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I know - it seems like it’s been going on forever! And still two weeks to go. It’s not the World Cup itself, it’s the Google Doodles. How many more of these stupid multicultural soccer gifs on its header (hee, hee) do we have to endure? 48 so far, and counting:Yeah, Team USA lost to the chocolate people - and no, that’s not racist, it’s just who they are:Sure, it would have been nice to win something for a change, as we’ve been on a losing streak for a while now. First we were handed a bitter loss when the...

We’ll get 'em next time. Sadness mixed with pride engulfed the nation as the United States men's soccer team was defeated 2-1 in the World Cup Round of 16 by Belgium on Tuesday in Salvador, Brazil — moving the "Red Devils" into the World Cup Quarter-Finals and sending the Yanks home. After a closely contested 90 minutes that ended level at 0-0, the dream run for America in the 2014 World Cup ended on the foot of winger Kevin De Bruyne in the opening minutes of overtime. Belgium's Romelu Lukaku then scored again in the 104th minute of overtime, putting...

A poll conducted in the days leading up to the United States extra-time defeat against Belgium confirmed the suspicions of various conservative pundits that soccer is by and large a liberal past-time, but the poll also indicated that the sports growth may rest with southern members of the GOP. YouGov looked at the demographics of soccer enthusiasm in the United States, specifically at the breakdown of fans based on politics, region and race, prior to as well as in the midst of Americans quadrennial World Cup love affair. The study found that Democrats are more likely to follow soccer as...

The United States was eliminated from the World Cup, but it went out battling. Belgium beat the Americans, 2-1, in the Round of 16 at Salvador, with all the goals coming in extra time. Tim Howard was heroic in keeping the game scoreless through 90 minutes, and he ended the evening credited officially with 15 saves. But in the third minute of extra time, Kevin De Bruyne finally broke the deadlock. He was set up by Romelu Lukaku, who had just come into the match. Lukaku made it 2-0 at 105 minutes, seemingly putting the match out of reach. But...

Conservative columnist Ann Coulter has been shown a red card for her controversial comments criticizing the World Cup and calling soccer a girls’ game. On the eve of the United States game against Belgium, Coulter has been blasted by fellow conservatives who have scoffed at her claim that "any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation’s moral decay," Politico reported. On Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade attacked Coulter, saying, "I will outline what she said and try to find anything factual in it. That will be an interesting little exercise." And Fox News host...

SAO PAULO – Lost amid all the talk about the World Cup making soccer grow in popularity within the United States is one very real and unexpected development taking place right here in Brazil. The United States is growing in popularity within soccer. Don't look now, U.S. men's national team, but you are increasingly becoming the second favorite team for a lot of folks from other countries, including the host nation. "Brazil is falling in love with the U.S.," said Brazilian businessman Mario Ribiero, who partied with American supporters in Recife last week. "It is seen as something new and...

SALVADOR, Brazil — Every four years, soccer cleans its slate and allows nations to reinvent themselves. Forgotten teams resurface. Small programs make big strides. Champions uphold their legacy or, in the case of Spain this summer, show their age. For the second consecutive World Cup, the United States is in position for a breakthrough, a fresh narrative, a defining moment.[From Fancy Stats: How the United States can beat Belgium | What to expect from U.S.-Belgium (not much scoring) ]Four years ago in South Africa, the Americans won their first-round group in a heroic manner but lost to Ghana on an...

ESPN has been hyping the World Cup for weeks, showing video from venues across the country where large crowds have gathered to watch the US play. But it's a mirage. Only about 17% of Americans are showing interest in the World Cup soccer matches as opposed to 12% who are following the IRS lost emails story and 26% following events in Iraq. Pew Research: So far, the growing crisis in Iraq has not drawn strong interest from the American public. As Sunni militants extend their control of large swaths of Iraq, 25% say they are paying very close attention to...

SALVADOR, Brazil – The eyes of two nations will be glued to it no matter what happens, but statistical history from this World Cup suggests that the United States' round-of-16 showdown with Belgium on Tuesday could turn into a high-scoring classic. Because if you want to see goals galore, you'll see them in Salvador. The previous line was more than a terrible attempt at rhyming. A genuine trend has seen 21 goals rattled in over the course of just four games at Arena Fonte Nova. Forwards such as U.S. captain Clint Dempsey, who has already struck twice in the tournament,...

Uruguay forward Luis Suarez admits deep regret for the incident that led him to being sent home from Brazil, but no reference to Liverpool increases chance of Barcelona moveThe Uruguayan and Liverpool striker has appealed a four-month ban from football following the incident in his country’s final group game and this is the first show of contrition for his behaviour. In a statement released via his Twitter page, Suárez said: “After several days being home with my family. I have had the opportunity to regain my calm and reflect on the reality of what occurred on during the Italy-Uruguay match....

... The actor was responding to KLM’s tweet on Sunday, which saw the airline post the message “Adios Amigos!” alongside a photo of a graphic depicting a serape, sombrero and moustache beside an airport departures sign. The airline has said the posting was “meant to be a joke,” according to KLM spokeswoman Lisette Ebeling Koning, adding that the airline never intended to offend Mexicans, which it serves via a daily direct flight between Mexico City and Amsterdam. “But there was too much negative reaction.”...

Having survived the “Group of “Death,” Jürgen Klinsmann is now aiming to make the United States the last country standing at the 2014 World Cup. Klinsmann was criticized by many for stating ahead of the competition that it was unrealistic for the U.S. to leave Brazil with the World Cup trophy. While the reaction to his largely innocuous comments was overblown, there's certainly a greater air of positivity as the team prepares for its Round of 16 match with Belgium. And rightly so. When the draw was made for the World Cup in December, few gave the U.S. a chance...

... Belgium coach Marc Wilmots is sweating injuries to two of his four starting defenders – captain Vince Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen – and holds out hope that a weekend of rest will allow the two to recover in time to face the U.S. at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador.

Suarez, who has been banned from all soccer activities for four months, missed the adoring crowd after his private flight home from Brazil was delayed.Luis Suarez may have been banned from the World Cup but Uruguayans don’t seem to mind - in fact he’s being hailed a national hero. Suarez won’t be on the pitch when his home country takes on Colombia Saturday in the knockout round, but it seems his sacrificial bite was enough to earn him an increased celebrity status. “With the world against him, we want him to know that Uruguayans are for him,” student, Clara...

The result is hilarious – an image of the most recognisable face on the planet stuck on the side of a mug in amongst the rest of the Three Lions Brazil 2014 squad. The mistake has made it impossible to sell the 2,000 mugs featuring the faces of the England team, who are already out of the competition. As a result, the mugs have now been handed to a wholesale company to try and get rid of them, the UK’sIndependent newspaper reports. Karl Baxter MD for Wholesale Clearance told the Independent: "The Dorset company in question was given the seemingly...

June 28th, 2014 Brazil vs Chile 12:00 PM EDT Colombia vs Uruguay 4:00 PM EDT June 29th 2014 Netherlands vs Mexico 12:00 PM EDT Costa Rica vs Greece 4:00 PM EDT

Liverpool fan Harvey Eaglen apparently got in trouble in Lowestoft, Suffolk, after seeing the Uruguay striker try to take a chunk out of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini A child of seven faces being expelled from primary school for copying Luis Suarez’s World Cup bite attack, it was reported last night (FRIDAY). Liverpool fan Harvey Eaglen apparently got in trouble in Lowestoft, Suffolk, after seeing the Uruguay striker try to take a chunk out of Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. The bite-sized youngster is said to have sunk his teeth into a classmate’s wrist as they played football in the playground. Harvey...

... In other injury updates, U.S. Soccer announced that Jermaine Jones, in fact, had suffered a broken nose in his second-half collision Thursday with teammate Alejandro Bedoya. Jones, like Dempsey, will not wear a mask to protect his face for the next match.

I think the points have been made: — Soccer is largely a tedious game featuring long stretches of uneventful play punctuated by the all-too-rare moment of scoring; — The clock concept is infuriating. We love the 45-minute halves with no commercials, but then the arbitrary one or three or six minutes of “extra time” violate every concept of precision that a clocked sport should have; — Soccer has its fan base, and it is not small; but the pressure on America to embrace it to some far larger degree is absurd. We simply never will as long as we...

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter believes that the country’s growing interest in soccer – fueled by Team USA’s success in the 2014 World Cup - is a sure sign of America's ‘moral decay.’ Coulter’s reasons for hating soccer include that individual achievement is not a big factor, it isn’t rough enough, and the fact that ‘it's foreign.’ As a conservative she argued that liberals only love soccer - and the metric system - because they're both 'European.'