US fans suck, reports the Guardian (UK)

[um_chili]

Sorry to break this to all you US fans here in Germany, but the thing is, we suck. We're drunk, and loud, and obnoxious, and militaristic. It's all in print, thanks to Guardian (UK) reporter Marina Hyde's piece "Over-excited, Overweight, and Over Here (http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1800824,00.html)." I've got to admit, she really nailed us. Oh, why can't we be classy, svelte, and sober like other soccer fans, such as the fans who hail from the country where the Guardian is published? Anyway, just thought you'd like to know how lame we all are. I wrote a response to the Guardian piece that I was going to post here but it got a bit long so I put it on my blog (http://usaworldcup06.blogspot.com) instead.

[AGF Aarhus]

Pot, this is kettle. Kettle, this is pot. Now you've been introduced.

I'm going to try to pick this up at the newsstand tonight. This is one for the scrapbook.

[yellowbismark]

Damn, what a bunch of smug assholes. I'm beginning to really hate that newspaper.

[United1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40273000/jpg/_40273213_tooth_300.jpg

Yeah, but our childen don't look like this.

[NORML]

Man if we make it to the next round I'd love to read that the US fans after the game were chanting, "we’re here, we’re staying, so get used to it".:D

[MJ-inBRITAIN]

Damn, what a bunch of smug assholes. I'm beginning to really hate that newspaper.

the less references to them the better. i stopped buying it years ago.

[Mimir19]

I thought the article was amusing and kinda spot on..There were plenty of self-depricating comments which show that most of it was meant to be funny.. I don't see why you guys need to get your panties all bunched up over this one..

[scb74]

Who cares what this Marina Hyde beeeaatch thinks about us. She's just a hater and can't accept that US Soccer is here to stay. Beeeeeaatch!

I don't think she has spent much time observing other fans in Germany, some of the more annoying ones I thought were the Dutch and Swiss fans.

It's the WC, everyone is drunk of their ass and letting everything hang out.

PS, did I mention that Marina Hyde is a beeeaatch?
:D

[scb74]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40859000/gif/_40859564_marina_hyde_203.gif

Here is a picture of her. Ha ha, she needs to spend more time focusing on herself than talking smack about everyone else. How about a nose job Marina?

[McGinty]

Why is everyone shocked that the Guardian would look to take potshots at the USA?

[billf]

See you next tuesday Marina!

[DrunkCajun]

Eh, I suppose growing up abroad on a steady diet of CNN International, The Guardian insert in the Buenos Aires Herald, and BBC World, I suppose I'm less sensitive to a little ribbing from our friends across the pond. I didn't find the article all that insulting--if anything, I think it's probably dead on for many of our fans. I do wonder how she managed to not interview a single truly knowledgable fan from the US fan base, though, as from my experience in K-town there were plenty of them.

Let's face it. While those of us here are the true nuts, or as they're called in Spanish, "fanaticos", many at that match were attending their first US match, their first soccer match, in some cases even their first time abroad. We're in our infancy as a fan base. What do we (and they) expect? Sophisticated songs, coordinated outfits, and polite, smiling, sober fans?

*shrug*

The very fact that she's writing about the US fans instead of the Swiss fans, Brazilian fans, German fans, etc is a testament to the fact that we've arrived on the scene. Don't read too much into it. Criticism is a form of flattery--you're being taken seriously enough to waste energy on.

[AGF Aarhus]

Here is what get's me annoyed, and I was discussing this with my German girlfriend last night:

I'm not normally a 'flag waver'. I do not hide my nationality, but nor do I flaunt it. In fact, I am often mistaken by Germans as being Irish because, as they say 'I'm not loud and rude'. These are innacurate stereotypes to be begin with, and in my experience actaully more accurately describe the English that I see in Germany, but the point is that I am a pretty subdued person.

So my girlfriend was shocked to see me in K-town singing the anthemn, screaming USA, and yelling all sorts of things that can't be printed here at the ref and the Italians. She was especially shocked to see me waving a flag and wearing a USA shirt.

The thing is, I was behaving as any other soccer fan anywhere in the world would. When I, or other Americans do it, it is considered abrassive. But why are we not allowed to do the same thing the Dutch and Swedes do? When they do it, it's cute. When we do it, it's rude. And what's more, American soccer fans, in stark contrast to many of our European counterparts, are about as dangerous as black lab puppies.

For all the booze consumed, and all the passions involved, I saw no fights all day and night and only a few harsh words exchanged after the game. Contrary to what this woman wrote, what I saw on Saturday was pretty close to exactly what a fan should be (only complaint would be that I would like to see us have a bit more coordination in our chanting, flags, banners, etc., but that will come with time).

So yeah, she can stuff it.

[Bill Schmidt]

A U.S. fan needs to walk up to her with a plate of jellied eel and fake British teeth and say, "Come on, give oos a kiss love."

[Roehl Sybing]

I actually cried reading this piece. She's exactly right. I'm very sad now.

I'm going to get me some Pizza Hut.

[Bill Schmidt]

I do wonder how she managed to not interview a single truly knowledgable fan from the US fan base, though, as from my experience in K-town there were plenty of them.


I find it hard to believe any American with less than a whole lot of knowledge about the game and the team would spend a few thousand bucks and take the time off from work to go to the World Cup.

[DrunkCajun]

I find it hard to believe any American with less than a whole lot of knowledge about the game and the team would spend a few thousand bucks and take the time off from work to go to the World Cup.

I did too, until I met some of the people attending the games.

[Palermo10]

I wrote her a nice response.

Hope she tells me where she'll be on Thursday ;-)

[Ron Keller]

Take a look at her other columns. Poking fun at things is her role at the World Cup. I thought it was reasonably amusing, in a newspaper-humor-column-y sort of way. Anyone taking this seriously is way off base.

[DrGuinness]

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40859000/gif/_40859564_marina_hyde_203.gif

Here is a picture of her. Ha ha, she needs to spend more time focusing on herself than talking smack about everyone else. How about a nose job Marina?

I wouldn't kick her out of bed.