c'mon people we're not going to play costa rica in florida or mexico in texas or california, the prime motivation is to get the U.S. to the world cup, not make $ at the team's expense
OK, I'll give it a go... Mexico - Columbus (Gates of the Arctic Stadium not due to start construction for another 60-90 days) Costa Rica - Chicago T&T - Dallas Panama - Los Angeles Guatemala - Kansas City
Insert your own dumb a$$ Alaska WCQ post here. My thoughts: Mexico- Columbus Costa Rica- Foxboro TnT- HDC Panama- Frisco Guatemala- Seattle These all look like winners to me.
i really think foxboro should be snubbed this time around. they seem to get at least 2 nats games every year. i wouldn't mind seeing philly get a game. throw seattle in there too... but you MUST save room for kansas city!!!
Probably not. If they host the February 9th game, they will need to get that venue out pretty quickly. So my question would be where would you put the February 9th depending upon who the opponent is - would it matter? I think it does. for example, would you want to play Mexico in Columbus on the 9th - positively? What about over labor day - maybe not. If we have Mexico in November in Columbus - maybe. Here's is the venue if we are hosting on the 9th. Mexico - Columbus Costa Rica - Columbus Guatemala - Columbus Panama - HDC TNT - HDC Although, I wouldn't mind switching Columbus for International Falls, Minnesota. If you think Columbus is cold - this is much (much, much) worse. Also, reward the MN fans that always show up for the Nats. It probably will depend upon how the rest of the group lays out, though.
Houston is where USA-Mexico would have been played every Hex cycle IF the U.S. had been a footballing nation for generations like the rest of the known world. The Battle of San Jacinto is where the Texians caught Santa Anna with his pants down...literally! Its where Tejas became its own Republic. Unfortunately, as some have pointed out, not enough pro U.S. supporters for the biggest WCQ every 4 years and too many fights in the parking lot. After the match in May of '03, I had to break one up cuz Texans and Mexicans have old bad blood that WILL spill out after the Classico NorteAmericano! I do have to remind many of you yankees out there that in Texas there are many Gonzales's in South Texas that are just as Die Hard Red, White and Blue as someone named McBride from Philadelphia. IMHO Reliant Stadium should get one match for the Hex. I would say Costa Rica. If marketed properly ( a big IF with our USSF). It would be an easy sell out and WE would still have a pro U.S. crowd with a loud Tico section to push the match to a boiling point.
Really? All I heard about that match fan-wise was just how much fun the two groups had and all the USA-Mexico love going on in the drum circles in the corridors after the game.
Well you heard wrong my man. As I was walking out three teenagers decked out in Red, White and Blue body paint and I were exiting with about 500 pissed off Mexies. We kept getting pelted with whatever they had handy. One Pancho dude had an angry girlfriend that kept sticking her middle finger in the face of whoever looked "Anglo". Of course I just laughed at her and walked on....all be it singing dos a cero, there's only one Landon Donovan...dos a cerrrrroooo......dos a cerrrrrro! I don't like to fight but I got to be honest in that in the parking lot of Papacitos off 610, it was a one on one Yank-el Tri fight that inlarged to 3-1 when some el Tri passer byers snuck in from behind and seemed to miss the memo on USA-Mexico love circles. Even after some other Texan left his girlfriend to help me even out the odds and brake it up....those same dudes came up to me later on. That was where it ended when I told them en espanyol that this can end the hard way or the real hard way.
I guess you ran into the bad element. The Sam's Army guys ran into the good guys, apparently: http://sams-army.com/index.php?Mlist=content_full&Article_id=144
Yeah, don't get me wrong. I had a blast with the Panchos around me and my kinfolk. When Beasly looked to have been dropped in the 18 I dumped my beer on a dude in front of me. In classic Latino fashion he just settled on "beer spills at a futbol match...oh well" That was cool of him. During the walk up to the Stadium the El Salvadorenyos and Hondurans were singing away with me and really giving the Panchos a hard time of it...just not over doing it. Some of the Mexies did respond with "y'all are selling out the land of your Father's by rooting for the U.S.A." They just kept singing with me and as I had brought my big Texas flag they grabbed an edge and lifted it up with me. IMHO that's the element that gets lost by the USSF down here in Houston. The Central Americans down here LOVE to Hate everything Mexican. They seem to be Yank fans when we play someone like el Tri or Trinidad & Tobago. If you remember when McBride went close in the first half that night he crowd was very loud for what quickly looked like a first half goal. Its these collective supporters that if put together could make Houston what I think it can be for a U.S.A. International.
Was it 2 years ago the BA was quoted as saying that US Soccer was looking at using Birmingham more? That might be a nice place to play Mexico if we are gonna see some "new" venues.
I agree with the sentiment, but not for a match against Mexico. Still, too close to the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Grande for my liking (and others, too, I'd assume).
Holy crap. I hope this is sarcasm. You didn't happen to watch the US-Poland game, did you? I was in the stands. The crowd was maybe 75-25 in favor of Poland. Jeering of the national anthem and all. I would not touch Chicago with a ten foot pole in WCQs (Panama or Trinidad would be the only ones to consider for them). Here are my suggestions: Mexico - Columbus Guatemala - Kansas City Panama - Foxboro Costa Rica - Portland or Seattle Trinidad - Los Angeles or Dallas and if DC has to have a game, give em Panama or Trinidad.
I think that's being a little unfair. Chicago has the largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw, is it? That game was always going to be a disaster in the stands. We all know about the Mexican population, I'm not sure about the Tican and Guat situation, but I think it'd be pretty safe to put TNT or Panama there. Chicago is a great soccer town, and it can support the hex, but I agree there are better options.
I stand by my suggestion of playing Mexico in Houston, because I think these games a missing something that could be there, namely a jolt from the full house, whether for
way too many Mexicans in Birmingham though I hope and pray that we get a match. Very unlikely however.
Just to be clear, I don't see any way Salt Lake City, Utah gets a qualifier. The field at Rice-Eccles is TURF and there are football lines permanently sewn into the field. No big time soccer, besides MLS, will be in SLC until Real Salt Lake gets their stadium built.
It's not a gauge of how good the team is, it's about getting to the World Cup. Mexico - Columbus Guatemala - KC Costa Rica - Gillette Panama - Frisco T&T - HDC
IIRC, we had a full house in Columbus a few years back. And it was a pro-American crowd. Sure won't get that in Houston.
I'll cut you some slack because you're a newbie, but there is no way we'll play Mexico in Houston for a qualifier. You can expect that game to be in Columbus, with the tickets offered first to Crew season ticket holders. That approach last go-round sold most of the tickets to US Supporters, resulting in a very small, quiet and cold contingent of Mexican fans. That game had plenty of pro-US atmosphere and that's what we need.