According to Amy at US Soccer

[roadkit]

I seriously doubt we're going to see 3,000 Americans want to fly over 3,000 miles to a country where people don't speak English to see a sport that's simply not all that popular to Americans. :D

True. All the people looking for the tickets probably either want to sell them on EBay or need a decent excuse to hang out in a beer garden for two weeks! :D

[JBigjake]

Does anyone know if Amy is hot? Single... well at least separated, divorced, or widowed... hell, willing to cheat?
Hey, I already promised her my first born! Apparently, she will be in Germany & if I find her, I'm buying her a beer! (I'm too old for anything else!)

[JBigjake]

[Just sent a dozen roses to her]
I'm seriously going to send her flowers! I checked florists in 60616 & found a couple about 10 blocks away. Working 0n 60605. Is anyone (Flannigan?) familiar enough with the area to know the best (cheapest) local florist?

[NBlue]

This thread would be much better with pictures of Amy . . .

[Thomas A Fina]

Hey, I already promised her my first born! Apparently, she will be in Germany & if I find her, I'm buying her a beer! (I'm too old for anything else!)
Did you promise that she could help you make your first born

[Thomas A Fina]

Well hell, if you add your group of 6, then the games MUST be sold out. :)
Mike - I have a sneaking suspicion that he's right. We're going to see a very large USMNT newbie element and a very low regular Sam's Army contingent this time around. I think you underestimate just how many people are going for a Euro vacation first and the soccer game second (or at least 1b). And I'm with Tallavanna - there are more scalpers invovled then we like to think. I'm thirdly concerned with the amount of Italian-Americans looking for Italy tickets.

[Etienne_72772]

This thread would be much better with pictures of Amy . . .


Here's a picture of an Amy. Not sure if she works for USSF, though.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c90/Etienne_72772/amy_2_lg.jpg

[Bill63]

Mike - I have a sneaking suspicion that he's right. We're going to see a very large USMNT newbie element and a very low regular Sam's Army contingent this time around. I think you underestimate just how many people are going for a Euro vacation first and the soccer game second (or at least 1b). And I'm with Tallavanna - there are more scalpers invovled then we like to think. I'm thirdly concerned with the amount of Italian-Americans looking for Italy tickets.

Well it might be new that I'll be standing with you guys this time, but I'm well aware of you. You guys are the ones that are always in the **********ty seats :)

But seriously, do you really believe that someone planning a Euro vacation is willing to pay the jacked up prices we are already seeing in Germany. Gosh, look at airfare! They'll be in Italy then. My friend in Regensberg says that it comes up in business conversation how his countrymen plan to make a mint off this thing. On top of that, should we really expect those Euro vacationers to be saying to themselves, instead of the cheap boat trip down the Danube, I think I'll get on Ebay and fork over $600 for a USA/Italy ticket (F*** my friends and family!). Nope, the fella in the stands will be a die-hard USMNT fan.

[FC Tallavana]

Well it might be new that I'll be standing with you guys this time, but I'm well aware of you. You guys are the ones that are always in the **********ty seats :)

But seriously, do you really believe that someone planning a Euro vacation is willing to pay the jacked up prices we are already seeing in Germany. Gosh, look at airfare! They'll be in Italy then. My friend in Regensberg says that it comes up in business conversation how his countrymen plan to make a mint off this thing. On top of that, should we really expect those Euro vacationers to be saying to themselves, instead of the cheap boat trip down the Danube, I think I'll get on Ebay and fork over $600 for a USA/Italy ticket (F*** my friends and family!). Nope, the fella in the stands will be a die-hard USMNT fan.

Money is relative. What seems expensive to some is not to others. That said, I really hope you're right!

[Palermo10]

Money is relative. What seems expensive to some is not to others. That said, I really hope you're right!


Right - I paid $1,050 for tickets through Euroteam. A lot of money, but worth it. However if I am successful on this phase I will try to find an unsuccesful USA fan to buy them off me. $300 sounds better than $1050.

[roadkit]

...there are more scalpers invovled then we like to think.

Okay, once more for someone dense like me - I've been looking through the USSF and FIFA regs on tickets. I don't see how someone can buy tickets through this system and scalp them. Your name is on the ticket, and it gets checked at the stadium. If you aren't the person with their name on the ticket, you don't get in.

What am I missing?

[Palermo10]

They cant check every ticket. Somebody said 10%, somebody said 0 were checked in 2002.

You take your chances I guess. The Euroteam tickets I bought are "corporate" and dont have names.

[USAClash]

Okay, once more for someone dense like me - I've been looking through the USSF and FIFA regs on tickets. I don't see how someone can buy tickets through this system and scalp them. Your name is on the ticket, and it gets checked at the stadium. If you aren't the person with their name on the ticket, you don't get in.

What am I missing?

What you're missing is that the scalping goes on anyway. The whole name on the ticket thing is just lip-service FIFA does to discourage the black market. It happens anyway, and they know that so they don't ID every ticket that comes in. In 94, I bought scalped tickets with some Colombian and Romanian guys' names on them. No one checked them.

Of course, you can't say for sure they won't go through with the policy this time, but it would likely be a huge fiasco since a huge % of fans will still get their tickets from scalpers, and it would be a long process to ID every fan that enters the stadium.

[Bill63]

I notice that you said ticket(s). Plural. Was the $1000+ for a number of games?

Anyway, I know some US Men's "superfans" who are blissfully unaware of the presale - and US Soccer and BigSoccer :eek: !.

I also know a guy who is the coordinator for an affiliated youth club and he knows about the sale. I asked him yesterday about his order. "I'll get around to it. There's plenty of time." I just smiled at that.

I just don't think most people are as crazy as those of us floating around on these boards. And I for one, currently at least, thank God for that!

[stinky]

They cant check every ticket. Somebody said 10%, somebody said 0 were checked in 2002.

You take your chances I guess. The Euroteam tickets I bought are "corporate" and dont have names.

myself and 3 others went to 8 games in South Korea 2002. don't recall them checking ever.

[Palermo10]

I notice that you said ticket(s). Plural. Was the $1000+ for a number of games?


Yes - the 3 first round games. So about $330 a game

[Cannon]

On the number of newbies, I knew exactly zero Americans (outside of bigsoccer and 1 friend of a friend) who went to WC02. I now know of a few different groups local to me who are trying to get tickets from USSF. None of those people would be described as diehard USMNT fans. All of the ones I've heard this from this week entered this presale.

Most rarely go to soccer games in this country (One guy went to a couple of DCUnited games bought in one of the cheap Adu packages they offer, another used one of my tickets when I got sick and had to miss the local US v Panama WCQ in 2004, and one went to see the big european clubs tour around here last summer) and none of the ones I know have ever been to a world cup outside of the US.

I agree with Thomas A Fina. It looks to me like a lot of newbies are going this time or at least trying to go. However, all of the guys I know are going for the soccer not really a European vacation (although I'm betting they sold it to their wives that way). Just my anecdotal evidence added to the discussion.

[roadkit]

All I know is that there must be a whole lot of people out there who put in for tickets who are missing out on the whole Bigsoccer teeth-gnashing, brain hemmorrage experience...


:D

[Lobotown]

What you're missing is that the scalping goes on anyway. The whole name on the ticket thing is just lip-service FIFA does to discourage the black market. It happens anyway, and they know that so they don't ID every ticket that comes in. In 94, I bought scalped tickets with some Colombian and Romanian guys' names on them. No one checked them.

Of course, you can't say for sure they won't go through with the policy this time, but it would likely be a huge fiasco since a huge % of fans will still get their tickets from scalpers, and it would be a long process to ID every fan that enters the stadium.

I agree this is mostly lip service. In France '98 most of the scalped tickets appeared to be from corporations involved in the tournament (IBM, Lotus, various service providers) and there was no personal name on the ticket. There were no ID checks. As some have noted, one exception would be conditional tickets, where someone would need to show ID after the 1st round to pick up tickets for teams that advance.

There will be plenty of scalped tickets available, though none will be at a discount. I'd recommend buying them stateside so there is some recourse if the tickets don't get you into the games.

[El-Professor]

Mike - I have a sneaking suspicion that he's right. We're going to see a very large USMNT newbie element and a very low regular Sam's Army contingent this time around. I think you underestimate just how many people are going for a Euro vacation first and the soccer game second (or at least 1b). And I'm with Tallavanna - there are more scalpers invovled then we like to think. I'm thirdly concerned with the amount of Italian-Americans looking for Italy tickets.

How arrogant! Just because you call yourself a member of "Sam's Army" somehow you have more of a right to a ticket than other people? I've followed USSoccer since the mid-70s but never am close enough to go to a qualifier. Now I get a chance to go to Germany and see the US and all you people can do is bitch about how people like me don't deserve it because we're not in your prissy little army. Get a life.