Soccer Travails

Videos from USA vs El Salvador 9/5/09

2009-09-06T00:57:00.005-06:00

US Soccer team enjoying time in Utah

2009-09-06T00:52:00.001-06:00

I am a strong proponent of the state of Utah. We possess a lot of benefits to visitors, businesses, and residents alike. Although I may be somewhat skewed, having been born and raised here, only living outside of the state for ten months of my twenty-five years. Those of us that live here know it’s a great place to reside and recreate, but what does everyone else think?

I’m always especially curious to know what visiting “professional” athletes think. These athletes are usually public and collective in their disdain for the lack of nightlife and large-city atmosphere, always anxiously awaiting their departure. However, this hasn’t been the case for the US Men’s National Soccer Team. Having trained in Park City the entire week, players are thoroughly enjoying their extended stay and availing themselves of our abundant resources.

If you read my article earlier in the week you're aware one of soccer star Landon Donovan’s favorite cities is Salt Lake, something you certainly don’t hear confessed every day. Four years ago when he last visited with the National Team he effused praise and appreciation for the beauty of the state and its friendly people. Striker Brian Ching, who plays for the Houston Dynamo and is originally from Hawaii, utilized his Twitter account to post a picture of an eighteen inch fish he caught in a stream outside Park City during an afternoon away from the field. He enjoyed the alpine slide at Park City Mountain Resort and also applauded the quality and condition of their training facilities. Stuart Holden and Charlie Davies joined forces to shop at the outlet stores in Kimball Junction, while Landon Donovan and Oguchi Onyewu were spotted shopping at Gateway, later joining their teammates for sushi downtown. All of this information found on the increasingly popular Twitter, available to thousands of their followers.

Some of you may feel this walk down Fascination Street just took a left-turn onto Obsession Boulevard, which later merges with Stalker Expressway. Please don’t misinterpret my interest as tabloid captivation. I simply appreciate that they're taking advantage of Utah’s bounty and aren’t afraid or ashamed of publicizing it. Word-of-mouth is the most efficient and effective form of advertising, and a substantial amount of people are paying attention to what these guys have to say. Ultimately, whether we like it or not, the accounts of their time spent in Utah will have its effect on potentially millions of people.

I would like to personally thank the US Men’s National Soccer Team for ignoring the precedent and allowing yourselves to have a good time. I’ll be there to support you tomorrow. Now let’s go out and win!

PS: If you aren’t victorious, feel free to omit the fishing, sushi, and shopping distractions from your post-match interviews, thanks.

Go Ireland on a budget and see more green

2009-09-02T18:15:00.002-06:00

Six months ago my wife and I were trying to plan a trip to Europe, we quickly found just how expensive it "could" be. We really wanted to go, but weren't about to conceive, wait nine months, and give birth to our first-born just to hand it over to Delta and Marriott. Instead we sought and found alternatives, surprisingly not having to compromise much along the way. Hoping that this wouldn't be our first and only trip to Europe, we knew we didn't have to see everything this first time. This knowledge allowed us to settle on one destination and for a shorter amount of time - both of which saved us some green. Our answer was...Ireland!

The first step is getting there. During our research we learned the airport in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the most affordable in Europe to fly into. After fare-watching for weeks, we bought tickets from Salt Lake City to Dublin on Delta for $565/person roundtrip, rock bottom - I assure you. We then took advantage of the Delta SkyMiles Program and our SkyMiles branded American Express cards, allowing us to save an additional $300 total. Because Salt Lake City is one of Delta's hubs, the fares are usually competetive, especially for international flights. Get some guidebooks before you leave, don't pay for them - borrow from your library, they're free...just don't forget to return them when you get home.

There are several online tools to help you find the best deal on fares. I recommend signing up for free on airfarewatchdog.com, an e-mail will be sent to you daily outlining the discounted fares from your home airport; if there is a discount or deal to be had it will be in this e-mail. Also consider using kayak.com. Kayak will perform a search based on your criteria, allowing you to sort the results based on price, location, and other relevant factors.

You've arrived, now what? We decided to break the trip into three segments. Our first destination was Doolin, a small town nestled on the West coast of Ireland. We had to rent a car in order to get there, which wasn't the cheapest option, but it gave us the ability to explore the area as opposed to being stationary. Book through Auto Europe, discounts are available for booking online and their rates were the best. Ireland is one of the few countries globally where you are required to purchase a Collision Damage Waiver, it is not covered by your credit card, adding to the cost of your rental. Be aware that in Ireland you drive on the left side of the road as opposed to the right, which can be difficult and stressful. I got the hang of it after our three hour drive cross-country, my wife tells me the scenery was beautiful, all I can tell you is the lines on the pavement were straight and well-painted. You may also use the extensive rail system to get from point-to-point, a cost-effective alternative if you choose not to risk your life in a roundabout/traffic circle.

For our Doolin accommodations we elected to rent a cottage we found on VRBO.com, instead of staying in a hotel. Our rental was cheaper by night than local options and included a fully equipped kitchen, so we were able to economically cook our own meals. You'll find that eating out is very expensive, if that is your sole source of replenishment costs will add up very quickly. Cooking for yourself also allows you to go grocery shopping, a truly charming and unique experience. Ireland is home to the Full-Irish breakfast, enabling those who've consumed it to skip lunch and have a snack instead. So if you're without the means to cook in Ireland, consider ordering the Full-Irish and embarking on a day of sightseeing without having to break the bank for lunch.

After four beautiful days in Doolin our second segment in Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK), was beckoning. We drove our rental car back to Dublin along a different route and enjoyed the scenery along the way. The train service from Dublin to Belfast is very quick and affordable, allowing us to save money by only renting a car for 5 days and purchase round-trip train tickets instead.

Benedicts of Belfast was our hotel in Northern Ireland, booking online through their website gave us a discount and breakfast in their restaurant is included. Benedicts Restaurant and Bar are wildly popular with the locals, so instead of taking cabs around town we just hung out at our hotel, giving us more time and money to spend on food and activities.

Our final segment was Dublin, where hotels and food are notoriously expensive. However, we had a budget surplus from our cost-cutting measures earlier in the trip, making it easier to palate higher prices. We stayed at the four-star Gresham Hotel and got a reasonable rate, no breakfast though. Again I booked online directly through the hotel or use Kayak to find the best rate. I recently stumbled upon skoosh.com while booking a hotel in New York City, I saved over $100 on a two-night stay, unbelievable. I definitely plan on utilizing skoosh in the future.

Obviously the sites I've mentioned aren't exclusive to Ireland, so utilize them on your next trip. While this article is geared towards budget travel methods, I plan on writing an article detailing the highlights of our trip with pictures and recommendations, so check back soon. As always, feel free to comment on this article or share your own budget conscious travel methods with the rest of us.

Sellout crowd expected to trickle in for World Cup Qualifier in Sandy on Saturday

2009-09-01T15:46:00.001-06:00

Nothing is quite as humbling as playing a home game on American soil in front of 40-50,000 people fervently supporting your opponent. Helping to explain why the location selection process for important World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ) is extremely stringent. Traditionally qualifying games are played in Columbus, Chicago, Washington DC, or Boston, where organizers hope to draw a pro-USA crowd; naturally matches in California, Texas and smaller markets are rarely flirted with. However, the trend is changing. The deliberate ascension of Major League Soccer has allowed US soccer to take advantage of teams in cities with soccer specific stadiums, existing marketing and ticketing infrastructures and built-in fan base.

In 2005 the US played a WCQ in Salt Lake City for the first time, handily beating Costa Rica 3-0. I attended this game with my dad and brother, along with 40,583 other ardent supporters. The raucous atmosphere was lauded by then head coach Bruce Arena : “It was fantastic. I've never been in a more comfortable setting as the manager of the U.S. team. The whole week, Provo was brilliant, the people were great, everything was great there. Then, even today, I went to get a haircut and walking down the street, people were coming out of stores and saying, ‘Hello,’ wishing us good luck. I think the crowd was fantastic and I'm happy that our guys were able to respond. When things were tough, the crowd helped us. It was a perfect setting to play an important game in. I don't speak for U.S. Soccer, I speak for myself, but I'd love to come back here someday…”

Well, that day is Saturday, when the team returns to Utah, this time at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy to face El Salvador. Currently tied for second place in their group with only four games remaining (two of which are at home) to qualify for the South Africa in 2010, this game is crucial and widely considered a must-win. The most recognizable star for the US side is Landon Donovan, who despite contracting swine flu last month has still been playing full-time for his club Los Angeles Galaxy and is expected to continue a recent run of good form this Saturday at Rio Tinto. Donovan has a knack for playing especially well in Utah for both club and country; he scored two goals in 2005 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in the match against Costa Rica. His national team biography declares Beunos Aires and Salt Lake City as his favorite cities, read this article from the Deseret News to learn what he thinks about playing in Salt Lake. Some local flavor will also be featured at the game, RSL’s Kyle Beckerman and Robbie Findley have both been selected to the squad and hope to see playing time.

Curiously, the game has yet to sell-out, but certainly will by Saturday, click here to find out if tickets are still available. ESPN’s Steve Davis wrote an article providing insight into several variables contributing to slower ticket sales. After reading his article, I don’t think Salt Lake or its fans are to blame. A lack of marketing on the part of US organizers has certainly had its effect. For the game in 2005, 20,000 tickets, enough to sell-out Rio Tinto today, had been sold after only two weeks of sales. Our community has the appetite, that much has been proven. I personally purchased 4 tickets to the game during a pre-sale for Real Salt Lake season ticket holders, but almost missed the pre-sale window due to a lack of communication from the RSL front office. Additionally, the tickets are relatively expensive. Consider the $38 face value of my ticket compared to the $18 price of the same ticket to an RSL game, a sizable disparity. The match in 2005 was a boon for Utah's economy, drawing visitors from outside of the state and the country, with estimates of spending on goods and services exceeding $12 million.

For those of you on the fence about whether to attend the game or not, come on out and experience what everyone will be talking about Sunday morning. Please comment on this article if you will be attending or know of any watching parties going on. Television coverage will be provided by ESPN Classic and Telefutura, I suggest going to Fiddler’s Elbow in Sugarhouse, a soccer-friendly establishment. The United States Men’s Soccer team plays a World Cup Qualifying match vs. El Salvador this Saturday night in Sandy, Utah, kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

For more information check out ESPN's coverage of the game or the US Men's National Team Blog - featuring news, photos and video from training camp in Park City.