Downers Grove: A guy in an AC Milan shirt, walking out of a coffee shop. Caught a glimpse of him from the train.
Ogilvie Station: “Rooney” on the back of a white England shirt.
Evanston: A guy riding toward us on a bike, wearing a red Spain shirt.
Union Station: I happened to glance out the window before my train departed and noticed a very little kid on the platform, wearing an older Manchester United shirt (Vodafone), #8 on the back.
Adams Street, outside Union Station: A kid in a Mexican national team shirt.
According to Susan’s Unscientific Soccer Shirt Index (SUSSI), Thursday July 24 was a pretty good summer day in Chicago and the burbs. Major League Soccer is probably not as delighted as I, since I didn’t see anyone wearing an MLS shirt–not even a Beckham. And yesterday was the MLS All-Star game, too.
Of course, SUSSI seems pretty piddly when I recall the number of people in Cubs and White Sox shirts and caps…sigh…
July 25, 2008 at 3:31 pm |
I like this whole idea of the SUSSI. A 5 does count as a good day, I think. You used strict accounting rules, too, I see. The kid you saw in the Arsenal shirt during the Cubs’ broadcast last night didn’t count, presumably because you didn’t witness that one in person.
It would be a distortion of SUSSI to get a count at a Fire game, of course. However, there may be a related measure (Susan’s American Soccer Shirt Index, maybe?) that can track progress of the domestic game over time. I’m sure you remember earlier days when we’d go to Soldier Field for a match and actually remark on the shirts we saw. There were so few of them, they stood out. The SASSI at Toyota Park is now much higher–maybe even a majority.
July 25, 2008 at 4:13 pm |
The Arsenal shirt! Of course–I knew there was another one, but I had forgotten what it was. Hmmm…since SUSSI is my own invention, I will make up the accounting rules. I will count the Arsenal shirt, bringing yesterday’s total to six. I saw it with my own eyes, after all. That shirt should probably count for two, since the guy wore it to Wrigley Field.
Good idea about SASSI–we can start keeping track next week!
July 26, 2008 at 1:50 pm |
Hmm… my SUSSI/SASSI is a lowly one between Thursday and Friday. Three if you count home and away and a media replica jersey from a Wizards game a week ago.
The guy is a huge Celtic fan and every Friday he brings Celtic’s home and away jerseys to the kick around. The other guy is a radio announcer who regularly plays at halftime media games during some Wizards’ matches.
I’ll have to keep track today through Thursday and report back. I’m sure I won’t see too many professional replicas, but I’ll be paying more attention.
July 28, 2008 at 1:58 pm |
Both SUSSI and SASSI up the count of something I call Steve’s Measure: Any Reported Tally Applying Soccer Statistics. I suppose that should be made into an acronym, too.
August 1, 2008 at 12:14 pm |
Reporting back… 0 for the whole week!
February 10, 2009 at 2:19 pm |
Go anywhere near the Globe Pub….you’ll skew your unscientific data!
April 1, 2009 at 4:44 pm |
Steve if you’re reading this blog it seems Porto have been “rewarded” with their performance against Atletico de Madrid with a Champions’ League quarterfinal date with Manchester United. Why do all my favorite teams have to play Man U?
April 2, 2009 at 3:50 pm |
Well now, Adam, your favorite strivers from Portugal may be facing the mighty United at a good time. Man U’s run of good form (and scary good defending) seems to have fallen by the wayside. The Liverpool match hosted at OT a few weeks ago was a turning point. The schedule makers have done Porto a favor, too. United will be playing Aston Villa on Sunday in a meaningful league match, and will then host Porto on short rest. Also, most people believe the host of the 2nd leg (Porto in this case) have an advantage in the series. Everyone is talking like United got a favorable draw, but you’ve got to figure that any team that’s advanced this far in CL must have some quality to them. Add to that the nervousness Susan and I have felt watching them lately and you won’t view this as anything like a foregone conclusion.
Hope all is well with you. Are you close to the academic finish line at this point?
May 29, 2009 at 9:00 am |
Ahh, Steve still reads Susan’s blog! Good! Hope all is well with you and Susan. Susan hasn’t written in a long time. Must be very busy!
I would be done now with academia, however, since I want grad school to be in my future, I’ve opted to stay another year. I’m an R.A. (research asst.) for two professors from now through all of next year. I’ve been given a project to work on for one of my professors. It’s organizing what he’ll be teaching in his neuropsych class in the fall using a mind mapping software–freemind (that’s just to start out with). The other professor I’ll be learning how to use an EEG machine on participants in her study. I’ll also be minoring in quantitative statistics. Then there will be a move out to Lawrence in August!
I was real proud of the way Porto went into Old Trafford and pulled out a 2-2 draw in the closing moments of the match. Then Cristiano Ronaldo’s rocket shot at the Dragao was the dagger that pierced half of my heart (if you must know the other half continued with Barcelona
). Nevertheless, they are now 3-time Portuguese League champions and will return to the Champions’ League in September.
Barcelona steamrolled through the La Liga! I didn’t expect a #1 finish from them, given their new manager. But signs of how good they were showed in their preseason matches. I was weary knowing that if Barcelona advanced against Chelsea, they’d be facing Manchester United. Though Man U could not retain their status as European champions, they still had a fantastic season! There’s one thing that they (Man U) have that Barcelona has not had the privilege of calling themselves. That’s the title of being World Club Champions.
Now, we’ll sit and wait on the appetizer that is the FIFA Confederations Cup before we feast again on what is the FIFA World Cup! [377 days left!]
May 29, 2009 at 2:00 pm |
Hey Adam! I’m so glad that I very randomly checked this blog…haven’t done so in several weeks. Your academic career is progressing really well. Working for two professors is a really smart move. Not only will you learn a lot, it will look great on a grad school application (will you be applying in the fall for entry in 2010)? Are you hoping for an academic career as a Ph.D. psychology professor or will it be private practice? Gee, I ask a lot of questions, don’t I? You must be really excited by your move to Lawrence. I’ve never been there, but to me a university town is pure heaven. I would have stayed in Champaign-Urbana forever (just ask Steve how red my eyes were the day we left).
As for football…first of all, congratulations on Barcelona’s tremendous season. They are very deserving Champions League victors. Their manager had some kind of dream debut, didn’t he? Wonder how he’s going to top this season? Sorry that Ronaldo and Man United brought you some sorrow with that victory in Portugal, though. I’ve been feeling pretty down since Wednesday’s loss, especially because United won’t take the field again until August…it seems like a long time to wait. I had a feeling that Barca was going to win it (especially with the way they came through the semis against Chelsea), but I really thought that United would put up more of a fight. And I thought that losing on penalties was the worst way to go down!
Have a great summer and thanks for staying in touch!
June 8, 2009 at 5:59 am
I will possibly apply in the Fall of 2010. I may take a year off then apply, but I’m not sure about that. As for the career, the original goal was to get involved in rehabilitation/help for people who have had neurological damage due to stroke, injury/trauma, or neurodegenerative diseases. Now, I’ve become very interested in NMDA receptors (which has a lot to do with synaptic plasticity – memory/learning).
I’m very excited about the move to Lawrence, I couldn’t resist the call of the true college experience anymore! One of the professors I will be working with graduated from Illinois Champaign-Urbana.
Pepe Guardiola has had the best debut as a manager any manager could ask for. I honestly didn’t pick them to be first in the La Liga in September (Real Madrid wasn’t #1 either). It looks like Madrid are in a mad scramble to pick up a bunch of talent from England. I’m sure Ronaldo is on that list again. Ronaldo’s goal against Porto was a beautiful one! Helton had been playing well for Porto all season long, but there’s no shame in being beaten by a shot like that! Well done for Man U, and well done for Porto. Now, we have the Confederations Cup a week away! Spain’s roster is loaded even without Iniesta, they will be tough to beat.
Have a great summer too!
May 29, 2009 at 6:40 pm |
It’s always great hearing from R.S. (a.k.a. Adam), our psych-studying, soccer-loving, intellectually engaging friend from Kansas and the cybersphere. Thanks for the update on your academic progress. And good luck to you whatever exact path you pursue from there!
Thanks, too, for recognizing our sensitivity to the CL outcome. Once Eto’o scored, the Man U defense never looked very sure of themselves again. I don’t know if it was hurry-up mode in the defensive half, where fears of Barca’s closing speed took them out of their game, or Barca closing down the passing lanes, or United’s vain hope that a long ball could somehow see it’s way through, but it sure didn’t look like I might have hoped. All credit to Barca. They moved the ball really well and deployed their weapons effectively. Speed, finesse, and finishing will win you most games. BTW, this is very much after the fact, but Porto showed strong signs of the same, coming up just short.
We’re in withdrawal right now with the close of the European season. Fortunately, MLS and WC qualifiers will offer some relief. We’ll be at the US game at Soldier Field against Honduras. Susan also told me that she woke up long enough to see the Fire come from behind in dramatic fashion to win their game against Chivas last night.
Thanks again for staying in touch, R.S.! Hope all continues to go well.
June 8, 2009 at 6:16 am |
Oooo, you were at the Honduras match? Were there really more Honduran fans than American fans?? Anyway, the first ten minutes of the match, I thought, “Oh no, it’s Wednesday night all over again!” but then the U.S. picked it up! Donovan scored just before halftime and they played with their tails up the rest of the match. Don’t know if you saw the Wednesday night match against Costa Rica, but it was really, really bad. I wish I could book a ticket to South Africa next week to see the U.S. take on two giants and a suspect underdog. I just hope the U.S. will be up to play against the Italians and Brazilians. The U.S. can’t have none of that slow starting like they did against Honduras, they’ll be punished for that if they do. Those will be two fun matches to watch, and I’m a little suspicious about Egypt. Previous teams such as Ghana (06′), Senegal (02′), Nigeria (94′), and Cameroon (90′) keep popping in the ol’ thought bubble.
Who do you imagine would come out alive from the U.S.’s group? The thought is Brazil and Italy, but they haven’t playing as their vintage selves lately.
June 9, 2009 at 4:20 pm |
Hey Adam!
Yes, the American fans were in a clear minority at Soldier Field. The Chicago Tribune reported that of the 55,000+ people at the match, 40,000 were Honduras supporters. It was a shock to me–I knew of course that if we’d played Mexico we’d be greatly outnumbered, but I did not expect this with Honduras. Steve & I were pretty vocal, as were all the Americans there, but this was nothing compared to the Honduran fans. After the match, the US team went down to the end zone where Sam’s Army was concentrated and showed plenty of gratitude for their support. It was quite an experience; I now understand just how difficult it is for our team to play in Concacaf and why qualifying is harder than we’re given credit for.
I saw the Costa Rica match and was horrified, but then Steve said that we’ve never won done there. It was a terrible field, for one thing–some kind of phony turf.
I don’t want to think too much about next week’s tournament. It’s great experience for the team, but horrible luck to be put in a group with powerhouses like Brazil and Italy. That seems to be the story for US Soccer lately. I’m not sure if I’ll see much of it anyway. Our daughter is graduating from college next Friday and lots of family will be around that week. Speaking of education–you lost me in the first sentence of describing your field! Sounds like complicated research, that’s for sure. Take care!
June 26, 2009 at 4:15 am |
I was at work when the game happened but I had ESPN360 running. During the second half nothing got done. I really could not believe what I was seeing in the score box. 2-0? Even more shocking was that local news (that’s right, in the middle of NASCAR, baseball, and American football country) showed highlights of the game. It made news here! Probably not as big of a deal as it might have been say in Madrid, but I’m glad they were acknowledged here in the states.
The red cards are a huge issue, 3 in 4 games. Don’t think the commentators put up much of a fuss about Bradley’s because the score was 2-0 over Spain. If they were to fuss over any of the red cards given, that one would have been the one. It seemed that Bradley was more on time with the tackle than Clark and Kljestan were. The tackle on Gattuso was just atrocious by Ricardo Clark, the tackle by Kljestan was just as late. However, Bradley’s tackle if anything was studs up but on time, he got the ball. That’s a yellow. Bradley’s red was very harsh.
“The Miracle on Grass”, indeed. Maybe, Miracles. The first one was the astronomical odds that were against the U.S. on the last day of the group stage. Who would have thought Italy would be crushed 3-0 by Brazil, let alone the U.S. winning 3-0 over an Egyptian squad playing the way they were? Those things just don’t happen in a normal world. The second is the obvious 2-0 victory over Spain. Can there be a third looming?
Torres has the potential to be a strong midfield distributor. I saw him in the Costa Rica match, and his control and foot skills were among the best on the field for the U.S. Since then, he has not seen any playing time. Torres has great potential, Bradley just needs to play him…and Adu.
Altidore’s goal was a thing of beauty against Spain! I still can’t get over how he out-muscled Capdevila (his teammate at Villarreal I think) for the goal. Altidore just stood there and Capdevila fell over him.
Don’t want to speculate who’ll win the final on Sunday, still haven’t finished eating my words from the Spain match.
June 26, 2009 at 2:18 pm |
Don’t worry about eating your words about Spain, Adam! They will be delicious–there’s nothing better than watching your favorite team overachieve, especially against such long odds.
Altidore’s goal would have made my day even if we had ultimately lost the match. He really showed his potential. It seems to me that he’s grown during the past year, not just in height but in weight. It must be hard to get used to this (not that I would have any experience of that-haha), especially when you are getting no playing time. He’s looked ragged in the previous matches this month, but he’s obviously regaining his form. Nothing could demonstrate what he can become better than that goal. Let’s hope he gets the playing time he deserves in the coming season. I’ve even been wondering if it would be better to return to MLS just to get those crucial minutes.
I saw the Gold Cup roster somewhere and Adu is on it, but I don’t remember about Torres. I hope so. I think he plays in the Mexican League? Great experience, if so.
I did watch part of the Italy match, late at night during our big week last week. I would say that we didn’t look terrible, especially since we were a man down. I was very bitter when that Rossi guy came on and scored right away. I’m not overly rah-rah and flag-waving, but it does irritate me that he blew off the US to go play in Italy. I don’t even know what club he plays for, actually. What could be better than leading the US in international play, especially if he is that good that he can play for Italy? He could have really made a difference for his native country. Grumble, grumble…I’m really only jingoistic when it comes to soccer/football!
All we can do is sit back and enjoy Sunday’s final match and be glad that we made it there against the odds. My only hope is that we play better than we did in the first match against Brazil. Oh who am I kidding? My dream is that Jozy muscles through the defense for another brilliant goal, then Brazil scores on a set piece (like Dani Alves’ goal yesterday), and then Charlie Davies wins it with a bicycle kick in stoppage time!!
July 1, 2009 at 8:12 pm |
Torres does play in the Mexican League (Pachuca), but unfortunately isn’t going to the Gold Cup, which would be a great opportunity for Bradley to play him because the competition is nowhere near the level they saw in the Confederations Cup. If that is why Bradley was reluctant to play him before. Freddy Adu, however, is going to the Gold Cup (http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/mens/cgc/index.jsp.html). Torres is getting overlooked by Bradley. You think Bradley has favorites?
I was also a little miffed finding out the Rossi could have played for the US, but chose Italy. But he said Italy was always his choice since he was little. I can’t argue with a boyhood dream. Nice word! Jingoistic, had to look that one up!
Altidore should have at least got some playing time while in Spain. I’m a little concerned that Villarreal bought him, then loaned him out to Xerez, where he still didn’t see playing time. I think his prowess for the goal and his strength, will have Villarreal thinking twice about him next season. I had this whole thing written about how I think MLS players shouldn’t (i.e. not in their best interest to) make the jump from the MLS to a team like Manchester United or Inter Milan. But I just got back from work and have forgotten most of what I was thinking when I started writing this reply.
I was pleased with the way the U.S. played against Brazil, even though they blew the lead in the second half. It’s true, a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in football. I just hope they can keep up their intensity throughout the rest of qualifying and the Gold Cup and NOT “play down” to their CONCACAF opponents.
July 2, 2009 at 6:13 pm |
Adam, I’ve been wondering about the whole MLS vs. playing in Europe thing myself. It is clearly better for some players to go to Europe–McBride, Timmy, and Dempsey come to mind right away. DaMarcus has had problems, mostly with injuries, which could happen to anyone. My worries with Adu and Jozy is that they aren’t getting any playing time in Europe, when they would be starting every game here at home. How much damage will that do to their development? If they had stayed in MLS for a few more years, would they have been able to move into a starting lineup right away in Europe? And thus ultimately be of more value to the USMNT?
Well, I’m not worried about us playing down to Concacaf teams, because after that wretched Costa Rica match, I’m a bit psyched out.
Wow, Venus Williams has just smashed and crushed Dinara Safina in less than an hour…actually Safina did not even show up for that match. Venus had a very muted, classy reaction to her victory–happy, but not exuberant. I’ve never seen a #1 seed (as Safina was), walk onto the court looking so completely psyched out. It was, as John MacEnroe said, “beyond embarassing.” Safina seems like a really tragic head case. Now I’m worried that Venus did not get enough tough preparation for the final against Serena–and I always want Venus to win. Six Wimbledon singles titles would be pretty sweet. As you can see, I’ve taken a mini-break from soccer and am now in Wimbledon mode. I’ll return to soccer with the first Gold Cup match!
Have a great 4th of July, Adam!
July 3, 2009 at 12:51 am |
Hahaha, I saw the Serena-Dementieva match. It had to be the polar opposite to the Venus-Safina match. Serena’s match lasted about 2.5 hours and many times it looked like Dementieva would win. The momentum swings went back and forth. The turning point had to be in the second set when Serena served herself out from being down 5-4 or 5-3 (can’t remember) to Dementieva, but she took the game and battled it out. Dementieva gave Serena everything and more. One of the best ladies’ matches I’ve ever seen. But, Venus demolishing #1 Safina is a little scary.
MLS players making the move to Europe has worked for some players, which is why I had to stop and think about it. Made the mistake of going to work and I forgot about what I was saying.
There are advantages and disadvantages of playing for a pretty big club. The advantages are, you’re playing for a big club or a club that compete in one of the best leagues in the world with some of the best talents in the world as Altidore is. Also, like in Altidore’s case, you get to practice with some great players who have been on the big stage. However, the disadvantages for someone like Altidore (since he was not seen as being good enough for them or even Xerez) are that he may be practicing with those great players, but it’s practice and the pace is usually not game speed during practices. He’s also only playing against his own team, he’s not seeing anyone new. I think that is something that should be on the minds of MLS players who get offers from those “larger clubs.” Can’t players reject a team’s offer if they want playing time? Personal opinion coming: I think Altidore would be a better fit on a team like Porto (haha), Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Ajax, PSV, or AZ Alkmaar. He’d likely get more playing time and would see Champions League competition. Also, those leagues/teams develop their players well so they can move on to the bigger clubs. Aly Cissokho, Porto’s former left back has just made the move to A.C. Milan. He was with the club for just this year.
I can say this now because I’m not in this position (nor will I ever be), but if an offer came my way from a large Spanish club like Madrid and I was already a starter for my MLS club. I would be asking these questions:
Who did they sell to make room for me?
How talented is their overall roster?
Who is already on their squad who had been waiting for that position to open and are they anyone familiar (popular name), how long has he been in their system?
That’s just me, I would want playing time. If there has been some other player waiting in the wings for the spot and has been a part of their system for quite some time, they are going to know what the coaches are expecting from that position better than the new guy who may have to sit and learn. In Altidore’s case he never really had a chance to learn, Villarreal loaned him away to the Spanish second division, which would have benefited him if he got playing time but he didn’t.
Enough of that…
The U.S. should walk through the group stage of the Gold Cup. Compared to what they just went through, their group is nothing. The U.S. have three “threats” in this tournament: Honduras, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Two if you want to cross of Costa Rica because the match won’t be at Saprissa this time LOL.
Have a great fourth!!!