Recent Stories with tag world cup

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....

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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...

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