FMF Freak Out, part 2

Tying with Panama was bad enough. Getting a red card was okay. Getting your coach sent off for kicking at an opposing player, Woody Hayes would be proud. To top it off, your fans throwing everything they could find at the other team, and you have an FMF Freak Out.

What a debacle for Mexico last night in the Gold Cup against Panama. What was Aguirre thinking when he kicked at the Panama player? What kind of suspension will we see for him?

Security at the stadium was also an issue. You could see it after the Aguirre send off, the fans were ready to explode. Security should have been ready to deal with it. When the Panama player refused to exit through that tunnel, things should have been handled better. Instead, they just force the guy through there and he gets doused with trash, beer, and anything else that could be thrown.

After that, you'd think security should be on high alert. Nope, they allow an injured Panama player to have more stuff thrown at him.

Credit to the Mexico players, they were begging their fans not to act like this. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Let's see what happens next...

FMF Freak Out

3 pm local time (Central) kickoff on a Wednesday afternoon? That's what the Mexican Federation has decided to do with the crucial Mexico-USA World Cup Qualifier on August 12.

Will it give them an advantage? Hard to tell, most are saying the average temperature is in the mid-70's that time of year in Mexico City. The smog and pollution could be worse at that time of day. I really can't think of anything else.

It wasn't that long ago that Mexico could schedule their home match with the US anywhere in the country at any time and not have to worry about the result. Times are different now, and we're reduced to this.

This should be interesting...

Santino's redemption

Go watch Santino Quaranta's post-game interview from last night...

There's very few articles that have affected me as strongly as Steven Goff's excellent piece on Santino's struggles. He played with such heart and passion last season in his comeback with DC United. Next to Ben Olsen and Jaime Moreno, at this point, Santino is DC United.

The next step on his journey was to get back into the national team. I honestly wasn't sure if it would happen. Santino was playing himself into strong consideration for the 2006 World Cup team, but blew it by showing up to an offseason training camp out of shape. As hard as he played last season, you had to wonder if he could overcome all of it and make it back. He's been even better this season in MLS.

If anybody earned their call-up for the Gold Cup, it was Santino. I was hoping he'd play from the start, but nothing against Grenada. It all just seemed too perfect, coming back to RFK, playing in front of his hometown fans, friends, and family. Would Bradley be that sentimental?

I think he's glad that he made the move. Quaranta was the best player on the field in the first half, and capped it off with an excellent finish to put the US in the lead. You don't see many more emotional celebrations that that one.

Welcome back, Santino.

English language TV for Mexico-USA? Not so fast...

According to Grant Wahl's Twitter, ESPN does not own the rights to the big Mexico-US game from the Azteca on Aug. 12. The price is "extortionate".

Some people are taking this an yet another opportunity to talk about how much ESPN hates soccer, or ESPN sucks, or whatever else they want to blame ESPN for in the world (MJ? McNair? Iran? It's all possible at this point). I guess I missed the memo that ESPN is supposed to pay whatever it takes to get the rights to a match.

ESPN is a business, folks. Plain and simple. The ratings are getting better for soccer, but they're still not the greatest. Why would ESPN blow huge money on something that will get so-so ratings? Just so Aaron in his Chelsea replica jersey can be happy?

Besides, this is how negotiation works. ESPN will say the price is too high, they'll try to talk it down. They showed the '01 game on delay and then paid up to show the '05 game live. The last time you couldn't see the game in English was '97. And if you remember, that was the only time the US has gotten a result in Mexico. ¡Viva el Español!

If you're not watching games in Spanish at this point in the game, you're missing out. Tons of La Liga (I'll still say that La Liga is a better league overall to watch than the EPL), Mexican league, Argentinian league (great stuff), and Copa Libertadores. In fact, watch the first leg of Libertadores final tonight if you get Fox Sports en Español.

Aristocratic sport?

A great article in the New York Times this weekend got me thinking. Well, that's not true, but it did get me thinking about this topic again (probably for the 400th time).

Why is soccer in the US a sport of the upper class?

The US is the only country that suffers from this. Elsewhere, the game is truly the people's game. It is played by everyone, but loved and cherished by the lower classes. It only takes a ball to play. Only in America do kids think that they need coaches, referees, fancy cleats, shin guards, a perfect grass field, parents on the sideline in folding chairs, and orange slices to play. It only takes a ball, and not even a fancy new Nike or adidas one...

While American professional players are starting to become more diverse, there's still a long way to go. Most had to pay huge fees to play on high level youth teams. While a few are getting scholarships to play, the kids who can't afford it usually have to settle for lower level teams that might not offer the same opportunities or have to give up playing altogether.

The big money business of youth soccer stifles the growth of the game in the US. It limits the number of players who have the opportunity to be seen and receive high level coaching. It discourages kids and parents from economically disadvantaged background from getting involved or even becoming fans. It creates an elitist system.

There are organizations out there doing something about this. The members of the Urban Soccer Collaborative, the US Soccer Foundation, any many other teams, clubs, and individual coaches are out there trying to give the game to everyone.

When everyone feels welcome to enjoy soccer in the US is when we'll truly see soccer embraced by the country.