What the future of the 2015 World Cup Champions hold

Now that the hottest sport of the summer is officially over, it is time to reflect about this year’s Women’s World Cup. The USA was finally able to get over that hump and win it all this season for the first time since 1999. If you remember that 99’ season, you would remember that it helped grow the popularity of women’s sports. However, since then we have seen an up and down graph of the popularity of these sports. Looking at this past World Cup, it has become apparent that this time it will be different.

With entertainment only a touch of the finger away, it is apparent now that social media will help the growth of women’s sports everywhere. It is the job of these World Cup Champions, to use their power for the good of the world. It is their job to take control, showing kids that if you put your mind to something it can occur. We have been waiting for a Women’s team like this to captivate us, and finally we were able to see it. No matter the age or gender you could see people coming together to celebrate the World Cup victory.  This team has to keep up the good work, to help push not only soccer in America, but women’s sports as well. It should be the goal of Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Julie Johnston to become ambassadors for the game to get young women to want to play the sport.

It is time in the USA for a women’s sport to finally take off. After this World Cup it is the opportunity that we have been waiting for. With these women being such high profile athletes in not only the USA but in the world as well. Women’s soccer in the U.S. is on the verge of blowing up. It is time to take advantage of the sport’s growing popularity and give these young female athlete’s somebody to root for. A female athlete is an idol now in the world of sports. As the growth of this sport continues and the popularity of these athletes increase, it is time to push it to the forefront to help make a change on the viewpoint of sports everywhere.

-Brett 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SportsAndRants

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SportsAndRants

Instagram: http://instagram.com/sportsandrants

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sports-rants-brett-pants/id934063452?mt=2&uo=4 

Do Y’All Really Believe?

Belgium defeated United States 2-1 to send USA home from the World Cup. It was an exhausting and sad way for it to end. They were eliminated by a country that is barely a country. Belgium could not have even thought of an original flag. It looks just like a modified German flag. Belgium waffles don’t even taste good. Let’s invade Belgium!

Everybody in the world saw Belgium’s goal in the 93^rd minute coming. There was no realistic chance for USA after that point. It appeared that USA’s strategy was to attempt to tire Belgium out by allowing them to play as much offense as they could. If so it was a successful attempt, but a poor strategy. They barely hung on throughout the game but could not gather any offensive momentum. Even though there was a clear winner, they did not quit. The United States had minimal offense until the 110^th minute. The main reason why is because of their lack of quality midfield play. Their wing midfielders were too slow.

The United States will never be known for having sturdy hamstring by the world. They will continue to be known for their overweight citizens. Jozy Altidore played in less than twenty minutes of the World Cup due to pulling his hamstring. Altidore was supposed to command attention by being a physical sole forward up in front of the American attack. Altidore was healthy for Tuesday’s game but was not part of the starting lineup. USA had to use one of their three substitutions on their right defensive back, Fabian Johnson who was also pulled his hamstring. Johnson helped USA’s attack to be more creative and dangerous play. Both Altidore and Johnson’s play was a huge loss. 

American soccer is just like their beer. They are both weak and watered down. Both their beer and players are imported from Germany. I cannot imagine rooting for a soccer team that consistently plays well. A good soccer team almost seems un-American. I am sure all of the Americans who plastered face paint on their face are now regretting it. This amount of love for a team that has a 25% winning percentage throughout their four games of the World Cup. This is great news for the Sixers and Cowboys. USA soccer is Charlie Brown and the rest of the world is Lucy. Hope the world is happy that they beat our low tier athletes. USA should teach soccer to Lebron, Desean Jackson, and Adrian Petereson and dominate the world’s game. The World Cup would then be a breeze. America does not care as much as the rest of the world about soccer. USA beat nations that are obsessed about it. Since we moved onto the round of 16 and do not care, United States is like the spoiled rich bratty girl that gets a car for her Sweet Sixteen. USA does not care. In fact they are just pretended to.

Jesus, I mean Tim Howard saved 16 shots and deserves a purple heart for the most saves in a World Cup game. Howard is the first bald guy with a beard anybody should trust. Without his efforts USA could have easily lost the gamee 6-0. This game was not USA vs BEL it was Tim Howard vs BEL. Tim could not do it all. He had more shots to him than any alcoholic. Howard had more blocks than the Lego Movie. Hockey goalies have had games with less saves than Howard did. It was evident that Timmy executed what the team practiced. Belgium outclassed USA but not Howard. 

That Tim Howard might be a keeper, but his age does not guarantee he will stay around for the next World Cup in 2018. At least USA can guarantee they will be able to be even more competitive during the next World Cup. They have young talent that was being developed this year. 19 year old, Julian Green scored USA’s only goal to keep the game interesting by keeping hope alive with less than 10 minutes remaining in overtime. Julian not only kept USA’s hopes alive in the final minutes but made everybody feel less accomplished. Green is one of many young rising stars. The future is bright. Before the World Cup they were on a 12 game winning streak. America did great getting the round of 16. The United States Soccer 2014 World Cup team is not who the world thought they were. They exceeded expectations and are in the right direction of improving. They got out of a group with teams of Fifa rankings of #2 and #4 in it. USA soccer is bigger than ever. Americans now cannot wait for 2018.

USA's Loss is a Win?

Germany attacked United States early as if they wanted revenge from getting crushed in two World Wars. The Germans should have also won an Oscar for Thursday’s performance. The movie would have been called How to Fake a Shin Injury. The Germans dominated the game so much it looked like they were playing with more men on the field. They got to every ball first and won every challenge. Wherever USA passed it there was a German waiting for it. They made us weak with rapid aerial attacks. It was like a modern day Blitzkrieg. 

Once again Michael Bradley shows how terrible he is. The bald pasty white midfielder for United States has some of the worst first touches out of anybody in the World Cup. While watching a USA match there a few things you can expect: goals, injuries, and Michael Bradley screwing up. He leaves the defense open and vulnerable for attacks. Poor midfield play is what makes the United States defense look worse than it actually is. Even though Germany is one of the fastest teams in the World Cup, both the defenders and the midfielders need to stop watching the ball. Instead of watching the ball they should get back and help their goalkeeper Tim Howard. 

While Bradley is playing poorly, One of the players that came into his own on the national level is Kyle Beckerman. His club team is Real Salt Lake and now plays a pivotal role for USA. Even though he is 32 years old this is his first chance at the national level. Some people believe Beckerman should get a red card for his wild dreadlocks. If he was not wearing the United States uniform you would think he crashes on a different friend’s couch every week without paying rent. No matter what he looks like, he is a player on the American team that should have more of a name than he does. Kyle plays the holding midfield position.  A holding mid-fielder is a mid-fielder who makes the middle of the field stronger while bolstering the defense. He is well disciplined and a sound tackler.

The United States only were playing soft and were unable to get into Germany’s half before it was too late into the game. USA needed a bit more bite to their attacks. Maybe USA could have used Luis Suarez’s assistance to put some teeth into our attack. Their attack would have been more feared and ferocious. But I am sure Suarez took a bite of the Italian player because he was just craving some Italian food. Everybody loves some good Italian food. Part of the reason Suarez was so hungry was because he ate Chinese food before the match. We all know that an hour after eating Chinese food you are starving again. He has had two other instances of biting other players before. Suarez looks like a donkey and thinks he is a zombie (or Vampire). Luis already missed 32 games due suspensions. He is clearly deranged and needs help. But the bizarre part is that the national media in the United States is acting like this is a common occurrence because is soccer and a typical foreigner. 

It does not get any more American than losing and still being a winner. This is like a romantic comedy where a star high school sports athlete loses the championship but gets the girl at the end of it. When you believe you can win, you do. Even when you lose. The tie with Portugal felt like a loss for the United States. However, the loss against Germany feels like a win. The United States believed that they could win. What actually happened was that they won from a mathematical advantage. There are not many times that people can feel this great after losing something in their lives. The United States were shutout on Thursday, but they still advance. The postgame speech by the United States coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, must have been a bit unorthodox. Do you talk about how poorly the team played or about how it does not matter because the team is moving onto the next round?

Coach Klinsmann could not have said, “Great job guys! A few more close losses like this one and then we can win this thing.” Because it is elimination time.  Every game has to end with a winner and a loser. There will also no longer be a game ending in a tie.

Of course the United States did not advance because of a loss. They advanced because they had a 1-1-1 record and 0 goal differential. This is the 2^nd straight World Cup the United States have advanced to the knockout stages, which is the first time it was accomplished. It is also their 3^rd time in the last 4 World Cups. Their only knockout win in those years was 2-0 over Mexico in 2002. When it is a World Cup tournament that Spain, Italy, and England do not advance, it represents how difficult it is to move forward. These nations wish they could be where USA is right now. The United States did not back into the next round with ease. United States will be going against Belgium next. Belgium is just as good, if not better than Germany. It is hard to tell because there has to be a team that tested them yet. Hopefully United States will give them a fight on Tuesday 3:30. Until then it is not okay to eat Belgium waffles.

USA still has a chance

With a minute left to play Michael Bradley could have booted the ball downfield and run down the clock. Instead, Bradley gave the ball away in a crucial moment. Michael Bradley is the  soccer equivalent of Tony Romo. And now everybody in America knows how it feels to be Dallas Cowboy fans. There is a lot of blame to go around, but it starts with Bradley. Geoff Cameron, the same defender who made the hideous blunder in the first five minutes of the game, made another mistake by not properly marking his man. His man headed Ronaldo’s beautiful cross into the back of the net. Ronaldo should have never had the opportunity to make that world-class cross. It was the mistakes of Bradley and Cameron that led to the Portugoal and the tie. Zero excuses for USA choking. 

It does not matter that Cristiano Ronaldo crossed the ball into the center of the penalty box. Yes he is a great player and great players always make a difference seem to make a difference, especially when it matters most. I do not know what is worse letting the goal in or Ronaldo’s haircut. America was confused whether Cristiano was trying to support Harry Potter with a lightning bolt shaved into his hair or if it was just a bad haircut. The worst part about it is that a poor kid that does not know any better that was watching the game might think that he is cool. Ronaldo epitomizes what American sport fans do not appreciate. He cries, whines, and flops. Even further he is an anti-blue collar guy. Ronaldo makes double the amount of money that the entire starting U.S. team makes. The United States head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, wanted to put Ronaldo in his place, however that was not accomplished. 

Americans are not going to love a sport that gives extra time after regulation so the favored team can tie. Everybody seemed to be enjoying soccer until it ended in a tie. Maybe some of them were confused. I know Donavan McNabb was. Since the game ended in a tie, Americans are going to pretend this game meant little to them. This past game might not mean much to them, but Portugal means even less. Most Americans probably could not even locate it on a map. 

Bottom line is that USA still has a favorable chance of advancing and it is hard to be too upset about that. With a win or draw on Thursday against Germany USA can still advance to the next round. For the sake of throw a number out there, they have a 76% chance of moving onto the elimination rounds. Some people believe both teams should fix the game and decide to tie. This is so nothing would change in the group standings and both Germany and USA would be able to move on. This is moronic because the first place team in group G plays the second place team in group H. And vice versa. There is a big difference between Group H's first and second place team. USA still has hope to beat Germany. If you look at history, USA has a history of defeating Germany.  If United States does move forward we will have to start calling the head coach Jurgen CLlINCHmann.

The Beautiful Game

USA hit the field of Arena das Dunas on June 16^th for their first match of the World Cup and beat Ghana. If you are an American that does not know any soccer player’s name, watch one game a week; and then the household names of soccer such as Neymar, Ronaldo, and Messi will become easier to say than John and Paul. Even though the United States roster does not have any household names, they still had a US TV viewing audience of 15.9 million. That number is more viewers than any MLB game outside the World Series and any NBA game outside the NBA Finals this year. These numbers show that the World Cup is Christmas for soccer fans. A second name for soccer (besides futbol) is the beautiful game. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. With the United States being the beholder, does she see any beauty in the World Cup?
 

There are 32 nations participating in the World Cup, however it unites everybody from all parts of the world. And that includes the United States. Before, during, and after the tournament a conversations will be started with complete strangers from different parts of the world just because you can relate with them due to the games. The culture of soccer brings people together. During the World Cup soccer is not only on the TVs of pizza shops but in bars, schools, and homes. Another way could be going to a pizza place.  It is exhilarating to watch your country crush another no matter what they are competing over.
 

In the United States there is a wide spectrum of the intensity of a soccer fan. There are Americans who loathe soccer. However, they care about the World Cup and if USA wins. For these people it is comparable to the Olympics. During the World Cup people will feel some positive peer pressure to watch the games due to the hype of it. Peer pressure in this case is ok except for maybe giving people another excuse to drink in bars. Girls that do not like soccer will watch the World Cup to look at athletic guys. While girls could get that every year, guys are lucky this year. Unlike the fat NFL fans in the United States, the World Cup this year has hot Brazilian girls. Below you can some players from the women's all geared up to watch their USA men to win. Those that do not enjoy soccer maybe will enjoy watching the game more while listening to a game with the Univision’s soccer
announcers.
 

USA is in Group G. It consists of Germany, Portugal, Ghana, and of USA. The American media has decided that USA is in the group of death. USA is not in the group of death. Their group is just a really tough and competitive group. The media just wants to call it that because they are in it and it would lure more attention. USA is just the worse team in a group of better teams. The group of death is one of the many reasons to watch the World Cup because violence is involved. There is hope for the United States to get out of their group and move onto the elimination matches.

In order for United States to advance past the group stage, they must play as if every game is the World Cup final. Each game that the Americans play is a must win. Soccer is a sport that where there is never a clear winner, which bodes well for the United States. There were already a few upsets with a couple of them being Spain’s loss to Netherlands and Uruguay’s loss to Costa Rica. USA plays under the least amount of pressure and scrutiny out of any team that is playing. They are usually overlooked. Leading up to the World Cup, the United States were undefeated in the warm-up matches. United States has already beat Ghana. Let’s hope they can continue that Sunday against Portugal.

Racism and Hate in Sports Today

Recently there has been much talk about racist behaviors and attitudes in sports. This is all stemming from the recent antics of Donald Sterling, current and soon to be former owner of the L.A. Clippers. The way in which Sterling described his players, though it was in his on private room; is a disgrace. His attitude brings about thoughts not only in basketball, but in other sports as well. Does racism still exist in sports today? We may all dream that there will someday be a world of peace and love, in which no one hates on each other. However, that is not the case; especially when dealing with fans, players, and ownership attitudes. It is one thing to not like the attitude of a player or to heckle them for doing something wrong, but it is horrible to judge them based off of color, religion, or sexual orientation. We hope to one day move past this and dive towards the future and change.

Donald Sterling the current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers has recently made racist and hateful comments about his players past and present. Sterling, is a self made man; an individual who worked very hard both in the Real Estate field and the field of law. He is now worth over 1 billion dollars. Donald Sterling built his empire through the process of slowly but surely making money in the field of the sports industry and through determination. He was able to build the Clippers into the powerhouse they are today, despite years of horrible performances. Though, this self made billion seemed to be good on the surface, when you dig deep you find his true color, his hate. Sterling has recently been caught in a scandal regarding making racist remarks about his players on his teams, especially his African American players. Basically Sterling has compared his players to dogs, making them appear worthless citizens. Donald Sterling also would go as far as stating to his current girlfriend that she should not show the world that she is surrounding herself with African Americans, such as Magic Johnson and Matt Kemp. Sterling is now going to receive a life ban, and his days of owning the Clippers seem to be numbered. Players in furry have stemmed protests throughout the NBA playoffs, whether that be black ribbons around their arms or wearing black in honor of fighting racism. The players were ready to go as far as boycotting the playoffs, unless Sterling was removed from power. It is horrible to see that racism still exists and is apparent in the NBA today.

With this news of racism in the NBA through the actions of Donald Sterling, it brings up thoughts if there is still racism in other sports as well. One area in which this is still apparent is in the NHL today. Hockey has always been seen as a predominately Caucasian sport, that very few African Americans play. The question is that are there so little African American hockey players due to the fact that they just aren't as talented or is there actually a racist precedent. When African Americans participate in hockey they are given looks by coaches, players, and fans. They also hear
 remarks, such as "you shouldn't be playing this sport" and so forth. A clear incident of this was when current Flyer Wayne Simmonds was participating in a game, he had a banana throw in his direction. Basically making the racist statement that he was a "monkey". This is hurtful and harmful to see this occur to a human being. Simmonds, being a smart and strong willed person, skating off as though nothing happened. The NHL needs to have more African Americans in their league or these racist ideas and attitudes will continue on.

Another recent event of extreme racism that has occurred happened during a Barcelona soccer game. Dani Alves, was taking a corner kick during the game, when a banana just like Wayne Simmonds was thrown in his vicinity. Seeing this racist statement Alves did not get angry nor frustrated.Dani simply picked up the banana and proceeded to eat it. Many are now saying that Dani Alves was "taking a bite out of racism." Especially in a sport like soccer, which is so culturally diverse it is sad to see the racism that still exists. Alves made a great statement by just standing up for himself. Dani Alves should be seen as a strong willed individual for not getting angry or fighting about the incident. In a sport like soccer people need to become more accepting of others.

With all these recent incidents, and incidents of the past it comes up with the realization that there is still racism today in sports. Even though we have made amazing strides since the days when Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby both walked onto a baseball field and broke the color barrier. We still have hate. You can go to any sporting event and hear fans making racist comments, see players or coaches making faces at individuals who are different. If we as people don't make a stand, things will not get better as a whole in society.