2012 - Brek Shea - Abstract Art

Brek Shea's First Kick 2012 painting

FC Dallas and US Mens National Brek Shea is giving away an original painting and his game shoes to one lucky fan in celebration of First Kick 2012, following the March 11, 2012 game v. NY Red Bull.

The contest is being run through Shea's Left Foot Studio, which has raised thousands of dollars for children's charities through art. Shea creates acrylic abstract art on canvas and wood. Shea started painting in 2010, and paints in the moment creating whatever appeals to him.

Firework Flower

"borrowed" from Left Foot Studio

2012 - Red Bulls - Empire State Building

2012.03.23 Rafa Marquez flipped the switch to light the Empire State Building white-red-white to celebrate the opening home game of the New York Red Bulls in Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ.
The building lights will remain white-red-white from March 23-March 25...

When not commemorating an event the Tower lights are all white. The Empire State Building recognize key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries and holidays around the world...

Red Bulls kick of their home season against the Colorado Rapid at 4PM...

Rafa Marquez and Red Bull's President of Business Operations Chris Heck.

Thierry Henry - KISS

Recently came across this photo of Thierry henry in Kiss male-up, which was used in the summer of 2010, as FC Dallas promoted Rock N the Park with Kiss, and FC Dallas v the New York Red Bull, and of course Thierry Henry....

KISS holding up their commemorative FC Dallas jerseys... Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer...

2012 - Alex Morgan - US National

Alex Morgan - US Women's National Team 2010-

West Coast FC 2008-09

California Storm 2010

Pali Blues 2010

Western New York Flash 2011

Seattle Sounders Women 2012

Alex Morgan was featured in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Lionel Messi - Time magazine

 Lionel Messi makes headlines in Time Magazine, Feb 13, 2012.

"The world's No.1 football player is Lionel Messi. Really!"

I found it interesting that Lionel Messi made the headlines of Time Magazine. The article written by Bobby Ghosh titled "Lionel Messi's Final Goal - The planet's best soccer player is hailed wherever he goes - except in his native Argentina. What must he do to win over his countrymen?"

Excellent article on why the Argentine fans do not think of Messi as an Argentine star, but more as a Spanish star, considering his achievements with Barca as compared to his non-acheivements with the Argentine national team. Plus the fact that Messi has never played in the Argentine Primera Division, signing with Barca in 1991 at age 14, therefore never building up a hometown fan base...

It is nice to see a US magazine featuring an article on a football star not from the US.

May 2, 2011

Selected as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people

Soccer's Little sorcerer makes Magic with his feet

"The thing we forget about Barcelona's Lionel Messi is that for all he's accomplished - he's a 2-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, soccer's top individual prize - he's still a kid, just 23. He's a little guy and looks as if he could never hurt you. but give him the ball and you're in trouble.

It's not normal, what he does. I know the expectation that builds up around top players, but it doesn't bother Messi. He's a competitor: he doesn't want to lose, not even in training. He reminds me of Diego Maradonna, the way he dribbles past people, the way you can kick him and he'll just bounce up and carry on running with the ball, then score a goal - it's ridiculous. I played with him for three years, and it was just a joy."

-Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls, formerly with Arsenal and FC Barcelona.

David Beckham - Youth game red card

Feb 2012...David Beckham was ejected from a youth game in Los Angeles.. Before his son Romeo's game Beckham was watching a U-8 game. During the game the referee awarded a penalty kick to one of the teams. Beckham called out to the ref "Come on, he's 7 years old, you can't send him off". The referee turn to Beckham and said "Yes I can" and proceeded to give Beckham a red card sending him off the field.
Beckham left the field for the remainder of the game and returned to watch his son play...

Having been to many youth games of various skill levels, as a parent and fan I agree with Beckham. At 7 years old the player should be taught the game. Explain what the infraction was and warn the player not to do it again. Too often the referee's take the fun out of a kids game taking the focus of the game onto themselves. In the US parents and fans can barely look at a ref let alone say something out loud!

Alexi Lalas - All Sport 1999

 

All-Sport 1999 magazine advertisement

USA - 2010 World Cup

Team USA

The South African illustration house Am I Collective was commissioned to create 32 murals for ESPN's 2010 World Cup campaign, under the direction of NY ad agency Wieden and Kennedy. Each mural celebrates each of the 32 teams competing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The mural for Team USA replicated Washington Crossing the Deleware

MLS Mashups

MLS and Adidas had a promotion in which bands representing the cities with a team in the 2006 finals would have their songs mashed against each other. A kind of battle of the bands...

Unfortunately the link is no longer up and running....they can be seen on YouTube...

Spank Rock - DC United and The Lordz - NY Red Bulls

The Academy - Chicago Fire and Mates of State - New England Revolution

Polyphonic Spree - FC Dallas and Vauz - Colorado Rapids

Solange - Houston Dynamo and Ozomatli - Chivas USA

Mates of State - NE Revolution and Spank Rock - DC United

Vaux - Colorado Rapids and Solange - Houston Dynamo

Solange - Houston Dynamo and Mates of State - NE Revolution

In 2007 Polyphonic Spree wrote a song entitled "H-O-O-P-S Yes" as a theme for FC Dallas. Hoops is the FC Dallas mascot...

Sporting Kansas Bobble-head

Sporting Kansas offered free bobble-heads to the first the first 10,00 fans to enter the Livestrong Sporting Park received a Sporting bobble-head...

July 30, 2011 - Teal Bunbury, courtesy of Providence Medical Center.

Aug 17, 2011 - Omar Bravo, courtesy of Sprint

September 28, 2011 Aurelien Collin, courtesy of Time Warner Cable

Got Milk?

The Got Milk campaign started in 1993 to promote the benefits drinking of cow's milk. The advertising campaign featured celebrities (actors, media, athletes and fictional characters) sporting milk mustaches.

This Freddy Adu Kick It Into Gear ad was found in the back of a Marvel Ghost Rider comic from 2006.

Other soccer stars featured included David Beckham:

Goal by Beckham, Body by milk...

Mia Ham - 9 Essential Nutrients

2008 USA Olympic team, includes Leslie Osborne, Natasha Kai and Sacha Kljestan

ESPN the magazine covers

Lionel Messi - 2001

Hope Solo - The Body Issue

Tim Howard - The Body Issue

David Beckham - Real Madrid

Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) Love Barcelona - 2009

2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

When my boys were younger we would attend baseball games, where after the game the team management allowed the kids to run the bases. When the boys reached home they would rub their hand in the dirt and I would have them smudge the dirt into a first day cover, to commemorate their run on a professional field. Following the penalty kick attempt at Red Bull Arena, Mike and I both rubbed dirt into the 1979 US Olympic  first day cover to commemorate our afternoon...

Mike has played soccer on Giants Stadium's field, but it was turf and it did not provide the opportunity to obtain a dirt sample...

2011 - NY Red Bull Fan Fest

2011.11.19 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ

The red Bull held their first fan fest and select a seat to allow fans to come into the stadium and select seats for the 2012 season. During the event guests had the opportunity to take a penalty shot on the field, have a professional holiday photo taken in front of a holiday decorated goal, and tour the Red Bulls locker room. I was quite surprised that the season ticket sales was very low-key, no pressure to buy. Fans were allowed to wander the stadium and only had access to the field to take a penalty kick or to have their holiday photo taken...

Access to the stadium was through the VIP entrance, where a mural of fan photos made up the Red Bull logo...

Mike taking his penalty kick - he scored to the right of the keeper. My shot hit the keeper right in the hands, he didn't even had to move.

In the supporters section we noticed a lone red seat. never noticed it before as the section was always packed with fans. The seat in section 101, row 11, seat 20 commemorates first goal ever scored in Red Bull Arena, scored by Joel Linpere on March 20 in the 11th minute of the game..

On the way to the locker room the wall is lined with competitors jerseys including Juventus and Sporting Lisbon...

 The locker room was a very simple design, with a turf covered warmup area behind closed doors that consisted of exercise bikes and a soccer tennis net...

2003 Playoffs - Metrostars v Revolution

2003.11.01 MetroStars v NE Revolution - MLS Eastern Semi-finals

The game was off to a controlled start and the first real scoring opportunity came in the 17th minute, when the Revolution converted their first shot of the game. Right back Jay Heaps advanced down the right side combining a give-and-go with Jose Cancela, Heaps continued his run unopposed until finally driving a shot into the box, which was redirected in mid-air by Fabbro past MetroStars keeper Jonny Walker...

The MetroStars had difficulty getting past the Revolution defense, which limited the Metros opportunities to long distance shooting, never threatening keeper Adin Brown...

in the 65th minute, the Revolution added another goal, Cancella sent a pass to Fabbro, inside the box, where he sent a heel pass back toward the top of the box. Pat Noonan ran onto the ball and turned on it, curling the ball low inside the right post for the 2-0 score.

Nov 9 at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Ma...the Revolution and Metros would play in a 1-1 draw, advancing the Revolution into the next round on aggregate score of 3-1...

The Revolution would lose to the Chicago Fire in the Conference finals, who would eventually lose to the San Jose Earthquakes for the MLS Championship...

Freekick - cover features Mike Magee and Ricardo Clark

The Future is Now