The Enemy Within?

In addition to high-handed fans and an often obtuse media and general public, the US soccer program faces a situation perhaps no other national team on the planet experiences.  We rarely, if ever, play a home game in the true sense. 

Brass tacks... I'm border-line jingoistic in regard to the Men's National Team.  When the visiting supporters outnumber our own at supposed home matches, I ask myself, anger lump in throat, how's that possible?  What will change that?  (At this point, I haven't a clue.)  Every game is a road game for the US, particularly when we play another CONCACAF team.  We simply don't enjoy the overwhelming support for home contests of other nations.  As any sports fan will testify, the crown can inspire spontaneous genius, strengthen tired legs and minds, or even influence the referee's judgment - say just enough to swing the game into the desired direction. 

At the risk of sounding like a xenophobe....Nothing against nurturing your roots, after all, "if you know your history, then you would know where you coming from," as Mr. Marley once penned.  On the other hand, one should also keep an open mind over cultural adaptation in a new land.  Perhaps it's a Buffalo Soldier situation; busy boy, landscaping, etc. - general menial labor - the new battlefield for the new labor army.

Kickin' Ka-nowledge

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
- Emma Lazarus

In an attempt to avoid, the standard exclusionary policy, here are a few links and a short (and running) glossary of soccer lingo:

 Rules & Regulations:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_%28soccer%29

Strategy & Tactics:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_%28soccer%29tactics_and_skills

From these two links you should be able to find an article to answer pretty much any questions you may have, if you are interested.  Thank the industrious souls at Wikipedia for the info.

 

TERMS

Soccer Speak	Sports Speak
club	the entire organization involved in running the team operation including the trainers, front office, etc.
draw	Tie
fixture	scheduled game; team schedule is referred to as a fixture list
flare	superior skill and style, sometimes used negatively as a substitute for showboating
form	a team's current moment (are they hot or cold?)
match	Game
pitch	playing surface
result	earning points from a game; typically a win (3 points); can also refer to a draw (1 point)
side	the players selected from the player pool for a particular game (i.e. -- the starters and substitutes)
transfer	player movement from one team to another, this rarely involves a trade; typically a (transfer) fee is exchanged

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMPETITION TYPES

The international game is the other main type of competition.  These are tournaments contested between the national teams of various countries.  The teams are composed of the best professional players from a given nation.  The most popular competition, the World Cup, is the world's biggest sporting event, hands down.  The competition pits veritable all-star squads from each country that has qualified for the final tournament via their regional tournament.

 Domestic competition other format is the cup.  This is a playoff system very similar to the NIT basketball tournament where teams travel to higher seeds stadiums only to exchange for a neutral venue in the later rounds of the tournament.  In this style, knock-out from head to head competition, based on seedings is used to determine a champion.  Divisions are irrelevant in the sense that the competition is open, so all divisions can compete.  A team's division level will obviously impact the seeding process, however.

The international game is the other main type of competition.  These are tournaments contested between the national teams of various countries.  The teams are composed of the best professional players from a given nation.  The most popular competition, the World Cup, is the world's biggest sporting event, hands down.  The competition pits veritable all-star squads from each country that has qualified for the final tournament via their regional tournament.