US Soccer

            Last night the stage was set for US soccer to jump from cute fringes to mainstream.  I was at Dan McGuinness, the official spot for Nashville's American Outlaws. ESPN, CBS and local news outlets were all there and the crowd didn't disappoint.  It was an electric atmosphere and packed to the rafters.

The crowd was filling in three hours before kickoff.

An hour before kickoff.

Singing the anthem.

            What you can't see is the 25ft TV outside the bar that was being watched by hundreds more.

            Again, the atmosphere was fantastic as it was part bar, part club.

            After the defensive gaffe, we played extremely well, Jermaine Jones provided a wonder strike,  and then Deuce scored to put us ahead. Here's the celebration after that goal. I love the guy rocking out on the snare drum.

            If you've ever wondered if soccer will be popular in the US then yesterday proved you don't have to wonder any longer.  More people watched the US vs Portugal game last night than any other soccer game in American history.  If you combine Univision then it surpasses the BCS title game.  That is beautiful to me.  What wasn't beautiful was the ending but that's soccer. I'm glad we played so well against a quality opponent with a massive audience watching. If we tie or win against Germany then we move on.  Not easy but possible.

            See you out on Thursday.

World Cup Fever

            How can you travel and not experience the world religion that is futbol?  I love my college football but soccer is the world's game.  So every four years the world gets on the same page and watches it's favorite sport.  I've been excited for months but lately, I've been posting a lot of videos, links and thoughts about the World Cup so I'm consolidating them here for you.  

            

             If you're a beginner and you just want to know what the heck is going on when you turn ESPN on and you don't see Skip Bayless yelling then click here:  Soccer for Beginner's.

             To my fellow junkies don't worry our fix is only hours away!  If you're worried about missing a game, don't be.  Just click on this World Cup schedule and enjoy.

             One of the things that I love about watching the World Cup is that it creates unforgettable moments.  The drama, the buildup and somehow snatching victory from defeat. Of course for US that means watching the Algeria goal, which never gets old.  I remember exactly where I was when that goal was scored and the euphoria it created.  This World Cup I believe that we'll get the Ghanian monkey off our back and I can't wait to see it.  We are one nation, one team. 

            As promised, here are a couple of great commercials for this World Cup.

            Beats by Dre, Neymar.  This one has it all, the build up to a game, a father's love and a sexy Spanish woman. 

            Not to be outdone Nike released their version of the Incredibles.  I love Zlatan and so does he.

            Five hours and counting and we can finally enjoy joga bonito in action y'all.

*When the opening ceremony is going on, you'll see a person wearing an exoskeleton similar to the one from Elysium.  It's not science-fiction but a person who is paralyzed controlling the machine with their thoughts.  Read the story here.

The Little Brother Goes Off On His Own

            This past month my little brother graduated from college at UT and normally that's celebration enough. However, he went ahead and planned things out so that he's already accepted a job in Beijing. (His minor was Chinese and he's nearly fluent in Manderin). I'm really proud of him for doing what I didn't and that's moving forward immediately after college.

            Before he's going to Beijing, he'll be living the post-college dream of traveling through Europe, going to Wimbledon and swimming in the Greek Isles. So instead of giving him cash to spend on beer, I got'em a man's watch.  It's solar powered so hopefully the Chinese pollution and haze won't be a problem. 

 We had one last get together in Nashville before he headed out. 

He didn't rub it in that his summer is gonna be Legendary. Nope not once.

It's a little bitter sweet as I won't see him again before I leave for the Peace Corps. Every problem is an opportunity in disguise though so we'll just have to meet in the middle and visit India together. Enjoy it bud!