floor. Chants of “USA!” begin as we hold it up, only stopping once the second half begins.
During the second half, the crowd gets more intense the closer the game comes to extra time. By the hour mark, chants and bursts of loud noise are so frequent that I can’t even hear what my friends are saying. People are so fixated on the match that they don’t even notice a fire truck slowly roll by the bar with a giant American flag painted on it. Everyone is so anxious that Tim Howard’s saves are cheered as loudly as if the USA had scored a goal (no exaggeration whatsoever). A loud, drunken rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is sung as regular time ends. 0-0. We are headed for another 30 minutes.
Right at the beginning of extra time, De Bruyne makes it 1-0 Belgium, and the energy is completely sapped from the crowd. All encouraging cheers and chants are reduced to a third of their original strength, and many people start criticizing the team for every small mistake that they make. The frustration only doubles when Romelu Lukaku makes it 2-0 Belgium right before half time of extra time.
As the crowd’s attitude threatens to become downright toxic, a lifeline appears. 19-year-old Julian Green scores a wonderful volley, and the USA is only one goal down. A cheer that is as much relief as it is jubilation roars up, along with a slightly belated beer shower. Whereas the crowd’s energy was gone two minutes ago, now it is back and stronger than ever. Screams erupt for every half-chance the USA gets. The negativity is still there (shouts of “what are you doing?!?” are present every time a ball, touch, or a run isn’t 100% perfect), but it is more desperate than frustrated now.
The final whistle blows, and so ends the United States’ World Cup journey. A disgruntled silence lasts for about ten seconds before a round of appreciative applause begins. It starts small, but soon everyone in the bar is clapping. Despite everything that happened during that match, the crowd is still eager to thank the players for an entertaining journey which, while it ended sooner than we would have liked it, firmly established the USA among the world’s top 16 teams.
I left with my friends to go explore the city, hoping that the nation will not stop watching the World Cup now that the USA is done. I certainly won’t. Even if many do, I hope that watching the USA for the past three weeks has given them enough of a taste of the world’s game necessary to create a couple more lifelong fans, and further the game’s presence here in the United States.
During the Switzerland-Argentina match, the bar rapidly fills up. By half time every table is full, and by the end of regular time I have to fight through the crowd just to reach the bathroom. As in other cities, the patrons, though almost exclusively clad in USA gear, are as engrossed in the day’s first game as they would be if their own country were playing. A gasp for every big save. A loud cheer for Argentina’s go-ahead goal three minutes from the end of extra time. A groan of dismay when Switzerland’s Dzemaili hits the post with a header two minutes later. The American fans also offer up consolation generously. In the half hour after the game, I get many pats on the back and words of comfort praising the Swiss on their good fight. I need this, as the heartbreaking nature of the loss has me closer to tears than any other moment so far this World Cup.
However, there is no time to mourn. The USA plays next, and I needs must change into my USA outfit (complete with lucky socks).
In the lead-up to the match, there are the customary cheers for Klinsmann and boos for the Belgian squad, but compared to everywhere else I have been there is very little chanting until just before kickoff. This isn’t for any lack of voices, though. Every inch of space is taken up 30 minutes before game time, and the bar has to stop letting people in before the match even starts.
It is a packed house by the end of Argentina-Switzerland
In the first half, energy of the bar seems to have little to no relation to the game going on. Seven Nation Army is sung, as is Florida State’s War Chant. The crowd is just as partisan as in Philadelphia, complaining about most calls against the USA even if the decision is obviously correct. Otherwise, the fans start out quite cheerful and optimistic, with the only target of negativity being Michael Bradley, who has had a very poor tournament by his high standards.
At half time, another friend, who joined us during the game, asks how my original friend and I know the people we are sitting with (in addition to the Argentinian woman, four American men have joined us). We respond by saying we don’t know them, and that only because of soccer are we able to converse as easily as we are. This then leads to a discussion of how wonderful it is that the beautiful game can bring together people all over the world with nothing in common but a love for the sport. The conversation is broken up when a gigantic American flag is unfurled, covering the everyone on the ground floor. Chants of “USA!” begin as we hold it up, only stopping once the second half begins.
I get caught under a giant American flag that gets rolled out at halftime
During the second half, the crowd gets more intense the closer the game comes to extra time. By the hour mark, chants and bursts of loud noise are so frequent that I can’t even hear what my friends are saying. People are so fixated on the match that they don’t even notice a fire truck slowly roll by the bar with a giant American flag painted on it. Everyone is so anxious that Tim Howard’s saves are cheered as loudly as if the USA had scored a goal (no exaggeration whatsoever). A loud, drunken rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is sung as regular time ends. 0-0. We are headed for another 30 minutes.
Right at the beginning of extra time, De Bruyne makes it 1-0 Belgium, and the energy is completely sapped from the crowd. All encouraging cheers and chants are reduced to a third of their original strength, and many people start criticizing the team for every small mistake that they make. The frustration only doubles when Romelu Lukaku makes it 2-0 Belgium right before half time of extra time.
As the crowd’s attitude threatens to become downright toxic, a lifeline appears. 19-year-old Julian Green scores a wonderful volley, and the USA is only one goal down. A cheer that is as much relief as it is jubilation roars up, along with a slightly belated beer shower. Whereas the crowd’s energy was gone two minutes ago, now it is back and stronger than ever. Screams erupt for every half-chance the USA gets. The negativity is still there (shouts of “what are you doing?!?” are present every time a ball, touch, or a run isn’t 100% perfect), but it is more desperate than frustrated now.
The final whistle blows, and so ends the United States’ World Cup journey. A disgruntled silence lasts for about ten seconds before a round of appreciative applause begins. It starts small, but soon everyone in the bar is clapping. Despite everything that happened during that match, the crowd is still eager to thank the players for an entertaining journey which, while it ended sooner than we would have liked it, firmly established the USA among the world’s top 16 teams.
I left with my friends to go explore the city, hoping that the nation will not stop watching the World Cup now that the USA is done. I certainly won’t. Even if many do, I hope that watching the USA for the past three weeks has given them enough of a taste of the world’s game necessary to create a couple more lifelong fans, and further the game’s presence here in the United States.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
THE MIDWEST - Peter Wilt
During my journey around this gigantic country, I have heard people talk passionately about the beautiful game in various cities, mentioning things they love, things they hate, people who have been influential, etc. Through all this, there was one name that kept cropping up (particularly in the Midwest), a name spoken about in loving tones from Milwaukee to Chicago to Indianapolis. That name is Peter Wilt.
Peter Wilt was the first president and general manager of the Chicago Fire (one of the teams in MLS’ initial round of expansion, along with Miami, in 1998). During his time with the club, Peter endeared himself to the supporters. Ben Burton, former president of Section 8 (the Chicago Fire supporters club), called him “the first fan,” and said he learned “a lot” about the importance of relationships between the front office and the fans by watching how Peter would go the extra mile as GM to interact with the supporters in Chicago. Pattrick Stanton, current VP of Section 8, also had nothing but praise to speak of the man. He told the story of how, one year after Peter had been dismissed by the board in 2005, he was still standing in the front of Section 8 during the final of the US Open Cup, cheering the team on as loudly as he could. At the end of the game, after the Fire’s victory, the goalkeeper, Matt Pickens, came over and put his winner’s medal around Peter’s neck, reducing Peter to tears. Pattrick credits Peter with creating Section 8 and laying the seed for good relations between the front office and the supporters. To sum up his feelings up, Pattrick told me, “I don’t have enough breath in my life” to say all the good things about Peter Wilt.
Mr. Wilt was much-loved outside of Chicago, too. In Milwaukee, he is known as the Patron Saint of Highbury, one of the city’s best-known soccer bars, and as the creator of the “Schlabst,” Milwaukee’s “black-and-tan.” Wilt also spearheaded the (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to bring an MLS team to Milwaukee, trying to spread the sport ever further through the Midwest.
But where I heard most about Peter’s work was in the city of his most recent venture - Indianapolis. Peter Wilt played a critical role in getting Indianapolis‘ new NASL team, Indy Eleven, off the ground, and currently serves as its president/GM. As in other cities, the fans I spoke with in Indy had nothing but positives to say about the man. “Every time I’ve seen him, he’s in the crowd,” one said, noting how out of the normal this is for club presidents. Another noted how he always goes the extra mile to make himself available for the fans. Whether it’s thanking supporters for coming to every game (even after a loss), showing up at all the marketing events, or even just frequenting soccer pubs (like the Chatham Tap, where I watched the USA-Ghana game) to mingle with the supporters, Peter will do whatever it takes to reach out to the fans and get them into the game.
The Indy Eleven front office also spoke high praise of the club’s president. I had the privilege to speak with Tom Dunmore, the current VP of Marketing and Operations for Indy Eleven, who told me the story of what Peter did to help make the club so beloved in Indianapolis. In the age of social media, a lot of marketing campaigns have become increasingly digital, and the face-to-face contact that can build a real connection between club and community is sometimes lacking. Peter took ever effort to avoid this folly. Tom talked about how Peter would drive his own car around town, going to bars/restaurants to ask them to do promotions for the team, going to hundreds of meetings and fan events, even going out to the suburbs and shaking hands with the individual fans out there, all to give the people of the Indianapolis area a personal connection to the club that social media and conventional marketing could never achieve. He did so much to give the team a community feel that Tom said he was like a “one man show” in the beginning, all to make sure that the team would be embraced by the community they were about to play for. And the success shows. Despite being in the cellar of the NASL table for the entire Spring season, Indy Eleven had the league’s highest attendance by a margin of 4,000 fans per game, and every team that comes to play in Indianapolis comments on the fervor of their supporters.
The work of men like Peter Wilt can leave a lasting impression on a club, its community, and its supporters, ensuring a bond that will endure. One can only hope that he and many others continue to do such work in other communities across the years, to continue the spread of the beautiful game across our great country.
Peter Wilt was the first president and general manager of the Chicago Fire (one of the teams in MLS’ initial round of expansion, along with Miami, in 1998). During his time with the club, Peter endeared himself to the supporters. Ben Burton, former president of Section 8 (the Chicago Fire supporters club), called him “the first fan,” and said he learned “a lot” about the importance of relationships between the front office and the fans by watching how Peter would go the extra mile as GM to interact with the supporters in Chicago. Pattrick Stanton, current VP of Section 8, also had nothing but praise to speak of the man. He told the story of how, one year after Peter had been dismissed by the board in 2005, he was still standing in the front of Section 8 during the final of the US Open Cup, cheering the team on as loudly as he could. At the end of the game, after the Fire’s victory, the goalkeeper, Matt Pickens, came over and put his winner’s medal around Peter’s neck, reducing Peter to tears. Pattrick credits Peter with creating Section 8 and laying the seed for good relations between the front office and the supporters. To sum up his feelings up, Pattrick told me, “I don’t have enough breath in my life” to say all the good things about Peter Wilt.
Mr. Wilt was much-loved outside of Chicago, too. In Milwaukee, he is known as the Patron Saint of Highbury, one of the city’s best-known soccer bars, and as the creator of the “Schlabst,” Milwaukee’s “black-and-tan.” Wilt also spearheaded the (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to bring an MLS team to Milwaukee, trying to spread the sport ever further through the Midwest.
But where I heard most about Peter’s work was in the city of his most recent venture - Indianapolis. Peter Wilt played a critical role in getting Indianapolis‘ new NASL team, Indy Eleven, off the ground, and currently serves as its president/GM. As in other cities, the fans I spoke with in Indy had nothing but positives to say about the man. “Every time I’ve seen him, he’s in the crowd,” one said, noting how out of the normal this is for club presidents. Another noted how he always goes the extra mile to make himself available for the fans. Whether it’s thanking supporters for coming to every game (even after a loss), showing up at all the marketing events, or even just frequenting soccer pubs (like the Chatham Tap, where I watched the USA-Ghana game) to mingle with the supporters, Peter will do whatever it takes to reach out to the fans and get them into the game.
The Indy Eleven front office also spoke high praise of the club’s president. I had the privilege to speak with Tom Dunmore, the current VP of Marketing and Operations for Indy Eleven, who told me the story of what Peter did to help make the club so beloved in Indianapolis. In the age of social media, a lot of marketing campaigns have become increasingly digital, and the face-to-face contact that can build a real connection between club and community is sometimes lacking. Peter took ever effort to avoid this folly. Tom talked about how Peter would drive his own car around town, going to bars/restaurants to ask them to do promotions for the team, going to hundreds of meetings and fan events, even going out to the suburbs and shaking hands with the individual fans out there, all to give the people of the Indianapolis area a personal connection to the club that social media and conventional marketing could never achieve. He did so much to give the team a community feel that Tom said he was like a “one man show” in the beginning, all to make sure that the team would be embraced by the community they were about to play for. And the success shows. Despite being in the cellar of the NASL table for the entire Spring season, Indy Eleven had the league’s highest attendance by a margin of 4,000 fans per game, and every team that comes to play in Indianapolis comments on the fervor of their supporters.
The work of men like Peter Wilt can leave a lasting impression on a club, its community, and its supporters, ensuring a bond that will endure. One can only hope that he and many others continue to do such work in other communities across the years, to continue the spread of the beautiful game across our great country.
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