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7月22日 Chicago: The City that WorksAmerican soccer fans were no doubt flattered and overwhelmed by last week's David Beckham hype-fest. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right? Since all eyes were turned toward LA, another imported star was overlooked. Today, Cuauhtemoc Blanco made his first appearance for the Chicago Fire in a friendly match against Glasgow Celtic. His salary is roughly half of Beckham's (not counting endorsements, of course), he's not poster-boy material, he doesn't have a wife who is famous for being famous, nor does he count TomKat among his closest friends. I didn't see a single Hollywood star at Toyota Park today. Oh, I was absolutely crushed that Jennifer Love Hewitt didn't show up--not. (Can you imagine what the rest of the world was thinking when she was interviewed during the game last night? What is she famous for, anyway)? I digress... Despite being ignored by the glitterati, something tells me that today Cuauhtemoc Blanco is infinitely happier than David Beckham. Why? Because he had a real impact on the game. Blanco wasted no time making his mark in the match, getting his first touch after just a few minutes. His first goal for the Fire came in the 30th minute. It was pure quality. It showed that he still has a bit of speed at age 34 as well as dazzling skill with the ball. Throughout the 58 minutes that he played, Blanco treated his teammates to patient, pinpoint perfect passing (I apologize for that alliteration, but it just slipped out), great on-field anticipation, and plenty of enthusiasm. It's clear that he has inspired his teammates. Chad Barrett, Chris Armas, Matt Pickens, Jon Busch and Thiago (Blanco's replacement), all had good games. The Fire were a bit deflated when Blanco left the field, but then rallied to have some solid chances later in the match. The final score was 1-1, after Derek Riordan rocketed a beautiful one-touch goal for Celtic in the 80th minute. It was disappointing that only 15,000 or so fans showed up for the game. But they showered Blanco with enthusiastic cheering from his first touch to the last. This season the Fire faithful have been especially starved for goals. (One of the mysteries of the universe is why the team has seen fit to rid themselves of proven scorers like Andy Herron and Damani Ralph). Chicago has been shut out in six of its last nine games. Watching a playmaker/scorer like Blanco was something akin to being a starving man at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Will more fans show up to see Temoc play in league matches? Certainly--if word gets out about the new "kid" in town. Luis Arroyave had a piece in the Chicago Tribune that did a good job of describing Blanco's strengths, his combative, competitive behavior on and off the field, and the ways in which he might make a real difference to the team. I hope the Trib gives Luis some more space tomorrow for a recap of today's game. As far as the Beckham spectacle last night, what is there left to say? I pitied him--he clearly wanted to get in the game and give the fans their money's worth. He's no cynical cheat, a la Barry Bonds, and for that he is to be commended. He has a great work ethic and sincerely wants to share the beautiful game with us deprived Yanks. I was appalled by the rampant Beckham-bashing last year--as if one player could be blamed for England's early exit from the World Cup. He possesses rare skill with set pieces, which will dazzle American fans should they ever see it. Between injury and international call-ups, who knows if he will get enough playing time? It remains to be seen if the American hype machine will understand his set piece/crossing ability and give it the attention that it deserves. I'm not optimistic. It's a shame that a player of his caliber is attended by hangers-on like his wife and the Hollywood crowd. Serious fans of sport are likely to be turned off by these people. But perhaps I am overreacting...it wouldn't be the first time. Meanwhile, the real story of Major League Soccer's potential, minus the glitz and hype, is here in sweet home Chicago. 7月16日 A Tale of Two Players...It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times... No worries, though, because help is on the way! A player—a superstar in his native land—is preparing to end the Fire’s misery, starting next weekend. The media have followed his every move. And his wife shared her deepest secrets with a national television audience this evening! The newspapers can’t print enough about this fellow, who is a hero to millions—both in his homeland and here in America. Chicago is abuzz with his every move! Um, er, just a sec…I think I’ve scrambled up my facts again…OK, Cuauhtemoc Blanco is a superstar. Why, just the other day he scored a goal--a penalty--in the consolation game of the Copa America, leading Mexico to victory over Uruguay. It is true that the media have followed his every move—in Mexico. Yet there was not one word about the man in today’s Chicago Tribune. That’s certainly no slam against Luis Arroyave, who could probably fill the pages of the Trib’s sports section with cutting-edge soccer news and analysis. But I suppose there’s no room for soccer, given that today’s paper has two and a half pages of NASCAR coverage. (Insert sarcasm thingy here). I will admit to being a tad unfair to the Trib: Mike Downey had a nice little story in Saturday’s paper about Blanco’s imminent arrival. There have been a few other articles describing him and his incredible popularity among Mexican football fans. It’s a good thing that there has been some press given to Blanco, because I knew next to nothing about him. He’s thirty-four—a bit older than Beckham—and known for his pugnacious, intensely competitive attitude on the field. I still don’t know too much about Temoc. I did see him score on Saturday when Mexico took third place in the Copa America. Third place in a tournament of that significance is not too shabby, as they say. If the Fire can get a guy good enough to play for the Mexican national team we should be singing praises to the soccer gods. LA can have Beckham. Certainly the Angelenos have a greater appetite for the hype that he and Posh will continue to generate. There’s no doubt that Becks’ monumental presence throughout the world will earn plenty of shirt revenue and bring publicity to the American game. Becks' strong finish during Real Madrid’s run to the championship last season should put to rest questions about his on-field value (barring injury, which can afflict any player on the planet). May he bring much success to the Galaxy and, by extension, Major League Soccer. I think most Chicagoans would prefer a hype-free version of Beckham, which is what we're getting. It’s a given that Blanco will lure more fans to Toyota Park. It’s another given that he will score in this league. For a team that couldn’t even get one goal against Carolina, what could be more welcome news? Maybe this: Temoc's wife, should she exist, couldn't possibly be more of a publicity-hungry hot dog than Victoria Beckham.
I am embarassed......for the beautiful game. Turn your dial to NBC right now. I think the word is "gobsmacked." It's awful, but I can't turn away from it. It's just like watching a train wreck. It's "Victoria Beckham Coming to America." Did you know that David was "the hottest man alive???!!!" Did you know that one of Victoria's many challenging tasks upon moving to LA was "finding a manicurist?" Seriously. I know that we are all crusaders for soccer, determined to do whatever it takes to popularize the game here in the States. But do we really want the fans that the Beckhams may bring to American soccer? As they say, be careful what you wish for... 7月10日 O CanadaQuestion: What kind of fan is best? Fans from the city? Fans from the burbs? Mexican-American fans? Polish-American fans? Soccer moms? Their kids? Eighteen to thirty-four year olds with disposable income of at least $50,000 per year? Actually, that's a ridiculous question...because the best kind of fan, demographics aside, is the one who is absolutely loyal, who doesn't allow traffic, weather, family obligations, a tight budget or--especially--a losing record, to keep him/her from the appointed seat at the game. (Of course it's not really a ridiculous question. For some reason Jim Halpert's priceless Dwight Schrute impersonation popped into my head just now. My apologies to fans of The Office). Major League Soccer's major question is, as always, fan-related. Who are they, where are they, and how can we get them to show up at the game? Maybe it's because I'm a Chicago Fire fan, but I just realized that the Fire's attempts to identify and court fans--that's assuming that there are any such attempts--are pretty lame these days. The Fire are slogging through a nightmare season, and are reportedly on the verge of being sold. But Toyota Park is just over a year old and attendance can only be described as disappointing. I was there for Saturday's game against Toronto and there were just over 13,000 fans in a stadium designed for 20,000. The franchise seems to be in some kind of Twilight Zone, although they've just hired Juan Carlos Osorio as coach and, thanks to our fizzled hopes in the Copa America, have Justin Mapp again. Yes, of course the Fire's signing of Cuauhtemoc Blanco is designed to appeal to Chicagoland's sizable Mexican-American community. Judging by the way the Mexican fans showed up in support of their national team at Soldier Field in the Gold Cup, Blanco's presence is certain to have some impact on attendance. Also, I got caught in a big traffic jam on the way to a game at Toyota Park on June 9. Why? The Fire hosted Chivas USA. I'm trying to think of any other sport in America where the visiting team would have more fans present than the home team... So there will certainly be strong support from Mexican fans as soon as Blanco suits up. But how deep will it be? Can the Fire look forward to consistent sellouts? Is the front office putting too many eggs in this basket? Why hasn't management done more to attract fans from Chicago's other large, soccer-mad community: Polish Americans? Yes, they played a friendly against Polish side Cracovia recently. According to the Fire's website, nearly 16,000 were in attendance. It's still a far cry from a full house (and over 20,000 fans showed up for the Chivas USA match), but that's not too bad for a friendly. I know that there aren't that many Peter Nowak clones who really, really want to play in the MLS, but if the Fire could lay hands on a Polish guy with even half his skill, I would be shocked if they couldn't fill several thousand more seats. I guess I've been envious of Toronto ever since the game Saturday night. A sizable number of Toronto supporters were in attendance. The Guy talked to one of them at halftime and learned that they had come down by bus and were planning trips to other MLS cities. They sported scarves, Toronto FC shirts, and distinctive, red & white fuzzy wig-things (hairpieces)? These "away supporters" sat together in one small corner of the park, but they were vocal enough that I could hear them at the other end. (Of course our Section 8/Barnburners, in full voice, outsang and outcheered them for 90+ minutes). Everyone knows that Toronto sold out their season tickets early in the season. What will it take for a Fire ticket to become a hot commodity? (Oops, pun unintended) David Beckham's appearance in late October? But that's just for one game. The Fire doesn't need to advertise to get me to show up at Toyota Park. The Guy and I are already there for many games. But I haven't noticed much, if any, advertising that is aimed at inducing other people like me to come to a game. Who knows, maybe the Fire/MLS are hoping that our U-20 team wins the World Cup this month. Free publicity from Jozy & Freddy? Sounds better than all the Beckham hype. |
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