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d football perceives soccers ne

(2014-10-30 23:51:45) 下一個
"Clint, Tim?" "Hello Mr. C.J. Mosley Ravens Jersey . President, hows it going?" The US World Cup campaign formally ended Wednesday with a cosy two minute chat on the phone between the President, the captain and Americas latest superhero. The team might not have scaled 2002s quarterfinal heights, but they leave Brazil with something not even Qatari petrodollars could buy. They have changed the conversation with how old football perceives soccers new frontier. No one connected with the United States Soccer Federation could have dreamt that.  Or for that matter Major League Soccer. Especially when you factor in they were drawn in a group with a nation thats made it through to 15 straight quarterfinal appearances, another still smarting from how extremely close they got in 2010 to finally become Africas first ever semi-finalist and Ronaldo who proved in the playoffs one player could indeed carry a nation. How very American of him. Bookies in London had the US at even money to finish bottom of the group. Defy those odds they certainly would. It was one thing to target victory in their opening fixture and quite another, the manner in which they achieved it. Ghana should have been home and dry well before John Brooks Jr. popped up on the edge of the six-yard line in the 86th minute. Then to discover afterwards Brooks had disclosed to a couple of team mates on the eve of the match he dreamt hed score the winner was that Hollywood moment all of America could relate to - underlined by a visit to the victorious locker room by none other than Vice President Joe Biden. On to the Amazon Rainforest and that much anticipated date with Ronaldo was next on the agenda. The drama that unfolded that particular prime time Sunday evening was watched by over 25 million. To put that into a clearer sporting perspective last falls World Series averaged just a shade over 15 million whilst the NBA Finals averaged 15.5 million. Speaking to the beautiful games growing stateside support that 25 million viewing audience represents a 20 per cent leap on the number which watched the US v England match at South Africa 2010. Going into the tournament it was well established that outside of Brazilians, the US was the second largest ticket buying nation with close to 200,000 tickets purchased from US Zip codes. What that figure didnt tell us was what percentage of those 196,000 were immigrants who would be in Brazil to cheer on their nation of birth. That question was answered by the pictures we witnessed on match day and did not go un-noticed by the English media in attendance for US games. Back home in the living rooms and pubs in cities right across the US it reinforced the message of soccers growing appeal and allure. Come Tuesdays round of 16-match against Belgium viewing parties stretched right across the MLS landscape. Fabled NFL stadiums Soldier Field and Cowboys Stadium drew crowds of 25,000 and 20,000 respectively.  As Barrack Obama and his 200 strong staff settled in to watch the game at a White House viewing party workers across the country went on a collective dental appointment which according to Yahoo Finance would cost the US economy over $700 million. These types of things were only supposed to happen in Asia, Europe or South America. With the USs World Cup over, as MLS players return to their clubs and European based players finally get their delayed vacations now comes the hard work to ensure those part time fans become connected to soccer year round. Just because someone will willingly don the stars and stripes in support of their nation doesnt mean theyll automatically transfer that emotional connection to Major League Soccer. Certainly as in previous World Cup cycles MLS and its clubs will register an uptick at the box office and the merchandise store. This will be especially so for the clubs who had players who featured in Brazil. A nice problem MLS faces will be keeping hold of the players whose stars shone in Brazil. An entirely different one stems from yesterdays France v Germany quarterfinal. Listening into ESPN Radio a tweet was read out from a listener saying, "Im enjoying your commentary whilst spraying my corn in Alabama. Last time I checked Alabama doesnt have an MLS franchise, and yet here was a soccer diehard listening on the radio whilst working on a Friday afternoon. The defining image for me of the US World Cup wasnt a Tim Howard save, Demspeys or Julian Greens goals. Or even Jürgen Klinsmann berating the fourth official in his best Anglo-Saxon when only one minute was added to the end of extra time in the Belgium game.  Instead it came from the twitter account of Major League Baseball. "Looks like @ussoccer is the only thing that matters right now," was accompanied with various images from MLB Stadiums of players watching the big screens as they took in the action of the US v Belgium during batting practice ahead of that evenings MLB games. Bill Clintons Soccer Mom has evolved into Barrack Obamas Soccer Sophisticats. Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel TSN Radio is an official licensed radio broadcaster of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Brazil. Check www.tsn.ca/radio for the broadcast schedule in your home town. Brandon Williams Ravens Jersey . The Indians scored twice in the top of the ninth, getting the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by closer Matt Lindstrom. Axford (0-1) came in seeking his fifth save in as many chances. Elite Two Tone Justin Tucker Womens Jersey . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Brad Stevens third game with the Boston Celtics was just like his first two. Jennings had 14 points and four steals in 31 minutes and Andre Drummond and Josh Smith added 15 points each to help the Pistons keep the Celtics and their first-year coach winless with an 87-77 victory. "Im ready to play now," Jennings said after missing the teams first two games and most of the preseason with a jaw fracture related to a wisdom tooth. The Pistons (2-1) trailed 65-63 early in the fourth quarter but went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good and win their second home game in as many tries. Drummond added 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double and Greg Monroe grabbed 10. Jennings had two steals after the Celtics cut the lead to 79-77 with less than 2 minutes to play. He got the first steal to Rodney Stuckey, who was fouled and made two free throws to give the Pistons some breathing room. Detroit held Boston scoreless the rest of the way. "It was good to see him out there and the effect he can have on the team," coach Maurice Cheeks said of Jennings. "He brings a little electricity to a game." Rookie Kelly Olynyk scored 15 points and Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford added 13 each for the Celtics (0-3). "We had stretches where we played well defensively," Olynyk said, "but there were too many times when they got away with a couple of big runs." The Pistons outscored the Celtics 10-5 in the last 5 minutes of thhe first half and took a 45-35 lead.Brandon Williams Jersey. Boston made just five field goals in the second quarter and had that many turnovers. The Celtics finished with 24 turnovers and Detroit had 21. Cheeks said turnovers -- the Pistons had 60 in their first three games -- remain a concern. "Our defence is usually pretty good but when we have turnovers, its tough to get back and defend," he said. "Its something we have to keep working on." Detroit was much more effective on the glass, where it outrebounded Boston 44-37. "We had our opportunities," Stevens said. "They pounded us in the paint all night and that really hurt us." Detroit outscored Boston 54-38 down low. Jennings, who came to Detroit during the off-season in a sign-and-trade deal with Milwaukee, wore a facemask that covered his chin. He took the mask off in the fourth quarter because it was uncomfortable. His jaw remains closed with a series of bands while the fracture heals. "Im not used to playing with something on my face so it was my decision to take it off," he said. He fell to the court after colliding with Brandon Bass in the final seconds of the first half but showed no ill effects when he returned for the third quarter. NOTES: Crawford was assessed a technical foul by referee Sean Corbin midway through the fourth quarter. ... Detroit F Charlie Villanueva (left shoulder) missed his third straight game. ... Detroit wore navy jerseys with "Motor City" in place of the teams name. The salute to the regions automotive heritage will be worn nine more times this season. ' ' '
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