Total Futbol

LIVE from Mexico v. Colombia!

Hola from Sun Life Stadium, where there is a World Cup-like atmosphere for the 8 p.m. Mexico v. Colombia match. Between 40,000-50,000 expected. Fans from both teams decked out in flags, wigs, body paint, sombreros, wrestling masks, and team jerseys. Lots of Chicharito and Falcao shirts.

Will Ferrell is here promoting upcoming movie, Casa de mi Padre, and drew a HUGE cheer from the crowd when he yelled: "Chicharito!'' into the microphone at midfield. He clearly knows how to win over the Mexican audience.

300 reporters credentialed. Should be fun.

Breaking news: they just handed out the lineups. Here you go...

Mexico: Ochoa, Marquez, Moreno, Perez, Salcido, Guardado, J Dos Santos, Barrera, Zavala, Chicharito, G Dos Santos.

Colombia: Ospina, Armero, Zuniga, Perea, Mosquera, Sanchez, Rodriguez, Cuadrado, Ramirez, Falcao, Pabon.

On an unrelated note: Can you believe USA beat Italy 1-0? Clint Dempsey on fire.

As expected, Chicharito and Falcao get loudest cheers during introductions. 

GOOOOOOOL! Colombia! 37th Minute. Falcao scores when Pabon's shot ricochets off Mexican GK Ochoa's gloves. Colombia 1, Mexico 0.

HALFTIME: Colombia 1, Mexico 0

60th minute: GOOOOOL! Colombia again. Cuadrado, on beautiful cross by Armero. COL 2, MEX 0. Coach Jose Pekerman a hero in first game. Yellow-clad Colombian fans singing Ole-Ole Ole!

Crowd of 51,615 is second-largest for soccer at Sun Life behind 71,000 for Barca-Chivas last August.

Chicharito is Coming to Miami!

Chicarito is coming! Chicharito is coming!

Mexican National Team Head Coach Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre announced the list of European and U.S.-based players on Mexico’s roster for the friendly against Colombia on Wednesday, February 29 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami (8 p.m.)

El Tri’s roster includes Manchester United star forward Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Deportivo La Coruña's Andres Guardado, New York Red Bulls defender Rafa Márquez, and brothers Jonathan Dos Santos of FC Barcelona and Giovani Dos Santos of Tottenham.

Many of the seats in the lower bowl are sold. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, the stadium box office and local soccer stores.

Beckham bares almost all for Super Bowl ad

Women who don't follow the NFL and dread Super Bowl Sunday now have a reason to watch.

There is always much hubbub about Super Bowl commercials, and no doubt, Becks' H&M ads will be in the discussion.

Speaking of Beckham, he announced that he is staying in MLS with the LA Galaxy rather than going back to Europe, as most fans thought he would. What do you think of that news? Share your views.

Poll: Best moment of 2011?

El Pibe and Jorge Campos yuk it up!

Look who I found at Books & Books in Coral Gables!! Carlos "El Pibe'' Valderrama and Jorge Campos, he of the colorful goalkeeper jerseys, hosted a chit-chat to promote the Feb. 29 friendly between Colombia and Mexico at Sun Life Stadium. Speaking of friendly, they couldn't have been chattier. Very funny guys, good friends for many years, and super honest. El Pibe went on and on about how the Colombian federation, by continuing to change coaches, is hurting a talented national team. He worries they won't make the World Cup (they haven't since 1998 and that bothers him greatly). Campos sang the praises of Chicharito. Both also reminisced about their MLS days and are impressed with how far the league has come.

"When we played, there were 8 teams and we played each other every month,'' Campos joked.

Read more about their conversation in Sunday's Miami Herald.

ManU v. ManCity, Strikers, Brazil 2014

Friday Free Kicks...

Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the NASL Championship series vs. Minnesota Stars. Game 1 Saturday night 8:30 p.m. at Minnesota, Game 2 Sat. Oct. 29 at Lockhart Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Strikers won only one game first two months of the season, but have gone 6-1-1 in Sept-Oct and outscored opponents 10-2 in the playoffs. Look for preview feature on coach Daryl Shore in Saturday Miami Herald. He has local ties you may not know about...

Sao Paulo will host the 2014 World Cup opening match and Rio will host the final...

Akron University coach Caleb Porter was hired as U.S. Under-23 national coach, and former US midfielder Tab Ramos will coach the U20 team. Porter won the 2010 NCAA title and is 90-13-10 over five years...

Is there a bigger match this weekend than Man U vs. Man City derby in England? City leads the EPL with 22 points and Man U is second with 20 points. Who will win? Predictions??...

Fox won the TV bid for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups...

Tickets for the Strikers game start at $10. Go to www.strikers.com for more information. They are hoping for a big home crowd for the deciding game.

Klinsmann Report Card: What does US coach deserve so far?

VEN over ARG! USA loses. Brazil wins.

What a day yesterday...

Biggest stunner: Venezuela beat Argentina 1-0 in World Cup qualifying opener. Wow! La Vinotinto is for real!

Other CONMEBOL results: Colombia 2-1 over Bolovia, Chile 4-2 over Peru, The "Guays'' -- Uru and Para -- tied 1-1.

Euro 2012 qualifying: Spain 3-1 over Scotland. Germany 3-1 over Belgium. France 1-1 with Bosnia.

Last night, USA lost 1-0 to Ecuador at Red Bull Arena in NJ. Crowd of 20,000 was a bit smaller than the crowd Miami got last weekend for the soggy win over Honduras. So, US is 1-3-1 under coach Jurgen Klinsmann with two goals scored. Give Klinsi a grade in our poll (see above). The good news: Gooch looked like the old Gooch again. Dempsey and Donovan together could be dangerous. Brek Shea continues to impress. What's your opinion on the US team as it stands now?

In the second night match, Brazil escaped with a 2-1 win over Mexico. Brazil's two goals were scored by Ronaldinho and Marcelo. Brazil, as host of 2014 World Cup, gets automatic berth so doesn't have to go through CONMEBOL qualifying rounds. 

Reminder: Fort Lauderdale Strikers second leg of NASL semifinal Saturday night at Lockhart. 7:30 p.m. They play Puerto Rico Islanders, whom they beat in first leg.

 

USA-Ecuador, Euro 2012, Strikers, Sounders.

On tap Tuesday...

Euro 2012 qualifiers: Germany vs. Belgium (1 p.m., ESPN2), Ireland vs. Armenia, Spain vs. Scotland, France vs. Bosnia, Sweden vs. Netherlands.

USA vs. Ecuador, friendly from Red Bull Arena (NJ), 7 p.m., ESPN2 and Univision. Will the US follow up Miami win over Honduras with another one?

Speaking of US team, coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he'd like to see MLS extend its season from 9 months to 11 months to keep up with European leagues. He thinks MLS players have too much vacation time.

Reminder that the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers host second leg of NASL semifinal this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Lockhart. They play the defending champion Puerto Rico Islanders, whom they beat 3-1 in the first leg. Tickets start at $10. Call 954-606-0400.

Finally, major thumbs up to the Seattle Sounders for selling more than 57,000 tickets for Saturday's regular-season finale against San Jose. Yes, this game was part of a 3-game package that included a Manchester United friendly earlier in the summer, but still...57,000 for a regular-season MLS game! The Sounders are averaging 36,893 per game this season, better than last year's 36,173. If only MLS could bottle up whatever they're doing in Seattle and spread it all over the league. I sure would love to get to one of those Sounders games and experience it. I've heard it feels like Europe or South America. Lots of passion. Must be fun.

 

A note from Klinsy to S.Fla fans

This is from US Soccer, to ticket buyers for Saturday's US-Honduras match. Includes Fan Guide below.

Oct. 6, 2011

Dear Ticket Buyer:

On behalf of the players and staff, we thank you for choosing to come to the stadium to watch our team take on Honduras on Oct. 8 at Sun Life Stadium.

Even after three games, this has been a fascinating journey. Every day the team develops a stronger chemistry and understanding of how we want to play. I am very pleased with their attitude, approach and mentality, and I believe it will be reflected on the field this Saturday.

While we have not been satisfied with the results, we are seeing great progress. Improving is a process, which the players understand. I want them to continue to be positive, take chances, and express themselves on the field.

With this roster, you can see we are continuing to develop a core group of players. It is important to maintain some continuity in our work with both players and coaches. At the same time, we will introduce new players when we feel they are ready.

Honduras is an opponent that this team knows very well. The U.S. has played them five times since 2009 and four of those games were in official competition. They remain one of the strongest teams in CONCACAF, so this presents an excellent opportunity for us as we build our team towards qualifying for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying that begins next year.

I have said many times that our fans are a very important process in helping identify the character of this U.S. team. We have had a fantastic week here in South Florida and have enjoyed being in an environment with such a great soccer history. We appreciate the way you have welcomed the team, and we hope to put on a great performance.

Thanks again for all your support. Enjoy the game.

Jurgen Klinsmann
Head Coach
U.S. Men's National Team

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U.S. Soccer looks forward to hosting you on Saturday night for the U.S. Men's National Team match against Honduras at Sun Life Stadium. Kickoff for the match is 6 p.m. ET.

In this email you will find information and links that will help with your preparations and enhance your experience at the stadium. Parking lots open at 3 p.m. ET, and the gates to the stadium open at 4:30 p.m. ET.

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Fan Guide
U.S. Men's National Team vs. Honduras
Sun Life Stadium
Kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Stadium Gates: 4:30 p.m. ET
Set your DVR: Live on FOX Soccer and Univision

Stadium Map
[web] [mobile]

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Parking Information
Lots open at 3 p.m. ET
Parking is $20 (cars)
Parking Map: [web]
Directions: [web]
Address: 2269 Dan Marino Boulevard, Miami Gardens, FL 33056
Coordinates: 25.958546, -80.238755

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Policies and Prohibited Items
The prohibited items list for this event include:

• Animals (Except for certified animals assisting disabled guests.)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Bags, purses, or camera cases exceeding 14 in. x 14 in. x 8 in. in size
• Bottles, cans, thermoses, coolers, hard containers
• Food
• Umbrellas, poles, brooms
• Strollers (permitted in suites only. Strollers must enter Gates C, G or E)
• Cameras with lenses exceeding 8"
• Noise makers, laser pointers and any other item deemed dangerous or inappropriate
• Weapons of any kind (firearms, knives, pocket knives)
• Vuvuzelas

 

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Pregame Sponsor Activities
Be sure to come early to Sun Life Stadium for pre-game fun at Gate H! AT&T will have a variety of 4G devices available for demonstration and will be distributing branded premium items for fans. Tampico will be providing samples of their refreshing soda. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers will also be onsite with an inflatable kick game and information about their NASL playoff run. The excitement begins at 3 PM!

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Will Call Location
Open at 3 p.m. ET. Pick up your tickets early to avoid the rush. Location: Ticket windows by Gate H.

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Respect Campaign
In an effort to encourage U.S. National Team supporters to create a positive, safe and enjoyable environment on game day, U.S. Soccer has introduced the Respect Campaign. Fans are encouraged to provide an enthusiastic and positive atmosphere by showcasing to the world our love and appreciation for the beautiful game. We ask you to familiarize yourselves with a fan Code of Conduct, which is posted on ussoccer.com and is part of the Respect Campaign.

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Guest Assist: Text for Help
U.S. Soccer will be utilizing an in-stadium text assistance program throughout the game. For assistance during the game, reach out to U.S. Soccer staff immediately by texting SOCCER followed by your issue to 78247. Local messaging rates may apply.

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Join U.S. Soccer Supporters Club
The U.S. Soccer Supporters Club is the official fan membership program for fans of the U.S. National Teams. Members receive a package of exclusive benefits.
Register today: [ussoccer.com] [mobile]

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Join the e-Supporters Club
U.S. Soccer's Electronic Supporters Club allows fans to connect to U.S. Soccer via regular email updates. Sign up for free and receive the latest news via U.S. Soccer Weekly, special deals at ussoccerstore.com and ticketing email alerts to buy tickets ahead of the general public (but after U.S. Soccer SC).
Sign Up Today: [ussoccer.com]

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Merchandise Locations
Exclusive U.S. Soccer gear will be on sale during this event, including the red jersey that the U.S. will be wearing. Get merchandise at one of the following locations: Sections 114, 128, 155, or 214. Programs will be sold at every retail location as well as a program seller at Gate B. To purchase gear before or after the game, please visit ussoccerstore.com.
Shop: [ussoccerstore.com]

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Wear Red All Over
The U.S. will be wearing red on Saturday. Show your support for the U.S. team and your fellow fans by wearing red to the game.