Hexy 2013, Round 10: The Night the Lights Went Out in Panama

I'm not even sure where to begin, but I'll try.

Hexy 2013, Round 9: Barbecue, Barbecue, We All Eat Barbecue

Kansas City. I've been here so many times over the years, mainly for two things: bowling tournaments and soccer games. Each time has been terrific in its own way; this trip has been no different.

Too Hard in Panama

American Outlaws just released their package for the last game of the Hex in Panama City. The hotel? The Panama City Hard Rock Hotel.

I like ya, AO, but it's a real shame that the AO packages have become all about not experiencing any of the country where the game's being played and all about being a stereotypical terrible American tourist.

Oh, and the package is $693 for three nights. See above.

This does remind me that I should start looking for hotels in Panama City for myself and my friend Andy. We get in Sunday night and leave Thursday morning.

Dos a Cero, Again and Again

WE ARE GOING TO BRAZIL!

I could go on and on about the experience, but there are plenty of accounts already out there.

I could go on and on about how some supporters have been crappy to each other... but I just don't feel like it. Y'all know the problem. In the words of Wil Wheaton: don't be a dick.

I had a great time in Columbus. Good local beers, good parties, great result. See y'all in Kansas City.

Hex 2013, Round 7: Well, That Hasn't Gone Well

Let's all just forget that game on Friday ever happened, eh?

I type this from a hotel room in Alajuela, Costa Rica, near Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría (SJO). It's been a terrific, albeit whirlwind, trip.

The Ineptitude of US Soccer

It boggles my mind at just how utterly useless US Soccer is when it comes to tickets for their supporters—especially when it comes to away games. Case in point: the upcoming game in Costa Rica.

Last night, US Soccer sent an e-mail to US Soccer Supporters Club members, saying that there would be a USSSC-exclusive sale of tickets to the away game this morning at 9am Central. Strike one: less than a twenty-four hour notice.

My friend Charlie, who is also planning to go, said he would take care of getting our tickets, so I didn't worry about it this morning. Right about 9, I got a text from Charlie; he was only able to get one ticket, and he did that before it was actually 9:00. Strike two: starting the sale before the stated time.

I then hopped onto the USSSC-member page to try and buy myself a ticket. At 9:03 (according to my phone), I sent a text to Charlie to say they were sold out. Strike three: getting such a tiny amount of tickets that they were sold out within three minutes of going on sale the stated sale time.

Not surprisingly, US Soccer has again struck out.

Granted, getting tickets is a bit easier these days; in 2009, you still had to fax in forms to Soccer House in Chicago. But getting away tickets during this Hex has mostly been a disaster:

• tickets for Honduras didn't get mailed out; people had to pick them up from a hotel in San Pedro Sula;
• tickets for Azteca were delayed multiple times, and arrived mere days before the Denver game;
• American Outlaws arranged the tickets for Jamaica, but were apparently given a bad batch before having them swapped out for the proper tickets.

So, US Soccer: figure it out already. I know there's some goofy game you play with the other federations about away ticket allocations; but for the sake of your supporters, please stop it. The number of fans traveling to away games—especially qualifiers, and doubly-so the Hex—has been growing. We want to be loyal and support you, at home and on the road; you're keeping us from doing that.

So now what? Hopefully AO will have some tickets for sale separate of their ground package, as we're not planning on doing that. Otherwise, I just don't know.

Guest Spot: Rocky Mountain Redux

After the fallout from my trip to Salt Lake City in June, I decided to ask one of the people who'd responded to write an entry about USA v Costa Rica at the Gold Cup last Saturday.

Brian "Bean" Mace is a local radio and podcast host from Salt Lake City. He covers college sports for LawlessRepublic.com.

The US men's national team returned to Salt Lake City for the second time in just under four weeks. As all US soccer fans are aware, the Salt Lake City crowd had their issues in the World Cup qualifier with Honduras. Many elements played a factor in the success of the Salt Lake City crowd during the World Cup qualifier, but today we are going to talk about the issues during the Gold Cup.

Oh, What a Beautiful Monday!

Not a bad few days as CONCACAF goes, eh?

On Friday, the US Gold Cup squad played a friendly in San Diego against Guatemala. Guatemala is definitely in a bit of a rebuilding phase, having not made it to the Hex nor qualified for the Gold Cup. This means that this was perhaps not a fair judge of how the US might do in the Gold Cup, but it was good to see how the "B team" would fare against the sort of team they'll see in the tournament.

The game also marked the return of Landon Donovan to the national team. I, for one, am glad to see it. The man deserved his time away; he'd been playing non-stop for a few years, and had suffered injuries for the first time in his career in 2012. I'm hoping that a good showing in the Gold Cup will see him energized for a return to qualifying in September.

As for the game itself, Guatemala put up a good fight in the first half, but the US eventually broke them down and ran away with it in the second half, winning 6-0. Cool to see Donovan score his 50th and 51st international goals; also nice to see Stuart Holden continue to look good in his comeback bid.

On Sunday, the Gold Cup started in bizarre fashion. At the Rose Bowl, Martinique beat Canada 1-0 on a stoppage-time blast. I didn't watch the whole game, but what I saw wasn't good for Canada. Martinique controlled a decent amount of play, and their miracle goal was deserved.

As if that weren't strange enough, Panama then went on to beat Mexico 2-1. Mexico has also sent a B team, while I think Panama had most of their top players; still, it's not a good sign for LOL Tri. Who knew that Mexico vs Canada in the second group game would potentially see one of those teams eliminated from contention?

Shameless Self-Promotion: Support Your Local Club

In lieu of other content (though it's been suggested I expand on my trips to Mexico, Jamaica, and Seattle), I'm taking a moment to do a little shameless self-promotion:

Four or so years ago, I had an idea for a t-shirt pop into my head: a doctored EPL logo on the front that said "support your local club" in place of the league name; on the back, the same phrase surrounding a big 09 (for the year) in the Prem's player name/number font. I showed it to a few friends, who thought that taking the idea a bit further with a website dedicated to the idea wouldn't be such a bad idea.

I registered a couple of domain names... and sat on them for years. Occasionally I'd do some development work on it, but then I'd get to a certain point and let it sit.

While going through my unemployed phase earlier this year, I finally decided to buckle down and finish the site. I retooled the code completely (mostly as a portfolio move), got all the data I wanted, and even put up some modest content. The site launched last month at http://www.supportyourlocalclub.com/.

I'd like this to become a resource for information about American soccer; as such, I could always use more information, including info on team-related blogs and supporters groups. Any help is appreciated.

An Apology (of sorts)

It would seem that my post about my experience at the last qualifier upset a few people. I can't say I'm disappointed by that; in fact, I'm glad that people took notice. It seems to me that it's about time that we as US supporters considered our attitudes and behaviors. However, a number of the reactions tell me that I should clarify some of the feelings I expressed in that post.

I'll start with issuing an apology. After re-reading what I wrote, I can see how people could get the impression that I was pointing my fingers entirely at the local Salt Lake supporters, including Salt City United. That certainly wasn't my intention; there's plenty of blame to go around; obviously, most people in the supporter end were not locals.

Hexy 2013, Round 6: The Disappointment in Sandy

So.... Salt Lake City.   Of all of the domestic stops in the Hex, it's the one I knew the least about.  What did I know?  Mormons, mountains, and RSL.

I'm not sure I know a lot more about the city itself after the trip; though I think I learned something about the RSL supporters in the process. I really only know one thing for sure:

One month. Three qualifiers. Nine points.

Playing Catchup

Despite the timing of my last post on this blog, I did not die in the insanity that was Azteca. There are a number of factors (and lame excuses) surrounding the fact that I haven't posted here in a while. Having been out of work for a couple of months, my head went into a bit of a tailspin; I won't bore you with details, but sometimes it felt a bit like this.

So, what's been going on with the national team during the last three months, then? Oh, not a lot, I guess...

¡Hola! ¡Cerveza, Por Favor! ¡Gracias!

...and now you've seen most of my knowledge of the Spanish language. Next, you can see a portion of my Monday afternoon:

I've certainly spent worse days.

Hexy 2013, Round 2: Denver

[Alright, alright... I need to write more often on here again. I have excuses, but none of them are good.]

Well, that was something else.

We All Went Down to Amster-(shh)

Ok, so I've neglected the blog for a bit since getting back from Honduras. Damn this "real life" thing getting in the way of soccer!

Since we're still a few weeks away from the next set of qualifiers, let's talk about what I was doing three years ago:

March 3, 2010
Amsterdam Arena
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Friendly: Netherlands v USA

Pro tip: If you stay up until 6am the day before an international flight in the hopes of being so tired on the flight that you can fall asleep, maybe you should just consider sleeping pills instead.

Hexy 2013, Round 1: San Pedro Sula

Last week was the opening round of the 2013 Hex; with it came my first foray into the Un-Sexy Hexy. Despite my delay in posting this, I didn't have any issues during the trip; in fact, the trip went very well... well, except for the result.

So it Begins

I'm typing this at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, waiting for my flight to Atlanta. After an overnight layover tonight, I arrive in San Pedro Sula just after noon tomorrow.

At this point, I'd say I'm more nervous than excited.

I feel like I've done as much prep work as I can: I got vaccinations; I bought a secure wallet; I'm staying in a hotel that was recommended by someone who's gone before; I've been in e-mail contact with a number of people who are going, including a few staying in the same hotel; my trip is registered with the State Department; and I've left my itinerary with my roommate and parents. I have my passport, and even have Honduran currency.

All in all, I'm sure I've done the best preparation that I can and things will be just fine. But not even Mexico City had the kind of travel warnings attached to Honduras, and I'm a big-ass gringo who stands out in a crowd here at home, never mind in Latin America.

At least I managed to score a free upgrade to first class for tomorrow's flight. I think that "mileage run" I made towards the end of last year to gain Delta Medallion status is already paying off.

Well, it's just about time to board.  Time for this un-sexy adventure to begin.

Shot in the Arm, and You're to Blame

A word to the wise (which doesn't usually include me): When traveling to Central America, check the vaccination recommendations and requirements a bit earlier than five days before you leave. At least I was able to get those taken care of this morning. I've seen a picture of my ticket, so that's one less thing about which I have to worry... providing that the holder of said ticket makes it to SPS. Also, I'm looking out the window, and it's started to snow again. Current temperature, according to Weather Underground: 4 F; it was -11 F this morning. Even with all the things to worry about when in Honduras, at least it'll be a whole lot warmer there.

Behind the Border

My fifth USMNT game was my first away game:

August 12, 2009
Estadio Azteca
Mexico City, Mexico
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Mexico v USA

Yeah, this was the big one. My friend AJ doubted me when I declared three years prior that I would be going to Azteca with him. Three years later, there I was.

On the Road at Home

My list of USMNT games continues with number four:

June 6, 2009
Soldier Field
Chicago IL
2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifier: USA v Honduras

The problem with being a fan of the US men's national team is that sometimes the home games can feel like away games. Case in point: the qualifier against Honduras at Soldier Field.