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"Clint, Tim?" "Hello Mr. Robin Ventura Authentic 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. [e-mail] @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. Adam Dunn White Sox Jersey . The import DB was taken to a nearby hospital after catching his head awkwardly trying to tackle Winnipeg running back Will Ford in the first quarter of the game at the Rogers Centre. Carlton Fisk Jersey . -- UFC president Dana White has dismissed Georges St-Pierres concerns about drug testing, calling them ridiculous and "a little kooky. NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks had old faces on the floor and a new look to their arena. Only Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats kept it from being a completely successful night. Walker scored 18 points and made the tiebreaking basket with 1:31 remaining as the Bobcats spoiled the Knicks return to Madison Square Garden with an 85-83 preseason victory Friday night. Walker finished with nine rebounds and six assists as the Bobcats wrapped up a 5-3 preseason. Josh McRoberts had 19 points and nine rebounds, Gerald Henderson scored 18 points and Bismack Biyombo grabbed 20 rebounds in what Walker said was a "huge" victory for Charlotte. "It shows us that we can play because the Knicks didnt just give us that game, we worked for that game," he said. "So it shows us that we can go out there and compete with the best of them." Carmelo Anthony scored 13 points but shot 4 of 17, missing a potential tying jumper in the final seconds. The Knicks had a 19-point lead in the first half but then missed 18 of 22 shots in the third quarter. They regained the lead on Anthonys jumper with 2:26 remaining before Walker made consecutive high-arching jumpers in the lane, the second making it 85-83 with 1:31 to play. It was the Knicks lone home game on the final night of the NBAs preseason schedule. Madison Squarre Garden reopened Thursday after completion of its $1 billion renovation that spanned the last three offseasons, featuring a giant new videoboard, two overhead bridges with views of the court and an expanded entrance from Seventh Ave. Early Wynn White Sox Replic. . The Knicks played six road games while the work was completed, which Anthony said was difficult. They will practice here Saturday and open their season here Wednesday against Milwaukee. "We never really got a chance to adjust here during the preseason, but thats over," Anthony said. "Now the real deal starts and this journey begins." J.R. Smith and Amare Stoudemire both made their preseason debuts after working their way back from knee surgeries. Smith scored 11 points and Stoudemire had six points on 3-of-4 shooting, both reserves playing limited minutes. Smith will miss the first five regular-season games while serving a suspension for violating the NBAs anti-drug program, but Stoudemire said hes ready to go after recovering from his third knee surgery in the last year. "I feel great. I feel strong," he said. "I feel no soreness right now after the game, so Im sure Ill be ready for go for Wednesday." Second-year forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist missed the game for Charlotte after straining his right hamstring Thursday against Cleveland. cheap jerseys ' ' '