Support the US by supporting US Soccer

[paynomind]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=370304&cc=5901

HAMBURG, Germany -- In the heart of this city's bustling shopping district, where locals and tourists move at a pace only New Yorkers would appreciate, flocks of uniformed Polizei stand amid metal barricades, blocking the cobblestone road in front of the Park Hyatt Hotel. Inside, a metal detector and x-ray machine greet lobby visitors. Beyond that, suit-wearing secret-service-esque officials demand passports and World Cup credentials.

Welcome to life on the road for the U.S. men's soccer team. Here, Kasey Keller, Landon Donovan and the rest of the American team ride in the only World Cup team bus without a flag on its side. Here, streets are closed and traffic rerouted as 20 police vehicles deliver the team bus to and from practice. And here, everyone from team security members to state department officials keep a wary eye on interview sessions.

Yet, this is nothing. Although preparing for the World Cup in an air-tight safety bubble has been a popular topic for international journalists, Team USA can only yawn.

Try playing with chants of "Osama bin Laden! Osama bin Laden!" raining down, the Americans say. Try getting ready for kickoff with uniformed militia guarding the field holding ready-to-fire machine guns. Try scoring a goal with rocks, batteries and bottles flying toward you. And try falling asleep the night before a match while fans drive by your team hotel, honking horns, setting off cherry bombs and blasting music.

A little extra security for the World Cup in Germany? C'mon. Try being a visiting U.S. soccer player in Central America during World Cup qualifying.

"The players [in Europe] deal with a lot of pressure, but I'm not sure they fear for their lives and well-being," midfielder Landon Donovan said. "And we certainly do."

A recent Gatorade commercial highlighted the rocky road that brought the U.S. to Germany. In one clip, fans stomped on the stadium floor so hard that the ceiling tiles shook in the U.S. locker room. In another clip a fan held a massive sheet that read, "Yankees Go Home." And in another clip, a fan held a sheet that depicted a U.S. player as the devil.

It's all part of what U.S. soccer officials believe is one of the best-kept secrets in all of sports: The tough road their teams face to qualify for the World Cup through CONCACAF, the collection of 40 North American, Central American and Caribbean countries that comprise their FIFA qualifying group.

Part of it is gamesmanship, such as when Guatemala changed a venue 10 days before a match to a remote jungle village accessible only by a dangerous three-hour bus ride through the mountains. But part of it isn't.

"The anti-American sentiment is the biggest thing," said goalkeeper Tim Howard, who plays club soccer in England. "As Americans, we play the big brother role. People either resent that or appreciate it. They either thank you or hate you."

More often than not, they hate. Imagine the Red Sox playing at Yankee Stadium a week after Derek Jeter took four Curt Schilling fastballs to the earhole. Or the Denver Broncos visiting the "Black Hole" after John Elway told reporters that Raider fans are all "degenerates" and they should "bring it on."

Imagine all this repugnance. Times about 10.

Yet it's not entirely a bad thing. Several players say they thrive on such an "us against the world" mentality. In fact, the team is confident that overcoming the trials and tribulations of qualifying -- with a giant red, white and blue target on its back -- has helped prepare it for soccer's grandest stage.

"Anytime you face adversity like that, it's going to help you grow as a team," Howard said. "For that 24-hour period, the only thing you can rely on is yourselves and each other. And you have to get points. No matter what is going on around you, you have to steady the ship and make sure everything is right. And that takes a strong mind."

Said defender Carlos Bocanegra: "When you're in a situation like that, you stick together all the time. You feel a unity with the guys who go through that with you. And that can only help us."

Over the last decade, at matches in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica, U.S. players have been pelted with everything from batteries and coins to screws and saliva. In one match, former coach Steve Sampson said his players were bombed with bags of urine and animal blood. In the mid-90s, defender Paul Caligiuri was treated for welts on his back after being sprayed with a chemical substance, presumably acid.

The unwritten and unspoken motto is to expect the unexpected. Lost luggage. Fire alarms at 2 a.m. Bus drivers getting lost. And no running water at the stadium, making postgame showers nothing fancier than pouring a couple bottles of water down your back.

"It's an experience, to say the least," said defender Oguchi Onyewu. "Just going into an environment where you are genuinely, passionately hated. It takes a bit of getting used to."

Individually, the majority of U.S. players are strangers to foreign fans. But when they put on the jersey with "U.S." stitched on the front, everything changes. The unknown becomes the hated. Part of that is soccer. Part of that is politics. The United States is a growing force in the sport, a move that frustrates fans of smaller countries, who love seeing the world power struggle in the world's game. On top of that, it's no secret that the White House's stance on weapons of mass destruction and on invading Iraq doesn't set well with much of the international community.

And then, just in time, here come these 20- and 30-year-old U.S. soccer players, providing a perfect avenue for opposing fans to express their frustrations.

"When you're an American, it doesn't matter," DaMarcus Beasley said. "They see that uniform, and then you're the enemy."

Goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who plays professionally in Germany, is able to separate politics from fan passion.

"The way we are treated and the way the country is perceived is different," he said. "Yes, some people are critical of Americans as a whole or critical of our policies, but nobody is mad at me personally. Most people treat others as a person -- they either like the individual or they don't. Never has somebody come up to me and said, 'Oh, you're an American. I disagree with the war in Iraq. I don't like you.' I've never had that."

Which is why, combined with the tight security, the Americans have all the freedom they could want here in Germany. On Tuesday, Marcus Hahnemann enjoyed an early-morning jog around the city's Alster Lake. Donovan went for dinner at a local sushi restaurant with a few friends. And Keller, who lives just outside Dusseldorf, wouldn't hesitate to go out in public or taking his family to the zoo.

"It's probably more dangerous for my family to drive with me on the Autobahn every day than it is to be [in Hamburg] with me," Keller said. "If they can deal with that, they're fine."

[spyboy1]

The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.

Donovan scores!

[TurnTwo]

I was watching PTI yesterday and not only do these Europeans hate this team for being American. Many of them hate the African-American players in the tournament, specifically those on the US team.

Apparently the tensions are so high, Michael Wilbon has decided not to go.

In closing, GO USA!

[Sport]

you know I'm not a big soccer fan, and I often say that I watch soccer only every 4 years during the world cup, which is true, but all of this I'm reading about and the gatorade commercial with take me out to the ballgame in the background has really pumped me up for this world cup tournament. I can't wait to see US take this thing farther than any american team has ever gone.

[dfwabel]

I was watching PTI yesterday and not only do these Europeans hate this team for being American. Many of them hate the African-American players in the tournament, specifically those on the US team.

Apparently the tensions are so high, Michael Wilbon has decided not to go.

In closing, GO USA!

Wouldn't an African-American player be on the US squad? Sadly, as seen in Italy's Serie A as well as the Bundasliga, distain for players of African, South American, and even Asian desent is prevalent. In fact, there are "No Go" guides for non-whites being distributed specifically in the venues of eastern Germany.

"No Go" guides for non-whites for 2006 FIFA World Cup

[Jigga]

Wow such baseless anger, hostility, and hatred against people who have no choice over the country in which they were born. Kind of sounds like what a lot of minorities had and have to go through in America.

I'm rooting hard for the USA, but I don't want everyone to think that it's all peaches and cream in the US for EVERYONE, because it's not.

[NJTank]

You see the report on Sportscenter at 6 the Euro fans are crude horrible they do moneky chants and throw bannas at African and Black players in the Elite leagues they have banners its gotten out of hand.

[paynomind]

You see the report on Sportscenter at 6 the Euro fans are crude horrible they do moneky chants and throw bannas at African and Black players in the Elite leagues they have banners its gotten out of hand.

Fifa president has said he will stop a match, cancel it, and arrest the offender fi any racial harrassment occurs att he world cup. Can you imagine being the guy who stopped the world cup? I'm guessing any idiot with hate in their heart to the point of harrassing a man because of the level of pigment in his skin wouldnt really care.

[-Helix-]

Unfortunately in alot of countries, soccer is all they have. Soccer mixes with politics and religion in that regard, and in turn people take it WAY too seriously. (Or the exact opposite - where soccer matches are basically social get togethers where the fans don't even care about the game.)

It's just a matter of taking sports too seriously. In those countries where the people don't have much in life, the major sport becomes more important. And for the US, a country that doesn't even really care that much for the sport, AND probably the most hated country in the world already, starts to dominate in it, other countries can find it quite disgusting.

You could probably ask any Canadian what its like having a southern market NHL team win the Stanley Cup - a thing of major importance in Canada. It's basically the same thought process.

[sscrunner06]

you know I'm not a big soccer fan, and I often say that I watch soccer only every 4 years during the world cup, which is true, but all of this I'm reading about and the gatorade commercial with take me out to the ballgame in the background has really pumped me up for this world cup tournament. I can't wait to see US take this thing farther than any american team has ever gone.

Yes, I couldn't agree with you more. I'm not a big soccer fan either, but that Gatorade commercial is really eye-opening. I think it is very effective in getting the average sports fan to at least care and feel for the US soccer team. Go USA!!

[Brian in Boston]

You see the report on Sportscenter at 6 the Euro fans are crude horrible they do moneky chants and throw bannas at African and Black players in the Elite leagues they have banners its gotten out of hand.

I've got news for you: it isn't just "Euro Fans"... it isn't just the World Cup or international soccer... and it isn't as if it has just "gotten out of hand".

In 1987, then-Dodger General Manager Al Campanis opined that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager." Was that any less egregious than monkey chants or throwing bananas?

In 2005, Ted Nolan - an aboriginal Canadian of Ojibwa descent - endured a barrage of racial slurs from fans of the Quebec-based Chicoutimi Sagueneens during a major junior hockey game. Again, any less offensive than what international soccer players - the United States squad, included - have to face?

Even on this board, in the "here-and-now", we all know that it is just a matter of time before the management of teams like the Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins are called on the carpet regarding the sensitivity - or lack thereof - of their team names and logos.

International soccer is no more racist than any other facet of human society. The United States Men's National Team is no more prone to being victimized by racial insensitivity in the world of international soccer than any other side. It's sad to say, but as long as racism is a part of general human existance, it is going to be a part of sports, as well.

Bottom line? Sports - soccer included - are a microcosm of our society and, as such, reflect the strengths and weaknesses of said society. Until such time as we eradicate it in society, racism is still going to manage to rear it's ugly head in sports. Period.

Frankly, I'm more interested in seeing racism stamped out in daily life than I'm worried about whether or not the US Men's National Team gets their feelings bruised at the World Cup.

That said... Go USA!!!

[Fred T. Jane]

In 2005, Ted Nolan - an aboriginal Canadian of Ojibwa descent - endured a barrage of racial slurs from fans of the Quebec-based Chicoutimi Sagueneens during a major junior hockey game. Again, any less offensive than what international soccer players - the United States squad, included - have to face?

The irony is that les Quebecois that were tossing those slurs were (and still are) cheering for a team whose borough name and mascot are both of the First Nations persuasion.

[STL FANATIC]

Wow such baseless anger, hostility, and hatred against people who have no choice over the country in which they were born. Kind of sounds like what a lot of minorities had and have to go through in America.

I'm rooting hard for the USA, but I don't want everyone to think that it's all peaches and cream in the US for EVERYONE, because it's not.

Yep. Racism is still a huge problem here.

I think the thing that's so great is that we've come so much farther than a lot of other places, and while it's a slow process, we're still trying to eradicate it.

I can only hope that day is in the not so distant future (though I'm sure it won't be...but hopefully things just keep getting better).

[logodawg]

Yeah, we're the most hated until they want our money. I didn't realize how much money the US has until I started watching Future Fighter Machines (which is from the UK) on the old Tech TV. You could tell it blew the Brits mind that we spend $12 billion to build a carrier and that we have around 15 of them.

Nevermind that between the two of them, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett could build one of the world's largest navies.

[CC97]

It's just a matter of taking sports too seriously. In those countries where the people don't have much in life, the major sport becomes more important. And for the US, a country that doesn't even really care that much for the sport, AND probably the most hated country in the world already, starts to dominate in it, other countries can find it quite disgusting.

You could probably ask any Canadian what its like having a southern market NHL team win the Stanley Cup - a thing of major importance in Canada. It's basically the same thought process.

mmm no.

Remind me the last time Canadian fans pelted players with batteries and whatnot simply for playing for an American team.

You know I watch Jays games and hear "Canada Sucks!" chants at Yankee Stadium and hear fans screaming out "GO HOME CANADA!" in Tampa and Miami... Yet the American anthem is played before every single game at the Rogers Centre and not once have I ever heard anyone boo it...

But like I've said before, there are idiots everywhere in the world, some are simply louder than others.

Go Argentina.

[TFoA]

Although they aren't my favorite, this is why I want USA to make it farther this year. Just so all these people hatin on the USA can go into the kitchen, cook that crow, and eat it slowly. They aren't my favorite (the Bloody Dutch are) but I'm certainly pullin for America, cuz it's the American in me

[HatCityEnforcer]

Personally, I'm all for ticking off all these haters even more than usual...

Go USA!

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Personally, I'm all for ticking off all these haters even more than usual...

Go USA!

Yeah...that's the usual American response. Jam it right in their eye!

I'd like to see Togo with, or Cote D'Ivoire, or any other small, non-white country. To me, this kind of environment needs a Jesse Owens or Texas Western moment.

I think the overall sentiment of this board on this particular topic is right -- racism is bad, it's scary and shameful that it has been as much a part of of the World Cup narrative as it has, and it's difficult to watch.

So what to do? Be humble but proud, that's what I think. American players and visitors might be goaded into a fight in Germany, but reacting to that kind of behavior is a bad idea. I'd love to see the US win it -- it's unlikely -- but it would certainly be a great story. There's some creedence to the idea that society can act as a melting pot, or a salad bowl at least.

I think there are many reasons Europeans are looking inward to proclaim a one, true, national culture. As we've seen in the past, however, that's normally a bad idea. Some swift, strong condemnation from state leaders would certainly be appreciated right about now.

[HatCityEnforcer]

Personally, I'm all for ticking off all these haters even more than usual...

Go USA!

Yeah...that's the usual American response. Jam it right in their eye!

Seeing how a lot of the world thinks the US are soccer neophytes, it's exactly the right response...

Nothing would infuriate the peabrained haters more than to see Landon Donovan lifting the Cup at Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 9th..

If that's "jamming it in their eye", hand me a sharp stick, please.

[DGivens87]

Personally, I'm all for ticking off all these haters even more than usual...

Go USA!

Yeah...that's the usual American response. Jam it right in their eye!

Seeing how a lot of the world thinks the US are soccer neophytes, it's exactly the right response...

Nothing would infuriate the peabrained haters more than to see Landon Donovan lifting the Cup at Olympiastadion in Berlin on July 9th..

If that's "jamming it in their eye", hand me a sharp stick, please.

Add me to that list of attaining a sharp object...