Yes, Virginia, there was pro soccer in the US before Pelé

Many people think pro soccer first burst onto the scene in the US with the founding of the North American Soccer League in the late 1960s. That league reached its peak in the late '70s when world supertstars including Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best and many others could be found roaming the pitches in various North American cities. Fifty or so years earlier, however, soccer saw its first surge in popularity on this side of the Atlantic, primarily thanks to the many European immigrants who had grown up playing the sport.

The American Soccer League, founded in 1921, was one of the first pro leagues in the U.S. with teams based in towns with large immigrant populations such as Fall River and New Bedford, Mass., Bethlehem, Penn., and Paterson, N.J., as well as the large cities of Philadelphia, Boston and New York. you can read more about the league's interesting history here.

So we’re gonna take it back to a golden age that we look back on with misty eyes and longing wisps of nostalgia. The ’90s. Some of you might cringe at the thought of Garanimals, Hypercolor, rollerblades and hummel shorts but don’t forget about the dizzying heights reached by American culture and sports during this time. Rap music was never better, arguably one of the greatest generations of professional American athletes were at the top of the game, and perhaps most appropriately, it was the second renaissance of American soccer.

Following the retirement of Pele and the subsequent dissolution of the NASL due to waning interest soccer again fell into a dark age during the ’80s. But in 1990 all of that changed with the US qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 40 years! After our performance there was a resurgence of interest in the sport and as part of the deal for hosting the ’94 World Cup we saw the creation of the MLS! Let’s celebrate all the hard work that our 1990 World Cup put forth as we bask in the glory that is Def Jef & DJ Eric Vaughn’s tribute to the team, “Victory.” If I had to define glorious for someone I would just point them here:

Right here, you cannot fathom this majesty.

As we said, positively glorious. 

¡Viva El Tri!

Later this month, adidas will be releasing the brand new Mexico kit. We're looking forward to seeing it, as are lots of other people. When we get it we'll post a picture and critique of the new design. In the meantime, we came across this cool photo of the Mexican National Team from 1949 we thought we'd share. Enjoy!

Under Armour Recharge Suit, really?

Ok, so when the samples of this full body suit came in to the office, we were a little skeptical. And when the directions said you have to wear it for 24 hours post workout, our immediate reaction was "yeah, right!" But we're all getting a little older and our bodies are much slower to bounce back from those Saturday afternoon pick-up games, so we thought we'd give the Recharge a shot. 

And honestly after having spent some time with the Recharge suit, we're totally buying what Under Armour is selling. Granted we never wore for the suit for the full 24 hour period and we did encounter some ridicule from significant others, but the suit left us feeling less sore and ready to get back out on the field. 

This compression suit essentially hugs the body, helping to prevent water from getting into recovering muscles. This lets them heal and recover much more quickly.

I guess it is based on science after all. From Under Armour's site:

"Dr. William Kraemer led a study pitting Recharge against loose garments. After performing hardcore strength & conditioning workouts, college athletes wore Recharge vs. the loose stuff for 24 hours. Dr. Kraemer's team ran a battery of tests on the athletes, and the results were clear: Recharge makes you feel better, stronger, and more energized. The loose stuff doesn't." 

Our final thought: Under Armour's Recharge Suit - looks ridiculous, but it really works and is easy to hide under your everyday clothes. 

Under Armour Generation II Recharge Energy Suit

International Friendlies Recap

Yesterday’s full slate of international Friendlies served up a plate full of notable performances.

The most anticipated match was the 1st ever meeting of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a non La Liga match up. Both stars lived up to their billing. After 14 minutes Messi once again demonstrated his dogged determination NOT to go to ground despite incessant fouling, by assisting on Argentina’s 1st goal to Angel Di Maria. Ronaldo (who also had a shot clang off the crossbar) countered with a goal of his own just 7 minutes later. Messi finished with the upper hand however, converting a 90th minute PK to give Argentina the 2-1 win.
Meanwhile, Brazil could not survive the 1st half ejection of Anderson Hernanes, falling 1-0 to France on 54th minute goal by Karim Benzema.
In Atlanta, Javier Hernandez and Edgar Pacheco scored second-half goals to give Mexico a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in a successful debut for El Tri coach Jose Manuel de la Torre.
In other games, American born Guiseppe Rossi helped Italy salvage a 1-1 tie with Germany, notching the equalizer in the 84th minute, and England overcame a 1 goal deficit on goals from Aston Villa teammates Darren Bent and Ashley Young to top Denmark 2-1.
Other scores from yesterday’s action;

• Iran 1, Russia 0
• Croatia 4, Czech Republic 2
• Netherlands 3, Austria 1
• Turkey 0, South Korea 0
• Greece 1, Canada 0
• Spain 1, Colombia 0

Full Flight Of Friendlies Tomorrow

Even though the United States vs Egypt match was canceled due to political unrest, it doesn’t mean there won’t be a glut of international Friendlies to  fill any soccer fanatic’s plate.



Just down the I-85 in Atlanta, Mexico will take on Bosnia-Herzegovina in what should attract a near sell out crowd in the Georgia Dome.  Then there’s the 1998 World Cup Final and 2006 Semi Final rematch of France vs. Brazil.  Traditional European powers Germany and Italy face off, as well as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s first ever meeting while not wearing their Barcelona and Real Madrid jerseys.




WEDNESDAY’S INTERNATIONAL FIXTURE SCHEDULE (video for all streamed on FIFA.com)
2:15 p.m. – Denmark vs. England – ESPN3.com
2:30 p.m. – Netherlands vs. Austria – ESPN3.com
2:45 p.m. – France vs. Brazil – ESPN2/ESPNDeportes/ESPN3.com
2:45 p.m. – Germany vs. Italy – ESPN3.com
2:55 p.m. – Argentina vs. Portugal – GOLTV
3:30 p.m. – Spain vs. Colombia – ESPN3.com
8 p.m. – Mexico vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina – Telefutura
San Marino vs. Liechtenstein
Andorra vs. Moldova
Armenia vs. Georgia
Belarus vs. Kazakhstan
Greece vs. Canada
Iran vs. Russia
Latvia vs. Bolivia
Macedonia vs. Cameroon
Croatia vs. Czech Republic
Azerbaijan vs. Hungary
Israel vs. Serbia
Turkey vs. South Korea
South Africa vs. Burkina Faso
Estonia vs. Bulgaria
Luxembourg vs. Slovakia
Belgium vs. Finland
Malta vs. Switzerland
Poland vs. Norway
Venezuela vs. Costa Rica
Honduras vs. Ecuador

Wolf attack

As all big fans already know, lowly Wolverhampton upset mighty Manchester United on Saturday with a 2-1 come-from-behind win. Of all teams to end Man United's 29-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, I doubt anyone thought it would be Wolves! I thought I'd pay a little tribute to the victors with this great old program from the '60s.


Next up for Wolverhampton: second place Arsenal on 2/12. Let's see if they can keep up the momentum!