Recent Stories with tag soccer

Hanauer: A modern-day John Nordstrom?

The founders of Nordstrom, famous for their customer service, were also the founders of the Seattle Seahawks. Yet despite their propensity for offering retail exchanges, I don't recall those successful Swedes ever doing for Seahawks fans what the Sounders did for theirs yesterday: promise a full refund after the team lost.

The Sounders uglied up a gorgeous afternoon at Qwest on Saturday, losing 4-0 to the L.A. Galaxy and falling into last place in the MLS Western Conference. The pain started when the normally reliable Kasey Keller let a shot go through his hands for a goal, and continued in the second half with some invisible defense.

"That wasn't Sounders soccer and it was quite frankly embarrassing, humiliating and the fans don't deserve that," said Sounders FC owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer in announcing the refund to season ticket holders, which will come as a credit toward next year's tickets.

"We want our fans committed for the long haul and we think this is the right thing to do for our fans," said Hanauer. It's no minor hit for the team's financials--with 36,000 season ticket holders paying an average of around $20 per seat, the Sounders are giving back around three-quarters of a million smackers....

(more)

If all goes well, the World Cup would look something like this.

The FIFA World Cup is quickly approaching, and countries around the world are gearing up to watch their teams compete. Although football (soccer) is not as popular in the U.S. as it is worldwide, attention to the sport is growing.

This year, American fans are getting ready to cheer on their team, especially with recent news that they may have something even bigger to look forward to in 2018 or 2022--the hope of hosting the tournament for the second time. Germany, France, Italy and Mexico are the only countries to have ever hosted twice in the tournament’s almost-80-year history. This time around, Bill Clinton’s chief advisor Doug Band is giving the U.S. a serious chance at becoming fifth on this list.

Band is the latest addition to the Board of Directors for the U.S. Bid Committee. While the magnitude of the World Cup enticed a lot of high profile individuals to join the Board of Directors (such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger), having the relatively lower-profiled Doug Band as the face of the committee may just give the U.S. their biggest bargaining chip yet.

Band has helped implement philanthropic initiatives in over 170 countries. His work through the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has helped raise millions of dollars for relief efforts thus touching thousands of lives. His reputation precedes him throughout other countries and he is respected by them for his efforts. Having him represent the U.S. bid will help promote America as a great location to host the World Cup by highlight his international endeavors and demonstrating the embrace Americans have for diverse cultures....

(more)

The Sounders FC held their season opener last night against expansion team the Philadephia Union, winning handily 2-0 (off goals by Fredy Montero and Brad Evans), despite showing some off-season rust out of the gate.

New kids on the block or not, the Union came out hard, snagging a yellow card in the first minute of the match, and eventually playing a man down after Toni Stahl secured a red card in the 40th minute. For the Sounders, Freddie Ljungberg was everywhere, giving a clinic on play-making.

Rain was more or less constant, the grass was slick, and wind gusts captured long balls, so I'll give the Sounders the benefit of the doubt on the number of missed passes. One thing was clear--the Union had no answer to Sounder speed to the ball. The score could have been 3 or 4 to 0, and the Sounders owned the second half, leaving keeper Keller mostly an onlooker.

Sounders star Freddie Ljungberg flew to London over the weekend try to convince Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger to take him back, the Daily Mirror reports.

Now he's back in Seattle, but he won't comment on who he spoke to, nor will he say what his plans are.

An Arsenal spokesperson also refused to comment.

Obviously Sounders fans would be a little wary of Ljungberg playing again for an top European club team--we saw what happened with David Beckham, who tipped his toe in and found he liked the water better. No he's just a part-time player for L.A.

Ljungberg did tell the Times' Jose Miguel Romero what he likes about playing in the U.S.--anonymity (or is it the lack of fashion sense?): "It's a totally different lifestyle for me ... I can walk in a track suit and look like [expletive] and I can walk my dog, and nobody minds."

Will the ability to walk in a track suit be enough to offset the thrill of playing European club soccer? (And the money that would come with it?) Stay tuned.

OTHER SOUNDERS NEWS:

Kasey Keller was...

(more)

If you were a sports fan in practically any other country in the world, it could not possibly escape your notice that today is a day of many World Cup qualifying matches. From Yaounde, Cameroon to La Paz, Bolivia, international teams will be fighting for their World Cup lives--including Team USA, which plays a must-win at lowly Trinidad & Tobago.

The proper way to watch these games is to head to a local bar, where expatriates will be cheering on their national team.

Here's what local soccer bars are showing today:

George & Dragon (Fremont):

Noon England v. Croatia (LIVE, $20 cover)

2pm Germany v. Azerbaijan

2pm Bosnia v. Turkey

4pm Trinidad & Tobago vs. USA (LIVE)

7pm England v. Croatia (Replay)

9pm Serbia v. France

9pm Spain v. Estonia

Cafe Presse (Capitol Hill):

Noon Serbia v. France

2pm Bosnia v. Turkey

4pm Trinidad & Tobago v. USA

6pm Mexico v. Honduras

Fado (Downtown):

11:30am Northern Ireland v. Slovakia (LIVE)

11:45am Slovenia v. Poland (LIVE, $20 cover)

Noon England v. Croatia (LIVE, $20 cover)

2pm Bosnia...

(more)