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.