There's a few advantages that Russia has over Brazil. Russia will be more like a wheel and spoke transport link. Moscow is the center of everything so if you are going from a game in Kazan to say Sochi, you don't have to backtrack. Unlike Brazil where most things flew through Rio or SP, we had to fly direct south from Natal then direct north against to Manaus. You won't have that in Russia Russia also has a better ground transportation system than Brazil. The Soviets connected ever tiny village with a rail line, the trains run on time and are clean and efficient. Train times can be lone but most are schedule to go over night, you get a bed and a room and it basically turns into a big party. While I wouldn't suggest going from Yekaterinburg to Sochi via rail, trains between the cluster of N. Novgorod, Kazan, Samara, Saransk are all short enough. The final thing is that despite the stereotype, Russians are really good at organizing big events. The entire government and business community will be mobilized from above in a neo central planning, and the tournament will take top priority over everything. There will be english speaking volunteers at main points in the host cities and at rail stations and airports to guide fans. Police will be on their best behavior. Brazil as a developing economy and a democracy simply can't coordinate an entire country in the way the Russians can.
all reports I saw from the Confederations Cup were positive. Granted a much smaller tournament, but it bodes well. I'm sure we'll soon be getting our share of sensationalized "news" stories about how all these bad things are going to happen in Russia next June, but like in Brazil most will be BS designed to get attention.
Can already guess: Government surveillance they'll hack your laptop Chechen terrorists will blow You up Football hooligans are waiting to fight you Russian racists will beat you up if you have skin pigment
yup, just for starters! And you won't get the articles later about how well run and incident free it was. Just like Brazil and the Sochi Olympics. Many people only remember the doom and gloom articles written *before* the event, and then years later still think those bad predictions happened. As you've pointed out, Sochi is a good example of that.
and with that being said, ESPN-FC just posted a relatively positive article today on the Confed Cup. It's almost boring! The increased security is something to be taken into account for sure, and while it'll be a pain in the ass and result in long lines, lots of waiting, and having to get the venues a lot earlier, I think most people are OK with it given all the recent incidents around the world. http://www.espnfc.us/fifa-world-cup...tions-cup-is-russia-ready-to-host-a-world-cup
thats the problem. Positive articles are boring. Man takes train to game. It arrives on time. Drinks beer with friends at stadium. Takes cab home and has dinner with wife. Not an exciting clickable story.
Brazil actually pulled it off better than I imagined they would (I lived there for four years). Granted, between the matches in Natal and Manaus I flew home (Sao Paulo) which was great for me. What sites are the best to look up trains in Russia?
Russian railways I think has an English site. I haven't used it so can't tell you how well it copies their Russian version. Bahn.de in Germany is awesome except they often have weird incomprehensible spelling of certain stations.
Did anyone here go to the Confed Cup? If so, can you share some experiences? I am curious about how the Fan ID system worked. Seems like it'll be a lot different than Brazil and harder to buy for friends that aren't on board but may be later. Sounds like we get tickets with names and then an ID lanyard. But does that mean the name on the ticket has to match the ID pic on the lanyard (unlike Brazil--no lanyard and weren't checking names) From the ESPN article listed above: "Supporters get a Fan ID, which enables them to get match tickets and secure a free Russian visa. Other benefits include free bus, Metro and train travel in and between host cities. The system worked well at the Confederations Cup, although there were lengthy queues to get into stadiums as IDs were scanned and bags checked. The key to the Fan ID, which is worn as a lanyard with a photographic ID, is that supporters without tickets will simply not be able to get into matches at the World Cup. So countries which are traditionally followed by large groups of ticketless fans -- England, for one -- will see their fan numbers reduced. Fan ID will deny supporters who want to drop everything and fly to the World Cup just to be part of the experience whether they make it into the ground or not, but it is also a positive in that it should help cut out the inflated reselling of tickets by touts." I am happy to see that it worked smoothly but I think it may cause problems for some of us buying for non committal friends/relatives. I do like to see that it includes free metro and train between cities. That's a huge plus and probably going to be a ton of fun.
Can only speak for Sochi but you had to get a lanyard to go anywhere. You went got photographed (needed at least a ticket to one event) and that was it Maybe try the Mexican or chile boards to see people who went.
I spoke to a friend who attended the final, and she indicated that they had Fan ID's when they entered. With that being said, is it worth it to buy a US Soccer Membership for first crack at World Cup tickets, or can anyone speak on their experience with US Soccer for Brazil? Personally, I was able to get a ticket for the Manaus game from the FIFA Re-Sale Sight, so the ticket was transferred to me under my name. For Germany, I just picked up an extra.
You had to be a member in 2014 to get tickets. God only knows what nonsense they'll invent for the next go around.
I joined in 2013 and was able to get tickets. When you're spending that much on everything else, the extra $55 for the annual US Soccer membership seems worth it to provide another channel to get tickets.
My only hope is that they use caps as some kind of preference to get tickets. Otherwise I've just wasted all my life
caps definitely earn you higher levels, which is supposed to increase your chances of getting tickets. Also, the number of consecutive years you've been a member raises your level. Here's the levels and requirements: http://membership.ussoccer.com/new-membership/
Yes I know that but us soccer has a history of doing whatever the hell they want. In Brazil they gave no priority to existing members which I thought was silly. But their reasoning was they wanted to grow the fan base. Since my expectations for us soccer are about as low as possible it wouldn't surprise me if they did something like that again
with the number of caps you have, I'd be pissed off too! I thought that was the whole point of levels. But of course US Soccer pushes us to basically "buy" a higher level thru their "Development Fund" or by buying their outrageously overpriced VIP packages.
Here's the response I received from US Soccer when asking about Membership a few weeks ago. Nothing was noted in their reply about priority. Hi Tyler, Thank you for reaching out to us. As a new member you would not be able to add previous caps to your account (unless they are within the same month of you purchasing your membership). To purchase tickets through U.S. Soccer for the world cup you will have to be a member. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you, U.S. Soccer Membership
I'd probably sign up now assuming you can get to 5 games or whatever this year since tickets will go on sale in November.
Flights booked to Russia on Aeroflot on Monday June 11 arriving Moscow-Sheremetyevo on Tuesday June 12. That'll give me flexibility depending on how the draw goes and a day to get my shit together in Russia and acclimate to the time zone shift a bit. Going over the pole the flight from LAX to Moscow is just 11 hours and 40 minutes, not bad.