It might be a terrible movie, but when we actually have reasons to be proud (and not just enthusiastic) of the hometown five…it’s pretty awesome. With that in mind:
Effin’ sweet. The Patriots, Red Sox, Revolution, and even the Bruins are doing alright, too.
Love you all madly,
Good news for the U.S. National team yesterday: they beat Mexico 2-1 to win the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. This is significant for three reasons:
1. Despite having fans that throw bags of piss and a goalie that tries to slide tackle from behind during a dead ball situation, Mexico clearly doesn’t possess the stuff to beat the U.S. – the U.S. team is 9-2-1 vs. Mexico since 2000. Mexico’s reign at the top has ended – the American 11 must be declared the new Kings of CONCACAF.
2. As the rulers of the region, the U.S. team now gets to compete in the 2009 Confederations Cup, a somewhat prestigious tournament that will also be valuable as a tune-up for the 2010 World Cup.
3. It is quite evident to anyone that watches the games that the U.S. team, unlike most South American and European squads, doesn’t play the beautiful game, but rather,relies upon sheer athleticism to keep them in most contests. Sometimes this stratagem works, sometimes it does not. With that being said, the Americans have shown great improvement in terms of both individual technical skills and the team’s ability to maintain possession and create chances through a build-up, and the game-winning goal marked these developments. The U.S. won a corner after some successful buildup deep in the Mexico end, and the goal that came off the corner was a world-class strike by Benny Feilhaber that was as good as any strike in the Premiership or the Primera Liga. Watch the beauty unfold:
Now that’s a cracking volley – Oswaldo Sanchez might have been too busy eyeing Brian Ching’s ankles to catch up with it, and so the U.S. pulled it out.
There is also significant news to report in American football. This has been getting some good pub in the blogosphere, but I would be lax in not reporting on it, anyhow. Laurence Maroney will be the starting running back for my New England Patriots this upcoming season. In addition to being a stud tailback, he is also apparently a huge fan of powder-based sugary beverages:
Yes, his nickname is “Kool-Aid” and he’s not afraid to represent via massive amounts of bling. He gets a Tommy Point for being unafraid to show some affection for the original big man.
Game-winning goals and diabetes in a glass – it is a fine day to be an American futbol fan, a fine day to be a fan of the Patriots, and a fine day, period – it is gorgeous outside. I’m off to enjoy the sun – have a good day, folks…
Futbol, or football, or soccer, has long gotten the short stick in the United States. It blows my mind that people still don’t see the beauty, intensity, and ridiculous skill that go into executing a proper give and go, bending a free kick into the back of the net, or making a fingertip save on a rocket from 20 yards out. In my eternal quest to bring the sport to people’s attention, I rely on old friend Youtube for not one, not two, but three soccer videos. I know people have different preferences, so I decided to really dig deep and find three fairly different videos. Without further ado, I present:
1. A lengthy montage of the best goals from the 2006 World Cup (careful, kiddies, there is some R-rated language on the accompanying track thanks to Ice Cube):
2. Another hip-hop themed video, even if it has no vocals; this one is intended as a comparison of and tribute to perhaps the two best players of the last decade: Ronaldhino and Zinedine Zidane (yes, the guy who head-butted that Italian fellow in the World Cup finals). As the video proves, he is more than simply a guy with a hard head; he has soft feet:
3. Lastly, for those of you with a shorter attention span, and/or a dislike of hip-hop, I present what I think was the best goal of the year: Robin Van Persie of Arsenal (my favorite club team) accomplishing something that roughly 3 other people on Earth might be able to match:
If those videos haven’t persuaded you, I feel mildly despondent. However, I will not give up being the American ambassador to the world of futbol. In the meantime, have a good afternoon, readers, and try to stay dry.
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