There is a fifa sanctioned tournement in the Dominican Rep. involving mostly caribbean and I think 1 or 2 south am. teams. Does anyone have any info on this?
Wow there is a fifa sanctioned tournement in domincan rep. Is it clubs? you should go to one the dr clubs website, they should have something on that... I heard t&t has a pro league, and jamaica, but does the DR have one?, , the island teams are getting competive now , but I don't see the dr going anywhere till that becomes there no. 1 sport sort of like the transitions that panama is making . Baseball isn't a world sport anyway like rugby and soccer. No one in europe, latin america,asia, care what puljos did for the cardinals..lol
A lot of Latin Americans care about baseball, as do some Asians (Japan takes their baseball very seriously).
^^ The Baseball World Classic that Major League Baseball is organizing next March will have: (love baseball) United States Venezuela (check out the projected lineup in the link below, their strength will surprise you) Dominican Republic Panama Cuba Japan Taiwan Puerto Rico (like baseball) Mexico Canada South Korea Australia (thrown in to fill the numbers or for global coverage/exposure) South Africa (best African baseball country) China Netherlands (best European baseball country due to using players from their Caribbean protectorates of Curacao and Aruba) Italy (2nd best European baseball country due to immigrants to the U.S. would make up the whole team minus a couple players) So it's as much a world sport as rugby. Nicaragua should be in there because they love baseball too (it's why they suck in soccer), but it's more important for MLB to have the likes of China or Italy. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/news/050511worldcuprosters.html
What I mean is as the whole world doesn't stay captivated to there television to watch baseball , I bet you there more people watching a rugby game between a club in england vs an austrialian club then lets say the braves vs marlins, or more people are into manchester utd v arsenal, than the yankee v boston .. More people around the world are watching real madrid v barcelona or a champion league match , maybe in those country u metioned.. But alll of africaa is into those game I metioned, all of latin america, usa , canada, mexico ,asia is just not japan, what bout iran iraq , barhin, they were wathing epl , la liga, serie a ,holland 1st division, baseball but it is strong in the states, but not a true world sport, I'm sure cuba is rather push for soccer than baseball it a larger showcase for a cuban team in da world cup , I bet you fidel would suppurt the crap out of them for them to gett good trainers etc...rugby is supposdly # 2 in da world,then criket,
There is a pro (semi-pro?) league in the DR. Liga Mayor, 1st div. is comprized of 6 teams in the first div. Deportiva Pantoja, Barcelona FC, Don Bosco, San Cristobal, Domingo Savio and Jarabocoa. The bottom 2 at seasons end are relegated to the "semi-pro league" and then 2 teams from there come up. We have very strong soccer roots in the DR. But that all changed in the 70's at the hands of one man who changed the no.1 sport from soccer to baseball. The DR is 99% Catholic so if you went to Catholic school back in the day you played soccer, it was thriving. We recently have had some help from FIFA and futbol is coming back slowly. I myself am in the process of starting a free youth league in Santo Domingo. Its amazing what people can do with a little ambition and will! Futbol will be as strong as it was 40 years ago again.
^ Since you're from DR, in regards to baseball, I know that there's a scouting presence by most MLB teams there, where a few make it out of the large talent pool to the big leagues, but that it's a bit sketch on how things are run (bribing scouts, steroid use, etc.). Probably that happens in the States too, but just wondering if you could shed light on how much is true and how much is overzealous reporter. ^^ I won't argue Manchester United-Arsenal (soccer is the world sport), but more people watch Yankees and Boston play then an English rugby team and an Australian rugby team. There are 270 million people in the United States. Most sports fans probably would watch that. Throw in some people who probably watch in Canada, Mexico, and some Central American and Caribbean countries. Now, what's the combined population of the UK and Australia? Rugby and baseball in terms of scope are similar. See my list above for baseball nations. Rugby nations: UK Italy France Australia New Zealand South Africa some South Pacific islands If you add up populations, there are probably more people that watch baseball worldwide than rugby. It's just that no one in Europe watches baseball, and they think that baseball is just a niche sport, which is true, but it's just as much a niche sport as rugby. The sports world does not revolve around Europe.
We should have a poll for the hell of it, which is more of a world sport rugby or baseball ,yes the world doesn't revovle round europe but africa they have british ifluence and must have some rugby right?I know asia don't play rugby there more of a cricket area but lets be honest who round the world are watching a baseball classic, japanesse ppl, spanish speakin cariibeans, and some americans baseball is down as a popular sport in da usa, more of this generation are signing up to play soccer mostly suburbs of the east and west coast, midwest, is baseball, football area and usa urban sport is basketball, the brothers over here aren't catching on to soccer craze, not yet, till they can make some really money over here. cobi jones did trailblaze ,for ej, and demarcus, ej said it himslef that cobi influneced him and if they make it big, they will make it big in the urban market, then america will followjust like the nba just wanted let the point out, think about they both add that flare that the MLS missing , Good point tought .. Being a black guatemalan with athletic frame is wierd they think you play baseball, football , or basketball, then I tell them I play soccer , then they tell me Im wastin my time.. this was when I lived in new rochelle circa 98. That's were soccer is right know ..sad,
This may be the slightest bit off topic, and perhaps on topic at the same time. Well, I'm Dominican as well and I cannot for the life of me find much info regarding the league, any of the teams, the federation, anything! The whole topic has got me very curious about soccer in DR. I know Dominicans love baseball, but I didn't know of the soccer league. Can anyone help me out w/ any info? The curiosity is killing me.
The only way I find out about the league results is from this link www.rsssf.com/tablesd/domrep05.html. Next time I go I will try to see some games or get more info.
Its always a sad thing, but you know. The better it is..Surprise them all l'd say. As a Panamanian, lm so amazed that when l tell people l love footy, they think l have a problem, yet l come from a family of baseball followers (A grandfather that played, a father, three brothers,) Yet l chose football because it was fascinating. Realistically, l see it hard for the brothas to catch onto soccer as most of our communities seem to get underfunded when it comes to even having something resembling a proper park. lmagine if there were more footy pitches lets say in Bed-Stuy, lt would be like the favelas come to Brooklyn...crazy dream. My point is: perception remains strong, lt will only take time and effort to change it.
Wow, l cant believe that about the DR!!!! lm still amazed, and you had to be in Catholic School!!! good that FIFA helped out some. So is there like a strong infrastructure to help the game flourish there????
Just in the past 3 or 4 years has anything really been done to go futbol back to where it was 30 or 40 years ago. FIFA started it off with a large grant for DR soccer and also recently opened a FIFA office in Jarobocoa. The National team has had some luck with and Italian born player of a dominican mother, he plays in Italy's 2nd division as well as 2 players that play 2nd division soccer in Spain. We also have arguably the best keeper in CONCACAF, to bad he chooses to play for Costa Rica. The government has also funded the National team a bit more enabling them to play more friendly's. Your Panamanian, well I have a quote from a soccer magazine that shows Mariano Rivera saying that he see's soccer as the fastest growing sport in Panama not baseball.
Well football in Panama has been dormant for a while because of the long U.S. influence in the country and the fact most youngsters found baseball and basketball an ever better means to be competitive. So the interest and infastructure of the game in Panama was nothing more than a gentle distraction. Mariano Rivera might be right in that respect to his comments. He had played soccer too. But when the chance to make a better life, baseball looked promising. Perhaps that the U.S. influence in the country is not as strong now that they have given us back the Canal, is a sign that the Panamanians were chafing to play the game that Costa Ricans were fortunate to identify them strongly. And beating us in qualifying in the World Cup.
Brother, can you tell us the name of this keeper? Some of my Costa Rican friends have mentioned him but I do not recall his name.
DOMINICANSTRIKEFORCE, thank you so much for starting this thread! It is my hope that your lovely country and Puerto Rico can continue to work together and with their neighbors to improve their football. There is much that the countries have in common, so the goal of promoting soccer is yet another thing that can be shared.
No he is not, only dominican-costarican player that I've seen is Victor Nunez, small forward that plays for Cartago, almost no chance to make it to the CRNT
OOOOOOOOOOOH! The keeper from the seleccion femenina... Bro, that is completely different. If that is the case then I have seen her play on TV once but no one mentioned that fact if she was the same one.