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!

Flashback

We came across some images of the very first Eurosport catalog we thought it would be fun to share. This 18-page catalog was printed way back in 1984 and featured three brands of soccer boots (adidas, PUMA and Patrick), eight ball choices, four goalkeeper gloves and one shinguard. The options for players were really limited back then but, my, how times have changed! Some of the big Eurosport catalogs now top 100 pages, have too many footwear options to count and pages of balls, gloves and shinguards. 

It's interesting that, despite all the high-tech advancements in soccer shoe technology, the venerable adidas World Cup is still a popular boot today.

Not even sure if they still make Patrick boots (maybe they're just not available in the US) but they were cool back in the day. Kevin Keegan and Michel Platini made them famous and trendy in the early 80s.

Named after legendary German player (and later coach) Rudi Voller, the PUMA Voller Volltreffer was one sweet kangaroo leather boot.

While looking at the old boot models is pretty cool, the apparel pages of this first Eurosport are, well, a bit embarrassing. No way these models were real soccer players; they were way too pretty. I bet these guys would have cried if taken down with a nice slide tackle. Yeah, they were probably just American football players....

TRANSFERS TRANSFERS TRANSFERS!

English Premier League stars Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll have changed teams in last minute transfer deals.  Torres has left struggling giant Liverpool to join struggling giant Chelsea while Carroll has left Newcastle United to replace Torres in Liverpool.  In addition to Carroll, Liverpool has also acquired the controversial Uruguayan World Cup hero Luis Suarez from Ajax of the Dutch league.  Makes your head spin, doesn’t it?

We’ve got Yanks on the move in England and Europe as well, with Michael Bradley leaving Germany’s Borussia Moenchegladbach for Aston Villa of the Premier League. Robbie Findley of MLS’s Real Salt Lake has joined League Championship side Nottingham Forest and Eddie Johnson has been loaned out from EPL's Fulham  to Preston North End, also of the League Championship.  
That's not to mention the fact that Oguchi Onyewu was loaned from Italy's AC Milan to Holland's FC Twente over two weeks ago, where he promptly suffered ANOTHER injury.  Fortunately it was not serious.  Finally  to top it all off, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu are headed to Turkey!  Altidore from Spain’s Villareal to Bursaspor of the 1st Division, and Adu from Potugal’s Benfica to Rizespor of the 2^nd.   Stay tuned.

Boots we'd wear off the field

Ok so we're total soccer geeks. We love the game and its gear.

On the field, thanks to our daytime gig, we usually look better than we

play. But off the field, well let's just say we're not the dudes rocking the

obscure club jersey just to prove how much we love the game.

Sure, we have a few replica jerseys in our closets and we love our soccer

tees just as much as the neck guy, but we don't live in our gear.

However, there are a few new kicks that have us reconsidering our style:

First up - Nike's Lunar Gato.

I think it's the Lunarlite technology - it not only looks cool (it's the

bright orange parts of the outsole) but it feels incredible. It really does

feel lighter and springier (a word?) than the traditional EVA.

http://bit.ly/eQbRdJ

adidas Samba Vulc II

Ok, so we've always been partial to adidas' classic style, especially the

Samba. And this version with its contrast laces and gum rubber toe cap steps

up the style. We totally dig it and would live in this cool shoe.

http://bit.ly/bqtos2

PUMA v5.10 Sala

This boot is made for sala but we think it's worthy of everyday wear. The

suede and mesh combo upper creates a unique look and the extended gum rubber

outsole can stand up to the streets. We also like the fact that there's no

fold-over tongue. 

http://bit.ly/gTLWsj

What do you think? You have a favorite indoor boot you wear on the street? 

US And Chile Draw 1-1

Little was expected, and the same was delivered as the US  and Chile  National Teams drew 1-1 in a friendly match this past Saturday in Carson, CA.  Both sides featured young , but promising additions to to the respective National sides as both are looking forward to their continental Championships to be held this summer, Chile in the Copa America and the US in The Gold Cup.  The US was captained by North Carolina alumnus Dax McCartey, who was making only his fourth appearance with the senior National Team.  Both sides looked inexperienced and rusty, with little to show for the energy and enthusiasm displayed.

Chile drew first blood in the 53rd minute as Esteban Paredes (the only player from either team to have played in last summer's World Cup) took advantage of extremely suspect marking by the US defense and neatly finished past GK Nick Rimando.  The tenor of the match changed markedly though when Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo took the field as substitutions in the 59th minute.  16 minutes after entering the match, they both left their stamp on it.  After receiving a pass at the top of the box from Alejandro Bedoya, the 18 year old  Agudelo (who scored the winning goal in his National  Team debut against South Africa in November ) turned and beat one defender before being upended by a second just steps inside the penalty area.  Bunbury stepped up and coolly buried the subsequent PK for his first international goal.  The pairing of these two young talents bodes well for the US, as an effective scoring punch has been the most noticeably lacking aspect in the development of American soccer.

Allez les Bleus!

After years of wearing adidas uniforms, France is now sporting brand new kits from Nike. Definitely more minimal in design than the adidas kits (no accent stripes/colors) the home jersey is solid blue with white France badge and white Nike logo. A black collar gives just a bit of color contrast. The blue seems to be a slightly different shade than the royal of years past; maybe it has a bit more grey(?). In addition, the hems of the sleeves can be turned up to reveal a red band. 

On the construction of the jersey Nike describes it so: "High tech fabric made from 96% recycled polyester and 4% organic cotton for rapid moisture absorption and high performance evaporation. The use of cotton on the inside of the fabric provides another level of comfort for the players. Set-in sleeve, collar and neckline combine ease of movement with athletic fit. Shoulder seams bonded with ‘soft touch’ tape deliver maximum strength with chaff reduction." 

The new home shorts are white with what Nike calls a "long, slim ergonomic fit." They have a narrow blue side stripe and blue logos. Red socks with a wide, blue top band complete the kits. 

Overall I wouldn't call this the most exciting kit in international soccer but if you like a nice clean and modern look then you're sure to appreciate it. No matter what you think of the design, it would certainly be a comfortable jersey to play in (or wear when supporting your team!).

To promote the launch, Nike has created an interesting ad campaign featuring three French players who play professionally in England: Chelsea's Florent Malouda and Gael Kakuta and Arsenal's Abou Diaby. The players appear to be glass or see-through with blue paint running down their arms and legs. Kind of strange but certainly attention-getting.

Malouda and Diaby are definitely established stars (both played in the World Cup last year) but Kakuta seems an interesting choice for these ads since he has yet to play for the senior France team. He has been very successful at the youth level, however, and at only 19 years old, I guess they see great things ahead for him. Kakuta was loaned to Fulham on January 20 so maybe more playing time there will accelerate his development.

You can check out the new France uniform and other gear, as well as photos from the ad campaign at soccer.com.

New Look US Set For Chile Reception

With just 26 caps spread among the 23 players (Carlos Bedoya is the most senior player with six!) called into the US National Team’s camp, look for some fresh faces as the USMNT hosts Chile in a friendly match on Saturday, January 22, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. With still five more months until the 2011 Gold Cup, Coach Bob Bradley has the luxury of time to experiment with a host of younger players. The contest will be broadcast at 10 pm EST on TeleFutura and ESPN3.com.

For a roster of the players in the US camp, check out this link to US Soccer.

And of course, the true fan needs the appropriate apparel to cheer on the team. You can find jerseys and more here at soccer.com.

It's Gucci Time: The New Age of Designer Luxury Cleats

 

With advances in technology and design, modern day cleats have never been more elaborate, space-aged or expensive for that matter. It’s not that the shoes aren’t worth the price, you certainly get what you pay for when it comes to some of these new enhancements, But it does make us wonder as some cleats straddle the line between high-grade sports equipment and designer luxury fashions.

Take, for one example, the PUMA v.1.10 SL Lightning. A fine boot in its own right with a colorway inspired by running sensation Usain Bolt, but the real eye-catcher is that this boot has genuine Swarovski crystals embedded in the heel. Why? Well, there’s really no practical reason for it at all. The crystals would at best only serve to add additional (albeit negligent) weight to the shoe, which wouldn’t be desirable in a game situation, plus you run the risk of one perhaps popping off during a particularly nasty tackle. But they're sparkly. And it's not just any crystal, it's Swarovski, for what that's worth. It's shiny and baller and cool. And this phenomenon isn’t unique to one boot.

The new boots for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II FG Elite (whew), is another great example of a boot that toes line between fashion and sport. This unique safari print features a ghosted chevron design and every technological feature Nike could cram in it. And it shows as this boot typically runs for a retail of $300-$400. Those are practically Carrie Bradshaw prices! And bear in mind, all the shoes we’ve mentioned are the absolute tippy-top of the line, worn by the highest paid players in the most competitive games, But still, when you’re getting to that level of cost and design you wonder where else it can go but up.

I suggest that it won’t be long before we begin to see more collaborations between the major sporting good companies and larger, established design houses creating new limited edition luxury cleats specifically for the elite players of the world. Just in the last year we’ve seen PUMA work on just this, creating limited edition shoes with designs by acclaimed contemporary artists such as Kehinde Wiley.

Can’t you just see Cristiano in a pair of Gucci cleats or maybe David Villa (or more appropriately Beckham) in a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s with removable platinum studs? Admit it, the Chanel logo could easily make for a very unique, if not the most practical, stud design. Keep your eyes peeled on both the pitch and the runway in the coming years, because we haven’t seen anything yet.

Ready for the FIFA Women's World Cup?

In 2010, we had the excitement of the men's FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This year all eyes will be on the women's game as the world's sixteen top teams do battle in Germany from June 26th to July 17th.
As we all know, the US Women have been very successful in international play. As a little warm-up to get you thinking about this summer's big tournament we put together a little trivia contest to test your knowledge.


Questions:

1) We all know Brandi Chastain scored the winning PK against China in the 1999 Women's World Cup. Name three out of the other four US players who also scored on their attempts in that game.

2) During the quarter-finals of the 1999 Women's World Cup against Germany, which US player was charged with an own goal?

3) The USA roster for the first Women's World Cup, held in China in 1991, was made up of 18 players. Name six.

4) At the 1995 WWC, the USA finished third. Name the teams that finished first and second.

5) Seven people have served as head coach of the US Women's National Team since it was founded in 1985. Name four.

6) Though the 1991 tournament is now generally referred to as the Women's World Cup, it officially had a different name. What was it?

7) Mia Hamm is the all-time leading scorer for the US Women's National Team. Within five, how many goals did she score while wearing the red, white and blue?

8) Which team did the USA defeat in the third place game at the 2003 Women's World Cup?

9) All-time caps leader Kristine Lilly recently announced her retirement. Within five, how many caps did she win for the USA?

10) The US Women have won medals in the four Olympic Games in which they have competed. Name the year, city and result for each.

11) The first-ever game played by the US Women’s National Team in 1985 was a 0-1 loss to which European country?

Answers:

1) Carla Overbeck, Joy Fawcett, Kristine Lilly, Mia Hamm

2) Brandi Chastain

3)

Mary Harvey   

April Heinrichs    

Shannon Higgins   

Carla Werden (Overbeck) 

Lori Henry

Brandi Chastain

Tracey Bates (Leone)

Linda Hamilton

Mia Hamm

Michelle Akers

Julie Foudy

Carin Jennings (Gabarra)

Kristine Lilly

Joy Biefeld (Fawcett)

Wendy Gebauer

Debbie Belkin

Amy Allman

Kim Maslin-Kammerdeiner

4) First- Norway, Second- Germany

5) Mike Ryan, Anson Dorrance, Tony DiCicco, Lauren Gregg, April Heinrichs, Greg Ryan, Pia Sundhage

6) Women's World Championships

7) 158

8) Canada

9) 352

10) 1996 Atlanta- Gold, 2000 Sydney -Silver, 2004 Athens -Gold, 2008 Beijing -Gold

11) Italy

adidas F50 adizero Prime

Have you seen it? adidas' new F50 Prime, we saw it around the office months ago, but the images were finally, officially available for public consumption on January 1. And the rumors have been confirmed, it is officially the lightest (for now) soccer boot on the market, weighing in at a scant 5.2 ounces.

What can we say? We're impressed. It is unbelievably light, looks great and feels incredible on the feet. We've noticed elsewhere around the soccer web, it's being pictured with thick traditional lacing, but on our samples and according to our adi contacts - it does in fact come with sick kevlar lacing. Kevlar is thinner, stronger and most importantly lighter - and in our market a tenth of an ounce matters. We're frankly surprised someone else hasn't come up with the Kevlar lacing before. Lotto has eliminated the laces with their Zhero Gravity, but we haven't seen too many lace innovations on the market.

Also new on the Prime is the single layer synthetic upper. This not only keeps the weight down but also creates a barefoot feel on the ball. Inner TPU support bands add durability and help maintain the shape of this minimalistic boot.

We're also diggin' the bold colors (adidas calls them Warning and Electricity) and the multi-colored studs.

The Prime has us excited about the direction adidas is taking us in the area of innovative, top-of-the-line soccer boots. 2011 is looking like a good year for our game and its gear.

Great soccer art

This poster promoting soccer at the 1924 Paris Olympics (seen Chariots of Fire?) has to be one of the greatest examples of classic soccer art. I love the colors and the brilliant design that intentionally cuts off parts of both players but still gives a sense of motion.

So who won the Olympics that year, you ask? Uruguay. They pretty much dominated the 22-team tournament, crushing Yugoslavia 7-0, USA 3-0, France 5-1,  Holland 2-1 in the semis, and Switzerland 3-0 in the gold medal match. Switzerland won the silver medal while Sweden took home the bronze.

Other than the loss to Uruguay, the US played Estonia in the first round. They won 1-0 on a goal by Scottish-born forward Andy Straden.