World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

[HumRsky]

There is something to be said about how disingenuous it is to try to flat out copycat other cultures instead of making/building off of our own.

I will certainly concede that MLS does kind of brand itself towards poseurs with the names of some of the teams. The gratuitous "FC" stuff isn't too bad (although it is silly), but Real, Sporting and Chivas are all patently absurd. Almost on the level of affecting a mock British accent while you're in the stands.

I like the adoption of supporters clubs, constant chanting/singing, tifos etc... I wish other American sports would adopt some of those traditions. Attending hockey games in Sweden was fantastic because it had the same supporter atmosphere as soccer matches.

As for the naming, as I've grown up I've come to regard the American tradition of sports-team nicknames as kind of silly, but here I stay in most sports. I generally like the idea of European-like team names, but I say embrace "soccer," since that's what we've always called it, and name teams SC Dallas or New York City SC. I also agree that using foreign languages to name teams is ridiculous, unless it is truly connected to that culture (Chivas doesn't bother me since the team was started as an offshoot of CD Guadalajara)

[MountieBoyOz]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

I like the adoption of supporters clubs, constant chanting/singing, tifos etc... I wish other American sports would adopt some of those traditions. Attending hockey games in Sweden was fantastic because it had the same supporter atmosphere as soccer matches.

As for the naming, as I've grown up I've come to regard the American tradition of sports-team nicknames as kind of silly, but here I stay in most sports. I generally like the idea of European-like team names, but I say embrace "soccer," since that's what we've always called it, and name teams SC Dallas or New York City SC. I also agree that using foreign languages to name teams is ridiculous, unless it is truly connected to that culture (Chivas doesn't bother me since the team was started as an offshoot of CD Guadalajara)

I don't mind the FC in front or behind the names, but the Real and Sporting names seem so fake. I also don't mind the old NASL tie-ins to MLS or the new NASL like Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes or New York Cosmos.

[HumRsky]

I don't mind the FC in front or behind the names, but the Real and Sporting names seem so fake. I also don't mind the old NASL tie-ins to MLS or the new NASL like Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes or New York Cosmos.

Real and Sporting are the ridiculous foreign names I am referring to. Obviously Houston Dynamo is inspired by the Eastern Bloc Dinamo clubs, but at least they Americanized it. I'd be more okay with Royal Salt Lake, even though it still doesn't make any sense. If a foreign entity such as the Swedish IFK, which is the central organization for a lot sports clubs in Sweden, most notably IFK Göteborg, decided it wanted to start an IFK Twin Cities, I would be okay with the use of a foreign language in those specific (unlikely) situations.

[joecct]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Is Dynamo run by the NSA? It would be funny if it was.

[MountieBoyOz]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Is Dynamo run by the NSA? It would be funny if it was.

Dynamo is named after the Dunkirk escape. (I know it's not true.)

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

I like the adoption of supporters clubs, constant chanting/singing, tifos etc... I wish other American sports would adopt some of those traditions. Attending hockey games in Sweden was fantastic because it had the same supporter atmosphere as soccer matches.

Well that stuff is fine. It's just funny when so many of the songs, chants and such are clearly just other teams' chants with new words to it. Thankfully, I think most supporters groups seem to be getting away from that (it's one of the reasons I love the "I Believe That We Will Win" chant as much as I do), but it's just a thing you notice every now and then.

As for the naming, as I've grown up I've come to regard the American tradition of sports-team nicknames as kind of silly, but here I stay in most sports. I generally like the idea of European-like team names, but I say embrace "soccer," since that's what we've always called it, and name teams SC Dallas or New York City SC. I also agree that using foreign languages to name teams is ridiculous, unless it is truly connected to that culture (Chivas doesn't bother me since the team was started as an offshoot of CD Guadalajara)

I'm with you all the way on this. The use of FC instead of SC is a little disingenuous in our country.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Well that stuff is fine. It's just funny when so many of the songs, chants and such are clearly just other teams' chants with new words to it. Thankfully, I think most supporters groups seem to be getting away from that (it's one of the reasons I love the "I Believe That We Will Win" chant as much as I do), but it's just a thing you notice every now and then.

Except it's like that everywhere. Fans use the same songs all over the world, it's not just MLS fans.

[HumRsky]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Except it's like that everywhere. Fans use the same songs all over the world, it's not just MLS fans.

This is my argument as well. When I went to Vaxjo Lakers hockey games in Sweden I ended up learning 5 or six of the different songs/chants that the main supporter group used. When I watch soccer from all over the world, I hear two or three of the same tunes/cadences used frequently. Vaxjo's soccer team, Osters IF, used a couple of the same chants with slight variations. Also, to call it European is a misnomer, because sports fan culture involves supporter groups and organized cheering almost everywhere else in the world. Even when you look at American college sports with student sections and organized chants, it's not dissimilar from that at all. I would say one of my biggest beefs of American pro sports is the hum-drum atmosphere for most regular season games.

EDIT: Just watched the part of the Olbermann thing about imitating Europeans, and he is totally wrong about supporter scarves. I love supporter scarves, I collect supporter scarves, I had UMD supporter scarves made for my in-laws

[Jimjamesak]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

The good thing to come from all of this attention for the US team will be the awesome reffing decisions that will come about in 2016 to get us to at least the Semis of Copa America.

[jmh]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Real and Sporting are the ridiculous foreign names I am referring to. Obviously Houston Dynamo is inspired by the Eastern Bloc Dinamo clubs, but at least they Americanized it. I'd be more okay with Royal Salt Lake, even though it still doesn't make any sense. If a foreign entity such as the Swedish IFK, which is the central organization for a lot sports clubs in Sweden, most notably IFK Göteborg, decided it wanted to start an IFK Twin Cities, I would be okay with the use of a foreign language in those specific (unlikely) situations.

"Real" is IMO the most ridiculous on account of how the whole reason this country exists is because a bunch of people decided they didn't want to be ruled by royalty. "Sporting" is a bit less so; though Sporting KC isn't a multisport organization like Sporting CP, they do still have a sports team. (To my mind, it also doesn't seem any more silly than the fact that Barcelona is a multisport organization but brand their other sports in the style of "FC Barcelona Basketball".)

I'm with you all the way on this. The use of FC instead of SC is a little disingenuous in our country.

They do it that way in Australia too; "soccer" is the term they commonly use, to distinguish from Aussie rules football, but the teams have names like Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets FC.

[Slap Shot]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Who gives a chit about the origin of 'real'? Someone better inform the MLB team in KC that they're doing it wrong.

At least the 2 MLS teams had external ties.

[jmh]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

Who gives a chit about the origin of 'real'? Someone better inform the MLB team in KC that they're doing it wrong.

At least the 2 MLS teams had external ties.

From Wikipedia: "The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899."

RSL is pretention that doesn't make sense.

[Priceless]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

From Wikipedia: "The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899."

Oh! I thought it was named after the Lorde song...

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: World Soccer XXV - the run up to the World Cup

From Wikipedia: "The "Royals" name originates from the American Royal, a livestock show, horse show, and rodeo held annually in Kansas City since 1899."

RSL is pretention that doesn't make sense.

Bonus pretension in the logo:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...e_2010.svg.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Zaragoza
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Aranjuez_CF

[unofan]

Oh! I thought it was named after the Lorde song...

Other way around.

Seriously. She named it after seeing a picture of George Brett in national geographic.