A soccer boom?

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Clayton Hemlock.





















Is there a soccer boom going on here in the Northwest? The recent success of the U.S. National Team at the Confederations Cup and the amazing showing at the Timbers/Sounders game has me in awe of the fan base here in Portland and around the Northwest. The Sounders have been producing 30,000 fans a game up in Seattle and brought down a huge fan base to sell out PGE Park that any sports fan would be in awe of.

The U.S. appeared to be done sauce in their opening round games and turned it around in a quick flash of brilliance and a little luck. I remember that game against Egypt and thought to myself, "God we have absolutely no chance of going on." However, being an avid soccer fan I had to watch the game. I couldn’t believe my eyes as we some how managed to erase a 6 goal differential. Our 3-0 win over Egypt and the help of Brazil dominating the Italians 3-0 made our dream of come true. Unbelievable!! They pulled off a miracle.

Then the Spain game occurred and at first I was thinking, "Yeah, they’re going to lose." However, I believed they could win. After the shenanigans that occurred in the first game, I believed anything was possible. Then, when Jozy Altidore scored in the 27th I had a feeling that we could do it again. Finally when Dempsey scored in the 74th minute, I knew we had it. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The European Champions and world record holders for the most consecutive games in a row with a win, and without a loss was going to go down against a stubborn American side. This team showed a lot of pride.

The final against Brazil was insane! I was at the Cheerful Tortoise and I couldn’t believe how many people were watching the game in this little bar. I couldn’t even sit down. There had to be at least 50 people in the bar representing both the U.S. and Brazil. When we were up 2-0 at halftime I thought we had it. However, I was still very nervous because this is Brazil! Then Luis Fabiano scored twice and I began to tremble. I thought, alright if we play smart defense we can survive into overtime and regroup at the break. My thoughts were crushed and my heart was shattered when Lucio scored on a corner kick header. That goal shattered the hearts of so many people including my own. I was still very proud of my team and happy they made it this far. It is definitely something to look forward to in the upcoming year. GO USA!
















As for the Sounders/Timbers game at PGE Park, that shit was absolutely crazy! I was at the game, and I’ve never heard so many people say, “I’ve never in my life seen this stadium so packed. This wasn’t even a regular season game or the playoffs. This was like the 3rd round of the U.S. Open Cup. It wasn’t really a big deal in terms of the bigger picture of things. However, I knew why this game was so huge! These teams hate each other and have been rivals for decades. Growing up being a Sounders fan I knew this game would be huge. However, I did not expect anything like this. The Bullpen bar was full of Sounders fans and Timbers fan alike. The streets were covered with forest green and neon green. Flags were being waved all over the place, and smoke bombs were going off. Then, there was the chanting as people walked to the gates. Keep in mind this was all before the game even started!

Had you been there, you would have had goose bumps. Hundreds of fans were disappointed due to the fact they were not getting tickets and scalpers were selling tickets five times as much you could get them normally. Fifteen minutes before the game the stadium was completely full, and then… The Chants began! The Timbers Army was singing their chants in sync and the NES and Emerald City Supporters were doing the same. It was a sweet little battle that was going on and the fan base was about the same on both sides. Then smoke bombs began going off, and a few made it on the field. This was boggling my mind at how loud this place was and the game hadn’t even started yet. Just under 17,000 people squeezed inside PGE Park to watch this game. The sidewalks were full as well, and I even saw one person climbing a tree to get a better glimpse of the game.

Finally the game started and the Sounders scored less than a minute into the match. The stadium went crazy due to the high number of Sounder’s fans in the stadium. Then the chants of “Sounders ‘til I die” and others were sung. Then the Sounders scored again! This looked like it was going to be a blowout. However just before half time the Timbers scored. The Timbers finally had something to cheer about and everyone went wild. Halftime came and went, and the game leveled off, but the cheering and the chants never stopped. There even was a little brawl in the beer garden where one guy got knocked out and had to be dragged off in a stretcher. However, security was tight and it ended right away.

The game ended 2-1 with the Sounders on top. Both die hard supporters on both sides began chanting their chants. Flares were going off all over the place, and smoke bombs were everywhere. The streets were over run by the thousands of people, and flags were being waved along in the air. This was a game that you can’t miss. Next time these two play again you have to get tickets as this was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen. I’ve been to a lot of soccer games, and I have never seen it as intense as this because both sides have their own chants. The two have very strong fan bases, and it was an unbelievable sight to see. I felt like I was at an EPL game. I predict that once the Timbers enter the MLS we will see a heated rivalry that people in the northwest will love!

A soccer boom has just hit the Northwest, and the next step is 2011 when the Timbers enter the MLS. GO SOUNDERS!

Peter King makes my knees weak

This post was written by Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited.

Peter King is a writer for Sports Illustrated. Though he writes most of the time about the NFL, he is always insightful about other sports.

This week, in his weekly online column he recounts a great story about the NCAA baseball tournament game pitting University of Texas against Boston College.

It's an incredible story about athleticism and the desire to compete. I don't watch that much baseball, but this short account really drew me in.

King has a way of making anything sports related arresting. He's not a great writer, but he is an honest writer and I find that much more appealing. He seems to ask all of the pertinent questions and addresses all of the things you really want to know about the mental side of sports.

I don't think I'm the only person to feel this way about his work. Whenever he talks to athletes, they seem to give him the real answers, not just the canned ones. It's like he's human sodium pentathol.

For example, after Peyton Manning struggled with his post-surgery knee last year, he answered all reporters who asked about it with the usual I'm-fine-the-team-is-fine garbage. Towards the end of the season, King got Manning to open up about how he really felt about the knee. Manning divulged that when he finally saw his knee several weeks post-op, it scared him because it looked like “a quilt” from all of the incisions.

For my money, when I want to know about the NFL goings on and learn a bit about other sports, I go with King. Anybody who is uninitiated should give him a whirl.

Ichiro value... Like a pair of Jordan sneakers, better with time

Ichiro is one of the most underrated players in the Northwest and possibly all of baseball. Guy has over 200 hits a season for 8 straight so far. Plus he doesn't have back acne or man boobs to show for it. Anyways I liked this blog by Chris Sparow.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4205676This post was written by Vanguard sports writer, J. Logue

PSU Cycling Club

This week Vanguard sports writer Allison Whited wrote a story about the Portland State Cycling Club. This article is a continuation of that story which can be found here.

Sometimes being an athlete is about more than being part involved in a sport. Sometimes it's about what you add to a community.

I'm not talking about the time NFL players commit to playing with kids for the United Way or the playgrounds that the NBA players pride themselves on building. I'm not even talking about the various charities started by athletes for a cause near and dear to their hearts.

I am talking about what an athlete can contribute to a community just by sharing his or her experiences.

Recently, I met Jeremy Robbins, a member of the PSU cycling team. Robbins is the only hand cyclist both on the team and in the conference that the team participates in.

Robbins was an elite cyclist. After sustaining a neck injury in a bike crash, he is now a quadriplegic. Robbins is forthcoming with the story behind his disability and more than happy to recount some of the humorous situations that only he would face as a hand cyclist.

He does this with such charm, such unabashed honesty it almost makes you uncomfortable. Not because what he is saying makes you feel bad for him, but because you know that you have had very few, if any, conversations as real as the one you're having with him with anyone else you have ever known.

Robbins prides himself on being an ambassador for his sport and his disability. He makes it a point to talk to people at races about what he is doing. He and his teammates have had to clear some pretty high hurdles for him to be able to compete in the conference, but now hand cyclists have the opportunity to compete. And Robbins is certainly looking forward to the competition.

Robbins's reach extends beyond the cycling world. He is already making attempts to reach out to returning veterans and he makes it a point to participate in other sports, like murderball.

If we were all as free and open about our experiences as Robbins is, our communities, both personal and global, would certainly be better places.