According to Amy at US Soccer

[Galaxian]

OK now that I thought about it I got ten ( yes I read your answers but I missed the obvious ones :D )

[SimplyforGiggles]

I'm late to this thread, but I'm a busy little retailer, and it's my first post to Big Soccer, so cut a girl some slack.

Here's the deal: I own a company (Simply for Giggles) and we just opened our first brick and mortar AND online this year. "Black Friday" doesn't really apply during your first year...things are going well and all, but we're pretty damn broke right now. Plus, I've got staffing issues to spend a month in Germany...but if you think that will keep me from going...forget it.

This will be my 4th Mens WC, and I've got about 15 caps under my belt. My 3 year old daughter has at least 4. I got fired to go to the France WC and I was 5 months pregnant in Korea. And yes, I do think I should be rewarded for my loyalty.

It's not a question of elitist or whatever, it's a matter of customer loyalty. It scared the heck out of me to travel jobless and pregnant (lucky not at the same time I guess!) and it will freak me out to be multiple time zones from my store, but I'll do it bc I love the team.

I think it's freaking great that there are all these newbies, and I'll be the first one teaching them the songs (heck, mt duaghter can teach them!) But I do think that as a "company" US Soccer should reward those of us who made the commitment and/or sacrifice to be there in the darker days. (I got fired for that crappy 98 performance!! Are you kidding!?) It's just not right that the guy I ref for who barely understands USMNT is going to games that so far, I have no tix to.

Life may not be fair, but business should be, or you won't keep having happy customers. And I've been a damn fine customer.

And my score: 1, 2. 3 4. half of 6, 7, 8. 9. if Korea or Azteca counts which I think is pretty respectable. Besides, how many of you were 5 months pregnant and all swelled up on that flight to Korea?? Or lost you job for soccer? That has to be worth at least 3 bonus points!!

Tanya/SimpyforGiggles

[JBigjake]

I got fired to go to the France WC and I was 5 months pregnant in Korea. And yes, I do think I should be rewarded for my loyalty...And my score: 1, 2. 3 4. half of 6, 7, 8. 9. if Korea or Azteca counts which I think is pretty respectable. Besides, how many of you were 5 months pregnant and all swelled up on that flight to Korea?? Or lost you job for soccer? That has to be worth at least 3 bonus points!! Tanya/SimpyforGiggles
Repped. Wow! This is what I am talking about, people! Fans like Tanya went the extra mile for the USMNT.
http://www.simplyforgiggles.com/

[Palermo10]

Hey I go to Chipotle 2-3 times a week. They don't reward me for customer loyalty - they actually raised prices two weeks ago.

On another note- because these "newbies" haven't been to matches or made the "sacrifice" - they automatically "barely understand the USMNT" ??

[JBigjake]

Hey I go to Chipotle 2-3 times a week. They don't reward me for customer loyalty - they actually raised prices two weeks ago.
You could have gotten a free burrito on Halloween!
http://www.chipotle.com/email/05-booUS/boobahbee.html
Many up-scale restaurants reward frequent or repeat customers.

[RandyfromUS]

I'm late to this thread, but I'm a busy little retailer, and it's my first post to Big Soccer, so cut a girl some slack.

Here's the deal: I own a company (Simply for Giggles) and we just opened our first brick and mortar AND online this year. "Black Friday" doesn't really apply during your first year...things are going well and all, but we're pretty damn broke right now. Plus, I've got staffing issues to spend a month in Germany...but if you think that will keep me from going...forget it.

This will be my 4th Mens WC, and I've got about 15 caps under my belt. My 3 year old daughter has at least 4. I got fired to go to the France WC and I was 5 months pregnant in Korea. And yes, I do think I should be rewarded for my loyalty.

It's not a question of elitist or whatever, it's a matter of customer loyalty. It scared the heck out of me to travel jobless and pregnant (lucky not at the same time I guess!) and it will freak me out to be multiple time zones from my store, but I'll do it bc I love the team.

I think it's freaking great that there are all these newbies, and I'll be the first one teaching them the songs (heck, mt duaghter can teach them!) But I do think that as a "company" US Soccer should reward those of us who made the commitment and/or sacrifice to be there in the darker days. (I got fired for that crappy 98 performance!! Are you kidding!?) It's just not right that the guy I ref for who barely understands USMNT is going to games that so far, I have no tix to.

Life may not be fair, but business should be, or you won't keep having happy customers. And I've been a damn fine customer.

And my score: 1, 2. 3 4. half of 6, 7, 8. 9. if Korea or Azteca counts which I think is pretty respectable. Besides, how many of you were 5 months pregnant and all swelled up on that flight to Korea?? Or lost you job for soccer? That has to be worth at least 3 bonus points!!

Tanya/SimpyforGiggles
Personally, I think anyone who went to France for the 98 debacle should get some sort of free pass -- all that came out of that was a few good meals and a serious wine hangover.

[Palermo10]

You could have gotten a free burrito on Halloween!
http://www.chipotle.com/email/05-booUS/boobahbee.html
Many up-scale restaurants reward frequent or repeat customers.


Trust me Jake, I did :D - I had to wear foil on my head, but hey - free steak burrito? No problem.

USSF? Upscale? BAH! :p :)

[SimplyforGiggles]

On another note- because these "newbies" haven't been to matches or made the "sacrifice" - they automatically "barely understand the USMNT" ??

No, just the guy I was refering to.

He gets soccer, and I'd love for him to be at the WC. But I almost had to puke when I heard that he got lottery and we hadn't. He was like "Oh cool" when I would have been on the ceiling for a month. We were all newbies once...nothing against newbies.

This posting stuff does get a little addictive. Never should have started this with so few selling days left!! Stop posting and go support a local business all of you! :)

[Galaxian]

I was a newbie on the site , but not at heart ! lol . Finding this site through the Sams Army website was amazing , and posting is definitely addictive . Finally some people that want to talk about soccer 24/7! My family can't take it anymore .

[josey_a]

Dont we all start out as "newbies" ? you cant really dis someone because they are new to the scene.

[JoeSoccerFan]

Besides, how many of you were 5 months pregnant and all swelled up on that flight to Korea?

I'm not pregnant - but I look like I'm 5 months pregnant :D

OK, nobody opine that I am much further a long!!!! :o


Or lost you job for soccer?

I made my leave request 3 years ago for 6 weeks which I subsequently reduced to 5 weeks (at mgmt request) last year. I knew that I really needed only 4 weeks!

Nevertheless, my mgmt has hinted several times that it may still be a problem. Finally, I told a VP that I have been asked by other folks in the organization about my interest in working for them. Perhaps, this would be a good time to transition.

That's the last I've heard about my leave request!

[nowherenova]

I'm "in transition" until June so I can go too. I'm parking cars for 8 months (instead of a cush 9 to 5) to go to the World Cup. I'd say I've given up my fair share of opportunity, but it's definately NOT a sacrifice.

To miss seeing the Nats play in WC '06 because of work would be a sacrifice.

[Thomas A Fina]

Ah yes, add to your excellent list of American Nats in Germany these...

McBride, Twellman, Agoos, Joe-Max Moore, Conor Casey, Lapper, Deering, Dooley, Kirovski, Henderson, Brian Bliss, Chris Sullivan (those last two go WAY back) and Caliguiri (who was the first to make it big)

With your 11, that makes 25 so far...
And how can one forget the immortal Brent Goulet.

[taylor]

And how can one forget the immortal Brent Goulet.

Well you guys forgot: TD and of course my personal all time embarassment player DR.

Rep to the person who can either names those players in the invisible magic cyber ink or IM me the names.

[scarshins]

I have about 45 "caps" since 1990
and I don't have tickets, looks unlikely I'll get any through this sale
I think I'll break into US Soccer and steal all yours

[Shibb]

Repped. Wow! This is what I am talking about, people! Fans like Tanya went the extra mile for the USMNT.
http://www.simplyforgiggles.com/

Heh. We can free up some tickets by driving so much business to Tanya that she can't possibly afford to go to the World Cup. Everyone, send this link to your friends and family and tell them it's bad luck to break the chain and they need to send to everyone they know!

;)

But seriously, I agree with the comment above that everyone's a newbie some time. There always needs to be new blood coming in to grow the support base and take over the torch where necessary.

[Lloyd Heilbrunn]

I find the reaction to some fans wanting to go to the WC by those fans with with "more caps" to be very ironic in light of Arena's recent comments about desiring more NT support......

[obie]

I attended the 1998 open practice in Central Park before the Nats went to France, brought my Iran and Yugo game tickets, and got them signed by Cobi, Balboa, and Dooley. Marcello was the only one who recognized them as game tickets, and said something like "I haven't seen these yet -- we'll see you there." And, when I went through the security line in Lyon, the ticket taker saw the autographs and took special care to not rip along the white where the sigs were. They're now up on the wall in my office, in a framed St. Denis WC98 poster.

I think that's a pretty cool memory by itself. It doesn't mean I deserve something special from the USSF.

[NaMusa75]

The American Notion of Entitlement can be so absurd sometimes. I mean, to deny a newbie a request for tickets because they've never been "capped"? Some people don't have the time/resources to attend qualifiers and friendlies. The US MNT NEVER plays in Hawaii so what opportunity do we have to get "capped" to get tickets to the desired World Cup? We have to commit at least 3 days (and $1000 in travel expenses) for any match the team plays. For some people, they'll pay $5 in gas and $20 in parking. Luckily, I spend a great deal of time on the continent so I can see the team play.

We've got almost 300 million people in this country, maybe 30 million of us love soccer ... of that number, how many of us are trying to get to the World Cup for our tiny allocation? Sometimes we get lucky, sometimes we don't.

In '90 I couldn't get tickets. In '94 I got one (thank god for huge venues in the US). In '98 I got none. In '02 they were practically giving them away and I went to all of them except the Germany match (hey, I didn't think we'd go that far and my plane left the day before the match). In '06, I luckily got 2 tickets from the FIFA sale back in April and one of them turned out to be the US-Ghana match. I tried to get the US TST but those were gone in a heartbeat. Now I'm trying to get the USA-Italy match through US Soccer, but I've no hope for that.

Get used to disappointment people ... it happens everywhere in life, even in soccer.

[JBigjake]

Get used to disappointment people ... it happens everywhere in life, even in soccer.
No, No, No! I won't be disappointed, I won't! Wah! Wah!