32 years from now ESPN 14 will show this match as part of their showcase of the early days of America's rise to soccer power status. You'll be able to say "See, I was there in the early days of a supporters section when there were fewer fans of the game." And then your grandchildren will ask... "Why weren't you wearing traditional red like the others?" Be part of tradition NOW... wear red.
http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/us-soccer-seeing-red/ “This is the first time we’ve reached out and said, ‘let’s make this an official campaign,’” said Neil Buethe, a U.S. Soccer spokesman . “We’re trying to get people across the country to also wear their red shirts to work or school and show their pride or loyalty to the team.” But could there also be a scientific reason behind the wardrobe edict? On Thursday, the New York Times’ Pam Belluck wrote about a new study published this week in Science magazine that examined differences in human cognitive performance when people see red or blue. In the study, conducted by researchers at the University of British Columbia, participants performed tasks while looking at images or words set against red, blue, or neutral backgrounds on a computer screen. The red group, Belluck reported, performed better on tests requiring memory and attention to detail. The blue group, meanwhile, did better on tests requiring creativity or imagination. The study is only the latest in a series of discussions and formal experiments in the past few years looking at the effects of colors on athletic competition. In 2005, a team of anthropologists from Durham University published a study which found that athletes at the 2004 Olympics in Athens who were randomly assigned red uniforms in tae kwon do, wrestling, and boxing won 60 percent of the time over opponents wearing blue. The researchers culled similar data from Euro 2004. Who can forget how the overachieving South Korean national team, buoyed by home support that resembled a red tide, who charged into the semifinals of World Cup 2002? “Red seems to be the color, across species, that signals male dominance and testosterone levels,” Robert Barton, one of the Durham researchers, said at the time. The color, the researchers surmised, boosted the testosterone levels of those wearing it and had an opposite effect on those facing it. Last summer, a paper published in the journal Psychological Science by a team of researchers from the University of Munster in Germany put a different spin on the matter. The psychologists showed 42 experienced tae kwon do referees video clips of matches that pitted one athlete in red against one in blue. Through digital manipulation, the researchers were able to switch the colors in the videos for different tests. In identical clips, they found participants wearing red were awarded 13 percent more points than those in blue. The researchers speculated that the color red did not boost athletic performance so much as it swayed referees to perceive a nonexistent competitive advantage. But they also fired a warning to any soccer teams that might try to use this cognitive quirk to their advantage. “One can speculate that the red-clothed players are associated not only with more dominance but also with more aggressiveness,” the researchers wrote. “In ambiguous foul decisions this could be a disadvantage.” This means if the U.S. is looking for an increase in tactical cognition and testosterone, they will also have to stomach a few sketchy calls from referees. U.S. Soccer dismissed any complicated notions of how they settled on the color. “I don’t think we ever put much weight into those studies,” Buethe said. “We started with red, white and blue, and red just speaks the loudest.”
Complete mistranslation. This is discussed here, but here's what the statement really says: "They (U.S.S.F.) have asked Americans (fans) to come dressed in red to the game on Feb. 11th, I (John Sutcliffe) think it would be a good idea for all Mexicans to come in green." "There are many Mexicans in the Columbus area, but what's happening is that US Soccer is playing in a small stadium to try to protect the sale directly to those associated with U.S. Soccer."
not sure where you live but i saw red ponchos at most modells that i have been to in new york city. both of the ones on 42nd street (near my office) were carrying them for $5.99. as a sidenote to anyone in the new york area, they also have red hooded sweatshirts that are fleece lined for $15....should be warm enough for the weather
From douchebags whining about wearing red to douchebags spewing politics. Close this damn thing already.
I know this is a soccer forum, but just in case some people forgot or didn't know, The Ohio State Buckeyes are in Columbus as well as the Crew. Their main color is scarlet (also known as red). Finding a red poncho, sweatshirt, jacket, coat, cap, shirt, winter hat, socks or underwear should be very easy even minutes before the game. Ohio State's campus is about a 20 minute walk from Crew Stadium to make obtaining something red even easier. Just FYI.
It's amusing that a country that elects its President in a similar way to China is so paranoid about communism to the point where wearing red makes people insecure.
if we are going to keep talking about douche bags, the least we can do is also see some pictures of eye candy.