US - Poland 11 July in Chicago, Looks Official

Wow...who's going to be the home team?

 

http://ussocceruk.com/news/?CatTypeId=2&ContentId=1387

Hartford is seems to be making a strong bid for this game supposedly on the 24th of july

 

While Hartford would be convenient as Hell, this game should go to Chicago: they're long overdue for a National Team match and you know the atmosphere would be fantastic. I've also never been to Chicago, so I'd very much like to use this as an excuse to go.

The Magpie

 

Chicago would be a nice place to go but the idea of driving 20 minutes to see the nats play is very appealing to me

 

USMT vs Poland

It's about time we can see the USMT in Chicago. It will be even better it will be against the Pols. We can get a little revenge as well as play in front of a large crowd. Chicago has the second highest Polish population outside of Warsaw. Also, Soldier Field's seating is directly on top of the pitch. The pitch is slightly narrow but, the surface should be good because the NFL will not be playing on it until Aug. Don't worry if it will be a pro- polish crowd. The Barn Burners will be there!

 

Re: USMT vs Poland

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Chicago's Polish population isn't numerous enough to put it among Poland's big cites. Polish Chicago would be ranked with a dozen mid-sized cities in the old country.

In fact, it's probably the case that Chicago isn't even the biggest Polish city in the USA-- the assorted people of Polish descent in greater New York would seem to outnumber Chicago Polonia according to the 2000 US Census.

It's time to put a stop to the myth of Chicago being the second largest Polish city in the world-- it's not even the second largest Polish city in America.

All that aside, I'd rather the game be played in Chicago. There will be more media attention, because there aren't all the ethnic groups and nationalities vying for attention as in New York. In Chicago, you've got your Mexicans, your Poles, and that's about it for large ethnic groups. And Chicago's fans have waited long enough for national team game.

 

Re: Re: USMT vs Poland

????

Chicago is perhaps the most diverse city in the world. It has newspapers published in 25 different languages, including Danish and Hungarian. Even if you don't consider the Poles and Mexicans, Chicago has huge enclaves of many ethnic and religious gropups. There are more Muslims in Chicago than in Mecca, more Buddhists than in Dharamsala. It has 4 or 5 Dutch Reformed high schools.
What makes Chicago unusual is no one group dominates. In LA you have 5.5 million Mexicans, dwarfing every other group. Detroit (the city not the metropolitan area), is about 60 per cent black. Miami has a Cuban population that dwarfs other ethnic groups. New York has about 2 million Jews, mostly of eastern European or Ashkenaz extraction, even though the Census does not compute the population that way.
Chicago, with the largest Polish population outside of Poland, would be a good place for a friendly against Poland. The USSF does not see to see it that way.

 

Re: Re: Re: USMT vs Poland

You're right that Chicago is more than Mexicans and Poles. I was being glib and I'm glad you called me on it.

BUT...

your rubuttal is incredible nonsense. I spent nearly an hour taking it apart piece-by-piece, but that would not be at all germane to the "News and Analysis" forum.

Chicago is a city of great diversity, but you have oversold the case with a collection of half-truths and un-truths.

E.g., where did you get this??

http://www.islamfortoday.com/chicago2.htm : "The estimated population of
Muslims in Cook and the collar counties is 350,000"

World Gazetteer:

1974 Mecca population (last official census): 366,800

2004 estimated population of Mecca, reflecting enormous population increase
in Saudi Arabia over three decades: 1,691,000

That does NOT include Hajis. And don't think for a second that the
population of Mecca includes significant numbers of non-Muslims.

I could go on. In fact, I did go on; there's a thousand words' worth of drudgery pointing out how little you get right, and like your post, it has nothing to do with this forum.

The one thing you get right is that Chicago would ba a good place for a friendly against Poland. But characteristically, you hitch that observation to an insinuation of conspiracy.

 

1. End the Murfreesboro, TN Boycott!

2. I really liked this thread the first 11 times I saw it. Can't wait until it heats up again.

3. With a manic devotion to his own version of the truth, I'm struggling to figure out if Flannigan is the best or worst lawyer in the world. That "perhaps the most diverse city in the world" comment was hilarious. Yes. if the world included just northern Illinois, you win.

Paris? London? New York? Rome? Chicago is a nice town, I've hung out there, but you just have to chill. The UN, who if nothing else would know a thing or two about national diversity, called Toronto the most ethnically diverse city in the world, so it looks like we are all trailing them anyway.

4. I hope Chicago gets this game, and while I know a number of Poles from Connecticut, I can't imagine Hartford would host it better than Chicago.

5. After they host this game and the sites for the rest of qualifying home games are announced, the "how come Chicago never gets important games" thread is going to be all sorts of sig material.

 

PULLING FOR CHICAGO

I feel the same way. I have also been waiting a long time for a friendly to played in Chicago, never visited there and additionally my nephew (moderate soccer fan) moved there last year. RT air from NYC area is reasonable. Too perfect.

I hope this leads to a well place qualifier in Chicago.

 

If its in Chicago, its a road trip. If its in Hartford, it takes me way to close to crazy relatives that I've been trying to avoid.

 

Funny you mention it: they do have a stadium would be perfect size for MLS... though looking at the pictures, they would have to tear up the old school astroturf and surrounding concrete, and install a wider field.

http://goblueraiders.com/?go=story&doc=163

Of course Nashville (of which Murfreesboro is a suburb) hasn't exactly embraced pro soccer-- the Nashville Metros? The Tennessee Rhythm?

I'm assuming Tom has a crack team of paralegals who work 15 hour days to correct his unceasing torrents of factual errors.

 

Some years ago the Indian Reporter said that Mecca had 300,000 people in it. The census underestimates Muslim population in Chicago but it is not that much greater than 300,000. So my statement about Mecca may be incorrect. Medina anyone?
I said Chicago is QUITE POSSIBLY the most diverse city in the world. It is hard to be precise about this because diversity is such a nebulous concept these days. It is not Toronto. Paris and London aren't even close. It would be an American city for sure.
During the 1984 Olympics, the announcers at the opening ceremony pointed out that there were people from every country at the Olympics living in the LA area, and only 2 other cities in the U.S. could make that claim. Just because they say it on TV does not make it correct but I'll bet it was accurate. Chicago had to be one of them. Probably New York was the other one.
In any case, Haig's statement that in Chicago you have Poles and Mexicans and not much else is totally inaccurate. Totally inaccurate.
No one group dominates in Chicago. Even in the Hispanic community, it is not dominated by Mexicans the way the LA area is.
Anyway, the USSF seems loathe to give us a game. They usually do not announce the date and the opponent with venue to follow. I would not be surprised to see Hartfod, population 121,000 but close to Foxboro, get this one.

 

Re: Re: Re: USMT vs Poland

USSF is crazy for not putting the Poland game in Chicago. This is the most patently obvious place for the friendly (read: $$$$).

 

US-Poland July in Chicago,almost official

Haig,
Let's not get caught up in semantics.

Secondly, Soldier field has a natural grass field it has been that way since about 1989. It has hosted world cup games in 1994 and the women's world cup in 1999. It has been rebuilt and re-opened last fall. During the football season it is about 65 yards wide and can be widened when foobaall not being played.

 

The USSF Web site calendar now lists this game as being played in Chicago. Woo hoo!

 

http://www.ussoccer.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=55434&itype=113&iCategory

Double header with Fire/Revolution following. Kick off is at 6 p.m. Central, televised on ESPN 2.

 

Calling Tom Flannigan, calling Tom Flannigan. Nice St. Patty's Day present, huh?

 

I think he's so happy he went for a swim in the river.

 

Chicago wins, but we all win: now that his inflexible insistence that the USSF has tacitly "banned" men's national team games from Chicago, we will never again have to hear Tom Flannigan's bizarre, paranoid screeds!

Right?

 

For some of us it's a nice St. Joseph's Day present.

 

I bet you that 75% of fans will wear WHITE and RED. Polish players will feel just like in home