W-League - DC United Women

The W-League started play in 1995 providing a professional outlet for top female athletes. In 2000 the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) formed, playing it's first season in 2001 and it's final in 2003. In 2007 the Women's Professional Soccer league was formed to again provide an outlet for top female athletes, but only lasted until the 2012 season. Through all this turmoil of trying to keep a top professional women's league intact, the W-league continues to provide an outlet for professional and college athletes, who wish to maintain their amateur status. This past weekend while my son was at the Potomac Memorial Day Tournament at the Maryland Soccerplex. The facility was promoting the DC United Women, with the above postcard, as members of the W-League, who play their games at the Maryland Soccerplex stadium.

Quote of the weekend: Player kicks ball out of bounds and yells "My bad". His father responds "We know you don't have to tell us!"

2011 - Clint Dempsey - Topps Authentics

Barclays Premier League and Topps Authentics teamed up during the 2011-2012 season to produce a 50 card set, which was given away in a series of 10 numbered packs. Barclays Ticket Office provided the chance for fans to win a pair of tickets to a Barclays premier League match or a pack of Barclays Topps Authentics trading cards. Fans could enter the Barclays website and generate a code to enter or request a receipt from any Barclays ATM and text the code located on the back. Fans could enter and win every 90 minutes. The contest is now officially ended.

Topps has produced a quality set of cards, which features one American play, Clint Dempsey. Dempsey played for the New England Revolution in the MLS from 2004-2007, moving to Fulham in 2007 where he has become a mainstay. Dempsey is also a member of the US National Team, playing in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, 2006 World Cup, 2010 World Cup.

The only disappointment to the set, is the exclusion of Tim Howard.

2012 - Rampone Commemorative cup

Jersey Mike's Sub shops have teamed up with Women's US National Soccer Team captain Christie Rampone to offer a series of videos teaching basic soccer skills.

Currently the most capped active female player in the world and the most decorated with honors that include a World Cup Championship and 2 Olympic Gold medals.

A new video is offered each week through July 2, 2012 offering tips on: dribbling, speed dribbling, shielding, push pass, instep pass, receiving pass inside of foot, receiving pass outside of foot, shooting inside of foot, shooting instep and block tackle. Rampone also offers a link by way of her site.

Jersey Mike's also offers a commemorative cup, that features the likeness of Christie Rampone...

2012 Topps Olympians

2012 Topps Olympics Team & Hopefuls

2012.05.02 - Topps has released a series of cards honoring US brightest Olympians and hopefuls, with a 100 card base set. The base set includes US Women's Soccer team members Hope Solo (card# 50), Kelly O'Hara (card# 61) Carli Lloyd (card# 83) Alex Morgan (card# 90) and Abby Wambach (card#93).

The base set utilizes a stylized photo on a backdrop of the American flag. The set includes variations featuring gold, silver or bronze foil. The Alex Morgan shows a bronze foil variation, the Hope Solo card shown is a silver foil variety.

The set includes autograph cards, uniform relics and patch cards. An example of the Juan Aguelo autograph card is shown. The men's team did not qualify for the 2012 Olympics, and Agudelo is the only men's team member in the set. The autograph cards have the autograph on a sticker that is added to the card, placed within a thin white frame. Other autographs in the set include Hope Solo, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach...

Relic cards to be updated when scans are available...

Jerseys

2012 MLS All-Star Game jersey

Adidas and Major League Soccer announced that the 2012 All-Star Game jersey will feature the AT&T  micoach professional soccer team tracking system. The system, built into the jersey, will allow the coaches with real time performance, including on-field player position, power output, speed, distance covered, GPS heat mapping, etc...

Adidas had previously introduced a system that was inserted a micoach speed-cell that can be inserted into a players shoes to record a variety of data. these innovations are expected to assist the coach on evaluating a players impact on the game...

The Minnesota Stars FC, of the NASL, announced their away jersey will feature numbers that have photos of their supporters' group. Each number uses a different crowd scene from the team's playoff run in 2011, as Minnesota celebrated the best fans in the NASL...

2012-2013 Olympique Lyonnais

It's not American soccer, but it had to be seen to be believed. Olmpique Lyonnais of the French Ligue 1, has introduced a 3-D design from Adidas, which was worn on April 28 for the first time during their French Cup final. So break out those 3-D red and blue glasses to watch Olympique Lyonnais...

2012 - Thierry Henry - NY Red Bull

New York Red Bull is running a promotion with the purchase of a 4pack of Red Bull

Exclusive Invitation

To Join New York's Stampede

2 tickets and 2 team scarves for $50

visit www.newyorkredbulls.com

enter code: (found inside packages of Red Bull)

to receive your exclusive invitation & join New York's stampede!

offer valid March 1, 2012 until end of 2012 season.

The outside of the package features a color photo of Thierry Henry below his facsimile signature,

with the same photo printed in blue inside the package

Pele - bicycle kick

Pele's iconic bicycle kick in Morumbi Stadium, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The 2006 documentary and companion book "Once in a Lifetime" about the Cosmos soccer club featured the Pele bicycle kick under the heading "Goals, Greed, Girls". Telling the story of the NY Cosmos, founded in 1971 and dissolved in 1985, and how they brought soccer to the USA through the heroics of it's international stars, Pele, Giorgio Chingalia, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto.  although his silhouette is on the poster, Pele declined to be interviewed for the documentary.

Pearl Jam 20th Anniversary poster - for the Pearl Jam Twenty Tour (PJ20). Pearl Jam played in Morumbi Stadium, Sao Paulo, Brazil in November 2011.  Ames Bros. utilized the Pele kick as the focus of the pearl Jam poster. The poster also was available in a gold print variation.

Pele reproduced his famous kick in the movie Escape to Victory (Victory in North America), the story of an Allied prisoner of war soccer team playing against an elite German team in a German propaganda stunt. The Allied team would consist of Pele, Bobby Moore, Michael Caine, Sylvester Stallone, Osvaldo Ardiles, Kazimierz Deyna, Paul Van Himst, Mike Summerbee, John Wark, Hallvar Thoresen, along with several members of the Ipswich Town F.C.

Werner Roth portrayed the German team Captain and Max von Sydow the prison commandant. The movie was based on the 1962 Hungarian movie "Two Half Times in Hell" directed by Zoltan Fabri