The meaning of July 20th

Image via BBC News

With Colombian Independence Day drawing to a close I cannot help but feel very proud to be of Colombian background. I feel this way when…

…hundreds of thousands of people Colombians representing distinct races, creeds, and ideologies united to march against the kidnappings, massacres, and violence committed by black-hearted criminal groups.

…I eat such lovely delicacies as bandeja paisa, calentado, and huevos pericos (naturally)!

…I visited the grave of my father and thanked him for sacrificed everything and moved to the U.S. to provide a better future for his children.

…I cheered for futbolistas such as “El Pibe” Valderrama and “El Patron” Bermudez and continue to root for players like Macnelly Torres and Juan Pablo Angel.

…I quietly took the brunt of the numerous taunts hurled at me during my childhood and vowed never to allow their teasing to shake my pride.

…I laughed during “Mi Papa, Mi Abuelo, y Yo”, cringed during “Rosario Tijeras”, and wept at the end of “Maria, Llena Eres de Gracia.”

…I look at the weathered face of my grandmother while listening to her sage advice.

…outsiders conditioned with the stereotypes of cartels, coke, and whores find out that the myths do not always coincide with reality.

…I listen to the myriad of musical styles from artists like Grupo Niche, Los Aterciopelados, Pinker Tones, and El Binomio de Oro.

…I wear the bracelet given to me with the yellow, blue and red colors of the Colombian flag which was a gift by my extended family when I visited them after going nearly two decades without seeing them.

…I explain to others that “I’m an American of Colombian background” and the joy that I feel of being part of two vibrant, warm, diverse, and generous cultures. The best of both worlds!

"This is Telemundo! The Spanish language....television network!"

Tomorrow I'll reminisce over a very happy day as a soccer fan and Colombian hincha that occurred in 1993. (Here's a small hint).

In the meantime, as I was looking at futbol clips on YouTube I found an absolute gem. It's a goal from an early 1990s match between the U.S. and Colombia that prominently involved two future MetroStars: Adolfo "el Tren" Valencia and Tony Meola.

The most interesting part of the clip is the voice calling the game: Tony Tirado. The former NASL goalie was a staple of soccer broadcasts on Univision's precursor: SIN. Tirado bolted to Telemundo after Andres Cantor become the head play-by-play announcer on that network. Tirado's deal included hosting a weekly half-hour show- "De Gol a Gol"- that lasted only a few months. Yet the bigger change was that despite having Norberto Longo as the color commentator on SIN, Tirado announced many (if not all) matches alone in the booth.

Tirado's style of narration was simple without adding an overabundance of details nor speaking at breakneck speed. Still, he was keen on narrating along with the flow of action and he left little dead air.

He was also very prescient in knowing that not everyone watching the matches was fluent in Spanish. (Remember, he was on TV in the pre-MLS days when watching a tape-delayed World Cup game was cutting edge). Hence, he peppered the games with phrases in English; one of them being the title to this post.

With that said, here's the clip. (Video link):

Cheers Tony!

S.O.M.

I’ve been a fan of the MetroStars/Red Bull New York franchise ever since its inception over a decade ago. In that time, there is an art phrase used by diehard fans to describe the team’s performance over the years:

“Same Old Metro”

Simply put, it is the inevitable letdown/collapse the team suffers after reaching some high point.

There are far too many examples of S.O.M. over the years and include:

• The infamous Nicola Caricola own-goal during the first ever Metro home game.
• The seeming inevitably of a shootout to decide Metros’ first playoff series in 1996…only for Rob Johnson to concede the series-losing PK to DC in the 89^th minute.
• Youri Djorkaeff scoring a second goal to apparently clinch a playoff series in 2006 over the Revolution…only for New England to score 3 unanswered goals in 15 minutes to win the series.
• The chance to extract vengeance against DC a decade later in the playoffs with the series tied 1-1 in aggregate goals…only to have Christian Gomez score with four minutes left in regulation.
• The failed promises from the likes of Ruben Dario Hernandez, Lothar Mattheus, and Alexi “superteam” Lalas.

The list can go on and on, but I bring up the concept of S.O.M. because I’m left repeating that phrase endlessly in my mind after tonight’s cruel 2-1 loss at New England.

It had been one week since what has thus far been the game of the year, if not ever: the 5-4 home win during the maelstrom that was David Beckham’s debut in the NYC area. It was an absolutely magical match to see nearly 70,000 strong at the Meadowlands while each team fought it out. Yes there was a notable contingent of Beckham groupies (*cough* Tom Arnold *cough*) and the defenses for both teams were atrocious but it was an uplifting game that RBNY won. Despite knowing that the next two games wouldn’t be a cakewalk there was the blind faith and optimism that perhaps the team could turn the corner once and for all. Even one point out of those games would've been encouraging.

Instead S.O.M. reared its ugly head during the lifeless effort at DC on Wednesday. (Dear god how I loathe Jaime Moreno).

And S.O.M. showed up once more in tonight’s heartbreak loss at New England after Carlos Mendes’ smashing game-losing own-goal in the 80^th. (With Jon Conway’s complicity, of course).

Normally I’m a bit angry after New York loses. But tonight I feel shell-shocked and numb. The notion that maybe it’ll get better has yet to cross my mind. I don’t know. Perhaps I’m being too pessimistic but once again the specter of S.O.M. got the better of me. I should’ve known better.

Ultimately, I know that a week from now I’ll join roughly 1,000 other fans in watching RBNY on MSG next Saturday. In a way it’s masochistic to keep dancing the same dance but one of these days S.O.M. must go away.

(Assuming that it will, that is).

Alexi Lalas - supertool

I bet that smug smile was nowhere near his face after JuanPa's game winner last night (image via this site)

"'If you’re sitting in seat such and such in aisle blah blah blah'– I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the half-time give-a-way echoing over the loud speaker until – 'you’ve just won a brand new Makita tool set.' What? Numerous people in my section were looking around trying to verify with a mirror of confused stares that they actually heard them give a way a freaking tool set. 'Makita, the official Power Tool of MLS.' Huh, funny, I thought that was Alexi Lalas’ title."

--Adam Spangler- soccer aficionado and journalist- who attended Saturday night's RBNY vs. Galaxy match.

His blog- This is American Soccer- is an absolute gem, especially for articles like this one on last night's game.

Quick thoughts on tonight’s Beckham (oops, I mean Galaxy) v. RBNY match

(Image of an overly jubilant Juan Pablo Angel via Metrofanatic.)

* Dammit, this was the type of match that Samuel Jacobo should’ve called on Fox Sports en Español.

* Jozy

Jozy

He is the king of New Jersey!

* Here’s a thought: more Jozy-cam, less Beckham-cam.

* The Galaxy have only won three of fifteen games this season but did not play like it tonight.

* Come back Dema!

* This game confirms that Waterreus ought to be Jon Conway’s backup in goal.

* My favorite ESC moment – when some of them put their fingers over their lips as a gesture towards the Beckham groupies after Jozy’s second goal.

* Thanks Edson Buddle for showing what you couldn’t do during your time with the Bulls – score a goal. Imbecile.

* Becks played a pretty solid game (three assists) despite going scoreless. He fully deserved the cheers from Metro faithful and groupies alike at the end of the match.

* Let’s see how much Kornheiser will pooh-pooh over the match on “Pardon the Interruption” Monday.

* Nearly 70,000 packed Giants Stadium to see the game. Let’s hope that at least one-third of that attendance can be at the final regular season home game on September 1^st.

* I don’t think it’s a good sign when lines of fans leave the stadium shortly after JuanPa’s game winner two minutes from time.

* I cannot wait to check out the headlines out of Colombia praising JuanPa for his stellar effort tonight!

* Jeez I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall in Alexi Lalas’ room while he was watching his new “superteam” lose.

* Good news: WNBC started their sports report on the news with the soccer game. Bad news: too much focus on Becks. (They didn’t even show Jozy’s two goals!)

* More coverage of the goals and the game by WABC’s newscast, but to say that Angel was “outplayed by the star of the night” Beckham? What?!

* All bitching aside, I missed going to the Si*Se concert at Governor’s Island to watch this match. Mercifully the game was undoubtedly worth the hype and watching it!

* And now the true test of fire – a must win at DC on Wednesday.

Liquid football

Today was a long day on the road. Hence, I'm exhausted now and not in the mood for any ruminations or diatribes.

In the meantime, here's a lovely vid that made me laugh a lot tonight:

Do you have a "foot like a traction engine"?

Bummer (NSFW Version)

After watching the anticlimactic USA-Colombia Copa America match and the Red Bulls' pathetic, ghastly effort against Houston I only have the following to say:

[Cover your ears children and prudes]

Fuck fuck fuck fuckety-fuck-fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Motherfucking putas bitch rat bastard damn sons of bitches idiots mothershagging idiots.

Mierda mierda mierda mierda no-good wankers.

That felt better.

Tomorrow I will return to my regularly scheduled pithy observations.

Apologies for all the dirty words.

Dammit.

Tidbits: Back without a venegeance

Drug Store by Edward Hopper (via Artchive)

It’s been ages since I’ve decided to post some tidbits that have caught my attention. So why not do it now that I’ve been feeling very crappy since last night. (Take a good look at the above image and you’ll catch my drift).

And away we go!

* A phenomenal essay from Slate on Edward Hopper, my favorite artist. Bonus points for the brief examination of my favorite painting of his (Automat), which was ingenuously used for this 1995 TIME magazine cover.

* Olivia D’abo sings!

* There is really only one candidate who should be considered for the vacancy of the USMNT and that decision should be made ASAP. Hire Bob Bradley now!

* For a split-second I thought about taking an acquaintance to one of the eateries on this list. However, the gentleman side of my brain quickly kicked in and vanquished the frugal section of my mind. (Hat tip: Newyorkology).

* Intriguing article of the “return” of girl groups. The Pipettes are a lovely bunch of saccharine goodness but methinks I’ll stick to Velocity Girl, thank you. (Hat tip: largehearted boy).

* Hamburger heaven: take the Q44 bus for lunch at to Joe’s Best Burger, then transfer onto the Q20A for early dinner at Five Guys.

* You learn something new every day.

* Mark Kulkis- exploiting racism or marketing genius?

* No thanks.

* Yes it would be fantastic if Reno 911! could go beyond a fifth season, but I’m afraid I’ll agree with Mary Birdsong’s quote in this short article.

* Freddy Rincon- from futbol glory to a possible stint in Panamanian prison.

* Lastly, I really miss Nirmala when she was with Controller.Controller (aside from the fact that she vaguely looks like an ex from eons ago). In the meantime, I’ll have to suffice with vids like these:

“And in your sheets!”

Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo – Red Bull New York vs. Houston

I’ll make this quick since my arms are tired from typing as well as from clapping during tonight’s match.

LO BUENO

+ Jozy! Jozy! Jozy! Strength, speed, and confidence. It’s hard not to become presumptuous, but can you imagine what he could do in a few years’ time for the senior men’s national team?

+ Sometimes minimalism is best, and the Virginia Tech insignia on RBNY’s jerseys spoke volumes.

+ Off-topic: Lionel Messi. Supergenious.

Comparativa gol de Messi y Maradona
Uploaded by cariacolov

(Hat tip: Who Ate All the Pies?)

LO MALO

- Poor officiating tonight for the most part. The penalty against DeRosario was correct, but the ref missed several hard tackles against Jozy, was too harsh on giving Cletus the red card, and even missed a penalty call against RBNY with ~15-20 minutes to go.

- Cletus’ penalty miss. Tried to be slick (I guess) and it ended in an easy save for Garlick.

LO FEO

! Jozy’s unsportsmanlike celebration in front of the visiting Houston fans. Careful man, karma can be a bitch.

p.s. I’ll discuss RBNY’s signing of Juan Pablo Angel and the shipping of Marvel Wynne north of the border at a later time. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.

Lo bueno, lo malo y lo feo – Red Bull New York @ Columbus

Image of Claudio Reyna via MLSnet.com

LO BUENO

+ Though the game ended in a nil-nil draw, there were some positive signs for RBNY. Dutch boy (or should that be “man”) Ronald Waterreus made several huge saves in goal and I was impressed with his effort. Claudio Reyna was solid in his debut in the Reds’ midfield and I was impressed by Van Der Bergh.

+ Kudos to those that those few thousand fans in Columbus who came out to watch the season opener in spite of sub-freezing weather and some nasty flurries.

+ Also kudos to the Crew for the simple tribute to Lamar Hunt on their unis and mowed onto the turf.

+ Off-topic: Houston’s outstanding effort against Chivas during the CONCACAF Champions Cup semis. Though they eventually lost the series, they never gave up and played extremely well even in front of a packed crowd at Estadio Hidalgo.

LO MALO

- RBNY’s unis: like the dark blue color and monochromatic look but ode the superfluous piping on the sleeves.

- The defense was about as bad as I had anticipated. We were lucky a few times that the Crew didn’t score on us from several close chances including dead ball opportunities. The defense did improve somewhat during the last quarter of the game but that was due to a change in strategy where the midfielders stayed back more than usual.

- Off topic: Julie Foudy’s blunder during this afternoon’s DC-Rapids game when she said that Fred’s previous team was “the Melbins.” (Maybe this is being too nit-picky, but critiquing Dave O’Brien would’ve been too easy and I’m not in the mood to discuss Eric Wynalda’s seemingly latent homosexuality).

LO FEO

! I agree wholeheartedly agree with Martha over at The Offside’s RBNY’s blog: it is inexcusable for broadcasters to be stuck at the Garden while the team’s playing away. It looked like RBNY’s admin is running a second-rate equipo de potrero by having Shep and whoosits giving the play-by-play from midtown west. I can’t imagine the inane banter they will have if the video feed ever goes on the fritz. (On the other hand, maybe Shep can give more anecdotes of his time playing with Pele and Chinaglia way back when!)

! Mind you, the broadcasting team would’ve been freezing their asses off in Ohio if it weren’t for the fact that the team has lost a lot of money. (No, I’m not falling for de Grandpre’s spin on RBNY’s financial losses; it makes no financial sense to have zero sponsors and to have blown half-a-mil on expenditures during the ’06 home opener like having Shakira warble a single song. Perhaps it is all part of a plan to build a winning squad by the time Red Bull Park opens in summer of 2008, but it would seem that a proper rebuilding process takes longer than a year and change).