President Obama called and congratulated the US Soccer team on their performance in this year’s World Cup. He spoke to team captain Clint Dempsey and goal keeper Tim Howard.
“I just wanted to call and say you guys did us proud,” Obama told the players. “To see the way you guys captured the hearts and imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable.”
“Clint, you were fantastic. And Tim, I don’t how you’re gonna survive the mobs when you come back home, man,” he joked. “You’re gonna have to shave your beard so they don’t know who you are.”
The USA Team lost to Belgium with a score of 2 goals to 1. In the defeat, goalie Tim Howard set a new world cup record with 16 saves.
When you’re at this stage of the game, playing on this level for the World Cup, the last thing you want to say after the game is that your goalie is a great goalie.
Yes, having a great goalie is definitely an asset, but after the game is over you don’t want the saves of your goalie to be the story.
Tim Howard, the goal keeper for the USA team, was the only player in today’s elimination game against Belgium, who played his heart out and that’s saying something about his teammates, the guys responsible for defending the goalie. Howard was able to stop 16 shots against him, setting a World Cup record, but the team still lost because there was no one defending him or helping to protect the goal.
I commend Howard. After the game he was praised his teammates, calling them a great group of guys. And although that might be true, they need to learn how to defend the goalie.
Belgium won the game scoring 2 goals. The US scored 1. But if it wasn’t for Howard, the score would have been 18 to 1.
I. I believe. I believe that. I believe that we. I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!
In case you’ve been living under a rock, that is the battle cry of the American Outlaws. They are the official fan club of the United States Men’s National Team. You can find them all over the country. The group has 125 official bars, nation wide. If you are in the big apple, you can find these hooligans at Dempsey’s on West 34th street. But if you’re in Brazil this month, you will find a whopping 590 of these die hards.
In fact, it’s been said that the United States has the most supporters in Brazil other than Brazil themselves. If, that doesn’t make you feel proud, check your pulse.
This American team should not have made it out of the “group of death” according to experts, but they did. They sought revenge against Ghana for knocking them out in two previous cups, and got it. They almost beat Portugal but ended up with a heart breaking tie. And of course, they lost a 1-0 game to a German team that is capable of scoring often. The effort was good enough to get them out of the group.
Next is Belgium. And if you’re an American, then you should be very sure of what you are doing on Tuesday at 4:00. You have to understand that when it comes to sports, or pretty much anything, America is anything but an Underdog. However, in the World Cup, that is exactly what they are. Still, they are forcing teams to take them serious. With youth on their side and their country behind them, they believe they can do the impossible. Beat Belgium and go on to win 3 more games, to capture the Cup.
Now if you are one of the few that hasn’t flocked to places like Grant Park in Chicago or Madison Square Park in NYC or a bar like Dempsey’s, then my guess is that you really just aren’t into soccer. That’s fine, because this isn’t about soccer. It’s about screaming your f**king head off for the red white and blue. Americans don’t agree on anything. Not war, religion, politics or even sports teams. But when those players put on those jerseys with the US Soccer logo, we can agree on them. And we can cheer for them
So on Tuesday, leave work a little early. Go find a bar or a deli or a restaurant or a park or a doctors office waiting room or a barber shop
or any place with a TV, because I guarantee that they will all be showing the game. Sit down or stand up and cheer for Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Graham Zusi, Tim Howard and the rest of the Red White and Blue to do something it has never done in the men’s World Cup. Win the whole damn thing!
The Uruguay soccer player, who was suspended for four months by FIFA after biting a player during the World Cup, was edited into a parody movie trailer, called Suarez of the Lambs.
If you’re like many and cannot figure out what all the fuss about this Soccer thing and The World Cup, then have no worries. John Oliver has explained everything.
Mario Balotelli, 23, Italian professional soccer player for AC Milan, shed tears on the bench after racist taunts were repeatedly hurled at him, reports Bleacher Report.
Since Balotelli’s reaction was captured on video and spread like wildfire on social media, his coach and teammates have tried to downplay the incident, insisting that racism was not a factor.
“What can I say about Balotelli’s tears? They were the tears of a sportsman,” said CoachClarence Seedorf in a press conference following the game.
Seedorf insisted that Balotelli’s tears are “human.”
“These are things that happen many times in football and sport in general,” said Seedorf in an interview with Mediaset Premium. “I’d say it was actually beautiful, but I’d prefer to talk about the game.”
“We are players,” he said to Sky Sports Italia, “and there are times when we express ourselves that way. I see nothing wrong or abnormal in that. I experienced it at times too.”
According to Sporting News, Balotelli has been the victim of racist taunts for years:
But still, Serie A has not yet found a feasible solution to quelling fans’ disturbing treatment of Balotelli, and the fines the league has tried to issue as a penalty have not done enough to deter certain fanbases.
Watch Balotelli allegedly react to the racist taunts below:
Balotelli’s teammates insist that the tears were not due to racism, rather he was just disappointed about being benched.
“Mario really cares about doing well with Milan and making his mark. He is sentimental. It’s a shame that he got so downhearted about it, as he needs to keep his head up,” said Ignazio Abate.
Or could it simply be that several years of being called a “monkey” and a “nig***” have taken their toll on Balotelli?
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