UAH Wins, Maryland-Under Amour Soccer Boots

UAH Shuts Out Christian Brothers

University of Alabama-Huntsville picked up its second win of the season on the back of a strong defensive effort and the creativity of sophomore forward Felix Hjalmarsson.  Coming off a soggy 1:2 overtime loss to at home to Lincoln Memorial University on Sunday, the Chargers (2-1) shutout victory give the team confidence through the 3rd of their season opening 6 straight home games. 

The Charger defense held strong through out the match, and the Icelandic forward Hjalmarsson would reward them with a goal in the 80th minute from a nice combination with midfielder and fellow Icelander Ragnar Gunnarson.  It was the frosty forward's second goal of the season.  Hjalmarsson wasn't finished as he and freshman forward Mitch Wilson combine to seal the win with Wilson's goal in the 83rd minute.

The Charger's will hope to keep the momentum going when they host Tennessee Wesleyan on Saturday at 2:30 PM at Charger Field.


University of Maryland Flag Soccer Boots Are Awesome!

Fear the Turtle!

The University of Maryland's throwball team has been getting an huge amount of press about their uniforms, but it's the Terps soccer boots that I'm interested in.  The Under Armour Blur boots (and the uniforms) are based on the flag of Maryland with feature the Black and Gold banner of the Calvert family, and the Red and White banner of the Crossland family.

The Terps soccer team also features the Calvert banner

Confession:  I'm was born and raised in Maryland's Calvert County.  So, my opinion in these matters may be a little biased.  I fully understand people who think they are bufugly, but I think they are awesome!

USMNT in Nashville Update

Disappointing Turnout Expected?

There's a minor debate going on about the turnout for Tuesday night's match between the US and Paraguay at LP Field.  As of yesterday, 17,000 tickets had been for a game in a stadium that holds nearly 70,000.  Some are arguing that a match versus a top twenty-five team that is coming off their best World Cup showing ever should attract more interest.  I'm not so sure, but I do see the valid points of the arguments.

When you compare the 63,000 tickets sold for the Argentina match, the number for next Tuesday's match seem paltry, but Paraguay is not a world power the likes of Argentina.  Despite coming off an appearance in the round of 8 where they were beaten by the eventual champions Spain in last year's Wold Cup, but La Albirroja are certainly not one of the "sexy" teams of world football (unless you count the team's unofficial mascot, Larissa Riquelme).

No word on whether Larissa Riquelme will be in attendance next Tuesday.  Now, that might sell more tickets!

Also, Paraguay aren't bringing their star players.  Even if they did, I'm guessing not too many folks who weren't born along the Rio Paraguay would buy tickets just to see Roque Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez who are being left out in favor of some of the younger talents.  Educated soccer aficionados may know the likes of Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmond) and Oscar Cordoza (Benfica), but the typical EPL obsessed fans I know don't know them at all.

But enough about the opponent.  I'm more concerned that a match with the USMNT's first choice players hasn't already drawn more than 20,000.  Landon Donovan. Tim Howard. Clint Dempsey.  These are legitimate international professionals, if not star players.  Considering that the USA's finish in last year's World Cup made these guys household names in countries on the other side of the globe, it boggles my mind that there isn't more interest on the other side of town here in the USA.

USMNT Training Ahead of Argentina/Paraguay Friendlies

Maybe I'm just getting old and impatient, but it's about time the soccer community in the US woke up and started supporting the professional game here in the US.  I know... Rome wasn't built in a day and all that hooey, but hurry up already! 


Bussing It with Rocket City United

At least the Huntsville/Madison area will be well represented.  Rocket City United has provided fans a free trip up to Nashville on their team bus, and if you haven't reserved your seat, it's too late.  All 60 seats on the bus have been taken.  The bus will take off from the Walmart on Madison Blvd. parking lot at 3:15 on Tuesday afternoon. 


Rocking the Red

Looks like the Yanks will be sporting a new look when they step on the field this week.  Nike and the US Soccer have unveiled a red third jersey.  The shirt is an attempt to appease the hard core USMNT fans who always wear red and have been asking for a return to the red shirts for a while.  The last time the US wore red in a real competition was the "last place finish" of the 1998 World Cup.  I think someone at the US Soccer house became superstitious and decided the red shirt was to blame rather than the horrid 3-6-1 tactical formation and the bickering between the players.

Randoms

Another World Cup Ball Post?!

I don't know why, but I find this ball to be fascinating. As I've posted earlier, FIFA's new official World Cup ball is called the Jubalani and is the most technologically advanced ball ever.


The Guardian has a nice info-graphic with some cool tidbits on the ball.


Beer bath?

Normally when the phrase "beer bath" is mentioned in a soccer article, it's in reference to a championship celebration. This post is an exception.

Beer baths, long soaks in a tub filled with beer and other spices, are being used by many South American soccer players as a new remedy for soccer injuries. What's next? Will RCU player's turn to Huntsville's newest brewery, Straight to Ale Brewing, to heal their ails (or should I say ales)? I know that many HASL players already work out their aches and pains after Sunday matches with the help of a lager or two, but bathing in it just seems to be a waste of good beer!

Get Your Official World Cup Gear At Walmart... Wait, Walmart?

You'll soon be able to pick up your official 2010 World Cup gear at Walmart. In a move that is surely designed to raise the international profile of the world's largest retailer rather than promote soccer in the heartland of America, Walmart signed an deal to operate 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Official Event Stores in each of it's 7,800 locations worldwide. So, get used to seeing a Christiano Ronaldo shirts next to that Jimmy Johnson jacket.

Using "The Force" In The Making Of The Ball

I'm a big fan of the show How It's Made on the Science Channel. So, it's no surprise that I was fascinated by the video on the New York Time's Goal Blog that shows the manufacturing process to create the Jabulani, as the new World Cup ball is known.When the video got to the point where the press was used to shape the ball, I couldn't help but think of the scene from one of the Star Wars movies where Darth Vader has his helmet fitted back onto his head in his hyperbaric meditation chamber.



I know it's geeky, but you have to remember that I was an impressionable youth when these movies came out. :)

World Cup Stuff

World Cup Draw on FridayESPN2 will broadcast the World Cup Draw on Friday. They'll have three hours of coverage starting at 11 AM. How will the US fare? Climbing the Ladder provides the best analysis I've seen, complete with probabilities of drawing specific outcomes.

History of the World Cup Balls

The new Adidas ball the "Jublani" is set to be the official ball of the 2010 World Cup.

A few weeks back, I did a post on the Adidas World Cup Ball set that is on sale at Eurosport. British newspaper, the Telegraph has a photo essay of all of the balls used during the World Cups dating back to the 1930 Uruguay edition.

World Cup Ball Set

I love the Eurosport catalog. It's a reminder of the days before the wonders of the Inter-webs, when a soccer geek like me had to go out of his way to find soccer related gear. I grew up in a rural area, and none of the local stores or even sports stores carried any real soccer related gear. Sure you could get your generic balls and shin guards, but try to find a replica jersey or even a pair of Copa Mundials boots and you were in for a drive of at least an hour to the only soccer store in 5 counties.
Then a friend of mine gave a copy of the Eurosport catalog. It was about 50 pages filled with more shoes, clothes, balls and other soccer equipment than I had ever seen. I would spend days looking at the action shots of pros in distant leagues I had never heard of. You see, cable TV had not come to my part of the world yet (Hard to imagine, right kids?). Eurosport was part of my soccer education and I would spend days scheming on how I would save up money to buy an Italia 90 World Cup t-shirt or Addidas three striped socks.

Ahh, the olden days...

Nowadays, I've been desensitized by overexposure via FSC, GolTV, soccernet.com, etc. I still get the catalog in the mail, but the anticipation of spending hours pouring over each page is no longer dripping from every pore. Normally now when I open my Eurosport catalog, I just peruse the latest version of the soccer gear that I consider way overpriced and the catalog hits the trashcan a few minutes later. It is rare that I actually see something that I get excited about like I did in my youth.

However, the other day when I got my latest edition, I casually flipped through it and had to flip back because something interesting caught my eye. It was with particular nostalgia that I spent a minute or so on each of the 10 balls offered as part of the Adidas Historical World Cup Match Ball Set. Glorious!
Each ball is made using the same materials and methods used to create the original. I could imagine knocking around each ball to test the difference that 40 years makes in football technology... Then, I saw the price... $849.99!!! In this economy! Fortunately, for those of us not in the top 1% of the economy, they also have a mini-ball set for $99.99. It'll make a nice Christmas present for myself.

New Nike Ball

I love the show "How It's Made" and shows like that. So, it's only natural that I think this vid is cool. It's a behind-the-scenes look at some of the features and technologies that go into the production of the newest Nike ball.

Where Are You Watching The CL Finals?

So, are you going to develop a case of 3 hour flu tomorrow afternoon? If so, where are you going to watch the Champions League final?

I know people are going to be at both local locations of Buffalo Wild Wings, and I heard that a few folks might go Monaco Pictures bar to catch the game. Personally, I like to watch at home, so I can scream at the TV in privacy.

What ever you do, please respect the hardworking souls who can't feign illness and are recording the game by not texting, emailing, or calling them with the results. That's just not fair. If you are going to watch the game and you have a HASL match tomorrow night, please don't jump out of your car and scream for all at Merrimack to hear, "Did you see that sick goal by Ronaldo/Messi/Henry/Rooney?!!!" The soccer gods do not take kindly to that type of behavior.



Anyway, here are some CL final related vids to enjoy.


The Making of Messi's Champions League Final Boots


Henry vs Giggs Rebok spot

It's gotta be the shoes

I've played soccer for 30 years, and along the way I've noticed some universal truths. One of them is that each team will have at least one player who is what I will term a "shoe snob". You know, the guy who buys 3 pairs at one time and sends them all back cause one stud is mispositioned or shows up to the game with the latest edition of the Force Frame TF III Dominator in electric pink from some company no one has ever heard of. I admit, there have been times when I've been that guy.

Well, I have great news for those types. Both Nike and Adidas have released websites for players to customize shoes to fit and form. Nike has come out with NikeID while Adidas has it's own miAdididas.

To give you an idea of what you can do, I created some samples. Now, before you say to yourself, "What is this dude thinking?", please note that I am not responsible for the color scheme. The team I play for has the most… um… interesting color scheme going. Light blue and burgundy/maroon, with black, yellow and green trim.

With that in mind, here are my best attempts at shoes that would fit the team's color scheme.

Nike Air Legend II

Hmm, the silver makes it look space-agey. Is that a word?

Nike Talaria IV

This may be my favorite. Pretty simple and the colors might actually match the uniform.

Nike Total90

Hmm, the ugly black and red plastic on the front just doesn't do it for me.

Adidas F50 TUNiT

I like the muted color scheme here, but I'm not a fan of the wrap around stripes.

Adidas Predator Power Swerve

This is the Beckham shoe. The yellow may be a bit overPOWERing for my SWERVE.

Adidas adiPURE TRX FG

Brown is the only base color available for this model. While I'm not in love with it, I do like the burgundy that wasn't available in the other Adidas models, and my professional graphic artist wife thinks this would work the best with our kits.

After all that, I don't know that I'll take the plunge. I'm a Puma guy with a foot that tends to be a little too wide for both Adidas and Nike. I would definitely have to try on each of the styles for size before I'd send them $100-200 to custom build the shoes.

What's your verdict? Can you come up with some sweet designs. Feel free to share.