[NDR] USMNT vs. Catalonia on 10/14 cancelled...

Discussion in 'Houston Dynamo' started by zolafan, Sep 5, 2007.

  1. zolafan

    zolafan Member

    Aug 10, 2004
    Houston, TX
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    from du Nord...

    http://dunord.blogspot.com/2007/09/normalize-news.html

    linking to Yanks Abroad...

    http://www.yanks-abroad.com/get.php?mode=content&id=3379

    the match is still shown on the schedule on USSF site...
     
  2. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Catalonia usually play their matches at Christmas, perhaps it will be put off until then?
     
  3. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Republic of Texas vs Catalunya; that's the match-up of state powers!
     
  4. KotWF

    KotWF Member

    Jun 13, 2003
    Texas
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That would be awesome, maybe in my spare time I'll design a kit someday for a ROT team. BTW... it would be just fine with me if the USMNT agreed to play them on Christmas.
     
  5. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Look no further than the old Independiente Texas 1836 jersey's I had a fellow BigSoccer dude from Indiana create. They are still around on some of the old threads regarding what to call Team Houston when MLS comes to town.

    Simply put, Solid Red top, Navy shorts and clean white socks. Think Chile NT http://www.anfp.cl/

    Our crest for the squad is just our State Flag and that's all that is needed. Kinda like Turkey and China have no crest on their National Team tops. Just their flag says it all.
     
  6. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    There is no reason why a Texan national team could not play, there are numerous "national" football teams that play international matches that aren't affiliated to FIFA.

    There is also the NF Board (Nouvelle Fédération-Board) which is for countries and/or regions who can't get membership of FIFA. Greenland, Tibet, Northern Cyprus for instance are members and who compete.

    Then there are those who aren't members of FIFA or the NF Board like Catalonia, Basque country, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Kurdistan and so on, all who compete at some level.

    Catalonia have tried to join UEFA, using the examples of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as being of a similar status within the UK as Catalonia, Basque, Valencia etc within Spain. But they have always been rejected membership of UEFA.
     
  7. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Having been there to the Basque provencia I was in awe at how similar in thought and footballing culture those Northern provencias are when talking No. Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England and the U.K. proper.

    Specifically in Pamplona where there was all this 'HUELGA 21' posters of the missing lads that have been "arrested" by the Federal Spanish Govt.
    I thought, Jebus what is this Belfast circa 1976???

    So when talkin' futbol there is indeed a very strong mindset that those provencias of what FIFA calls Espanya should indeed be granted their own FIFA membership. As a man from the Southern States of the United States of America....I know what it is like to lose to the Stars and Stripes. I guess that is why we are Patriots the twice over. Nowadays, we back the flag that sought to bring massive death and severe hardship to its own folks. But I digress about 'The War of Northern Agression'.
    Having a Team Texas would be cool in that we have the talent pool, think Dempsey, Alvarez, Arnaud, Holden, Gbandi, and the lot. We are (along with Hawaii) the only two recognized Republics that joined the Union. So it is our privledge to field a Republic of Texas squad for special one off International Friendlies.
     
  8. KotWF

    KotWF Member

    Jun 13, 2003
    Texas
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ... and of course I'm pretty sure FIFA wouldn't allow England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland teams today either... if those football associations/teams hadn't existed and competed before FIFA itself. Although I doubt anyone would want it over there... imagine what kind of team you could field it you added the best Scots and Welsh (are there any World Class Northern Irish players?) to the England team to form a "Super United Kingdom" team. And of course, imagine how less competive teams like Spain, France, Germany and Italy would be if you had Catalonian (or say Brittany or Bavaria or Naples) teams siphoning players off the current national squads. It seems to me... the way it is now sort of puts England/Scotland/Wales at a competitive disadvantage vs. the other powers of European soccer.
     
  9. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Indeed, a very good point - no an excellent point! Spain is the prime example as the various regions are similar to the UK in that Catalonians will be both Catalonians and Spanish. I remember watching one of the Catalonie internationals when they played Argentina a couple of years ago. It was held in the Camp Nou and there were banners all over the place (and in English too) saying "Catalonia not Spain" and "We are Catalan" etc etc

    There have been calls before now for the 4 national teams in the UK to join together as one GB team (or for Northern Ireland and the Republic to join as one). But it would never happen, there would be too much animosity toward it and any such team would never be accepted. For the London Olymics for example (in which for virtually every previous Olympics) there simply is no GB football team. I have no idea why we have to compete as GB in the Olympics but that is a different matter. But the London Olympics, there will be a GB football team, yet the Scottish and Welsh FA's have both refused to send players (it us Under 23s I think?). Not sure about Northern Ireland.

    But there is not a chance at all that if the UK applied now for 4 different "Home Nations" that it would be accepted. UEFA would reject it completely. The sheer number of member nations of UEFA now though is ridiculous, mainly due to the break up of the former Eastern bloc countries into smaller nations, and they simply do not want any more members. Gibralter tried joining but were rejected. But when places like Andorra (population 71,000) and San Marino (population 28,000) can play at international level and are full members of UEFA, yet Catalonia etc can't it does make a mockery of the system.
     
  10. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    For the Atlanta Olympics back in '96, Scotland had qualified but then could not (or did not want to) represent the U.K. for association football.

    I understand as soccer bleeds culture and heritage on many levels of the sport. However there is the British and Irish Lions for Rugby League. That's cool to have. Sharp looking crest as well.

    Then there are the Northern Irish dudes that will sing the 'Soldier's Song' for Ireland come International Rugby Union but they would never dare support Ireland Republic of for a FIFA fixture. My buddy from Belfast told me that years ago and that one was one of the oddest things I heard in sport!

    It's like a guy from UT not supporting A&M at all, unless its Rugby then it's a Texas State thing to celebrate A&M and sing Gig'Em. That's a tough 180 to pull even in the name of State pride.
     
  11. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Because the Olympics only allows participation by teams representing countries with national Olympic Committees. The United Kingdom's national Olympic committee is the British Olympic Association. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland do not have national Olympic committees therefore they cannot participate in the Olympics in any sport.

    Puerto Rico, for instance, has its own national Olympic committee even though it is a territory of the U.S. The U.S. Olympic Committee granted Puerto Rico permission to form its own committee and to join the International Olympic Committee so they can participate in the Olympics separately.

    Any of the Home Nations could form a national Olympic committee and petition for admission into the International Olympic Committee but only with the permission of the British Olympic Association since it already has jurisdiction over those areas.
     
  12. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    The British & Irish Lions isn't rugby league, it's rugby union. But the Lions are more a "representative" side for tours as England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all play international rugby union (the Rugby World Cup just starting of course!). In rugby league they compete internationally as GB but each home nation also has a team.

    However, apparently the Rugby League authorities have announced that they are "retiring" the GB team this year and that from then on each of the Home nations can compete individually and the GB team will be similar to the rugby unions Lions" team and just compete as a representative side. So things can and do change.

    With Northern Ireland of course it is a whole different ball game and it is very complex depending upon religion and politics.

    With Texas and a national Texas team, I think there is a case for there to be a Texas team that at least competes at a similar level as Catalonia. Would be cool to see to be honest.
     
  13. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Sorry yes I know about the British Olympic Association, but as you say, any of the Home nations could form a national Olympic committee. My point was more to do with why in the Olympics we have to compete as one nation, yet in football, the national sport of each nation within the UK, we compete individually and there would be a public outcry if there was ever a GB football team (outside of the Olympics which only a minoroty will support anyway).

    Puerto Rico isn't a country in it's own right then I presume?
     
  14. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Puerto Rico is not a country. It is a territory of the United States as are the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa who all participate in the Olympics. Puerto Rico has autonomy similar to U.S. states but does not have statehood or direct representation in the U.S. Congress. Residents are U.S. citizens.

    FIFA and the IOC are both membership organizations. They set up rules to be a member and you are either a member or you are not but those rules are different. The Home Nations are each members of FIFA but only the British Olympic Association is a member of the IOC. A lot of people think that the Home Nations have resisted forming a British football team to compete in the Olympics because it might lessen their status as independent entities within FIFA. In other words, why should UK citizens be able to play on multiple teams? If they are all part of the same sovereign entity (the UK) why should they have four teams in FIFA competitions? I'm not saying that is true but it might be a point for argument.
     
  15. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well thanks, you heard it here first amigo. Here's to the Republic of Texas fixture for special friendlies.

    Vamo Vamo la Republica vamos a ganar!
    Vamo Vamo el gran Texas vamos a ganar!



    There is a saying in Puerto Rico Bispham..."lo mejor de dos mundos" translated..."the best of both worlds".
    Puerto Rico folks are U.S. citizens and do not have to pay taxes to the gov. I've always thought that was cool.

    I would like to add that Puerto Rico sends, in view of its population, a chingon of men and women to our U.S. military. They have had their fair share of dead for Ol' Glory.
     
  16. Bispham Seasider

    Bispham Seasider New Member

    Aug 11, 2007
    Bispham
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    That is pretty damn good not having to pay taxes to the US Gov't but be US citizens!!

    And Puerto Rico sending men and women to the US military I suppose could be similar to the Nepalese Gurkha Brigades in the British Army. The Gurkhas have a fearseome reputation to say the least!
     
  17. anderson

    anderson Member+

    Feb 28, 2002
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The various state federations in Brazil field state teams from time to time. I know that the state federation for the state of São Paulo (the Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF)) fields a Seleção Paulista for special commemorative games against other states as well as for international tours.

    The Seleção Paulista is usually only comprised of players currently on teams in the Paulista state league, but if Paulista players who play for Brazil were available for a Seleção Paulista, then São Paulo would easily have one of the top three national teams in South America and would almost certainly qualify for every World Cup and be a serious contender. Brazil would still be pretty solid without the Paulistas, but not nearly as strong.

    One difference between the state federations in Brazil and some of the other "FAs" mentioned here is that the FPF and most of the other state federations in Brazil actually run full professional leagues, complete with lower divisions.

    For example, the same teams that compete in the Brazilian national league from April through November also compete in the Paulista league in the beginning of the year. Until fairly recently, the state leagues were considered more important by many teams and fans than the national competition. The state leagues are now not as important, but the level of play in state leagues like the Paulistão or Gauchão is pretty high because they include teams that compete in the Brasileirão, Libertadores, and Sudamericana.
     
  18. CeltTexan

    CeltTexan Member+

    Sep 21, 2000
    Houston, TX USA
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The British Gurkha Brigades are lethal killing units cuz they are full of Nepalese Gurkhas. Not unlike Scot Highlanders circa 1100 who just dive headfirst into a conflict, these mountain men from Nepal are some of the finest blade masters the planet has ever known.
    IIRC, their curved side are of choice is...well...the gurkha sword. Most people haven't heard of these guys and IMHO its cuz if you do, it's usually to your end.


    YEP! Most MLS fans don't know this about Brasil and its futebol structure. Their calendar runs in line with MLS's and they also have a college gridiron set up with various conferences that view thier schedule to be the most important and then playing against others teams from other states for bragging rights as well.
     
  19. anderson

    anderson Member+

    Feb 28, 2002
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not sure that many people today would still honestly view their state league to be more important than the national league (the Brasileirão). That's mostly because the Brasileirão is generally (the Copa do Brasil now also gets you a spot) how you get into the Libertadores and Sudamericana and those competitions are now highly regarded. But there's still great intensity when say Corinthians and São Paulo meet in the Paulistão, or Grêmio and Inter meet in the Gauchão.

    Another benefit of those strong state leagues is that the smaller clubs get stronger. States like São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, which have very strong state leagues, have some pretty good "minor" clubs that often go on to have good runs in the Brasileirão. Exactly which small club from say São Paulo goes on a good run in the Brasileirão in any given year will vary, but there's almost always one that does. Those clubs benefit from playing the big clubs in a meaningful league competition. They just show up having already played for a couple months at a higher level than many teams from other states.

    Maybe we can eventually get to a point in states like Texas and California where we can have state leagues run in the first quarter of the year, before MLS and the USL start up, featuring the professional (and maybe semi-professional) clubs from all leagues. You'd need weather that allows play during that time of year, so not every part of the country would be feasible for state or regional leagues, but the Sun Belt regions could do it. (I'm not sure that the PDL clubs could field teams during that part of the year since many of them would lose players to colleges not in the area, but maybe they could make up the numbers with the best local amateur players. Hell, I think it would be fun to see the NCAA teams play in such a state league, but the NCAA would probably kill the idea once they finally got around to noticing.)
     

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