The MC Architect

afootballreport: The Real Theater of Dreams When talking about...

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:16:49 -0400

The Real Theater of Dreams

When talking about soccer, we all have a tendency to get a bit overwhelmed by transfer budgets, sponsorship contracts and wage allowances. The modern game is one dominated by a never-ending news cycle that’s difficult to avoid; one in which is cynicism has a certain inevitability. But while FIFA officials and fascist fans conspire to drag us down, soccer remains a children’s game; a fact that was made clear in Portland this afternoon.

Teaming up with the Make-A-Wish foundation, the Portland Timbers gave 8-year old Atticus Lane-Dupre, who was diagnosed with Cancer last fall, a moment in the spotlight. Alongside teammates from his local youth soccer side, the Green Machine, Atticus was invited to Jeld-Wen Field for a scrimmage in front of more than 3,000 fans against a group of select players from the Timbers starting eleven.

Backed by flares, signs and a variety of G-rated chants, the Green Machine took down the Timbers 9-8, with four goals coming by way of Atticus himself. Don’t let the television coverage or blogs fool you: the heart of soccer emanated from the Pacific Northwest today.

Check out the photos above (video here) and let me know whether it’s just me, or if AFR headquarters are especially dusty this afternoon. [Posted by Maxi]

This is why I love American Soccer.

afootballreport: “Glory is coming” The Fifth Pitch decided...

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:24:42 -0400

afootballreport:

“Glory is coming”

The Fifth Pitch decided against an April Fools prank and opted to celebrate the return of Game of Thrones into our screens instead by allocating clubs to their GoT House counterparts. London has 3 empires that looks set on tearing it to shreds, so it might be good to keep an eye on that…

Check the explanations below the drop…

Read More

So true

afootballreport: Sepp, this sounds familiar… Guyana’s football...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:27:00 -0400

afootballreport:

Sepp, this sounds familiar…

Guyana’s football association…was given $800,000 in grants for a training centre between 2002 and 2006, but has yet to start any building work. The football federation in Montserrat…got $788,139 from FIFA in the early 2000s for what it said would be a “complex” with floodlights and fences, but what Google Earth suggests is just a forest clearing.

The last time we checked in with Sepp Blatter, he was busy ignoring construction delays in Brazil while jaunting off to the Middle East to work on artificial cloud technology with Qatari scientists. Or at least something like that. News today, however, suggests he might want to make a quick stop in the Caribbean.

According to a report recently published by The Economist, a not-so-new scandal is currently unfolding between FIFA and a number of smaller island nations. FIFA has, for years, sent comparatively large amounts of funding to smaller member-countries like Montserrat, Guyana and Anguilla, with the supposed intention of developing the support structure of each country’s domestic game. But while vast sums have been pumped into the Caribbean, relatively little has been created as a result. There are no gyms, dormitories or fields, and much of the funding remains unaccounted for, simply misplaced. For their part, FIFA claim that “construction delays” are the main culprit, but it’s difficult to believe it takes more than a decade to build a fence.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. Remember Mohamed bin Hammam, the would-be FIFA-reformer who was banned for offering financial incentives to Caribbean officials? A number of those same officials received short-term bans as a result of the scandal. One would think they’d be blacklisted from prominent positions within world soccer, but guess who’s back in charge? And guess who FIFA just handed more than $1m in “unspecified bonuses?”

Corruption is deplorable enough when votes are exchange for favors, but it’s entirely another when developing nations are deprived as a result. Recent news suggests that Sepp Blatter may step down from the FIFA Presidency in 2015, but with corruption so ingrained in the system, will it make any difference? [Posted by Maxi]

So disgusted

"The Weeping Angels have gone from an incredibly creepy one-off villain into creatures that, like the..."

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:47:05 -0500

“The Weeping Angels have gone from an incredibly creepy one-off villain into creatures that, like the Daleks before them, have lost any ability to inspire fear. They are only terrifying if they obey the rules that make them feel real … and these angels never do. They attack you in an instant if you blink, but Rory and Amy can look away from them for a good minute to debate how to defeat them without any dire consequences. They zap you back in time if they touch you, unless you’re River Song, in which case they just grab hold of your wrist and don’t let go. They always cover their eyes to protect themselves from being quantum locked, except when they don’t. They turn to stone when observed, but can cross a huge, vibrant city full of people with no problems. They only send people back in time when they are weak, otherwise they just kill them (a la Season 5), but when they’re superpowerful in New York, they stick to the back-in-time plan. And it’s lucky that there are no pictures of New York City landmarks, since an image of an angel is an angel and all.”

- An interesting criticism of The Weeping Angels by FeministFiction, The Angels Take Manhattan Review (via neighborly)
Finally, someone who gets me…

afootballreport: MLS x Futbol Artist Network With Major League...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:35:26 -0500

afootballreport:

MLS x Futbol Artist Network

With Major League Soccer returning in about two weeks, the league collaborated with our friends at the Futbol Artist Network, using the anticipation from fans to garner a fair share of creativity. The result was a piece of art for each club in MLS, designed by fans for their respective communities. While we posted the best designs (in our opinion) above, you can check out the whole collection with information about the artists and their pieces here. [Posted by Eric]

FANTASTIC!

afootballreport: Real Madrid vs Manchester United. The Special...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:58:25 -0500

afootballreport:

Real Madrid vs Manchester United. The Special One vs Sir Alex. And so the story continues…

The Champions League returned last night, and while Juventus and PSG already have one foot in the quarterfinals, the colossal fixture between Real Madrid and Manchester United kicks off at the Bernabeu. It’s a truer welcome back in our mind. Ronaldo’s hair will be full of gel, Sir Alex will be wearing multiple watches, and Mourinho will certainly leave us with a memorable quote.

Before you head to your mate’s place to swoon over Özil’s ~~eyes~~ footwork for Valentine’s Day, get informed about how these two sides stack up currently and throughout history. [Infographic by Kitbag. GIF by Dale Con Comba. Posted by Eric]

Wow!

doctorwho: glasscaseofemotion-laneanne: imperialdalek: landogr...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:56:14 -0500

doctorwho:

glasscaseofemotion-laneanne:

imperialdalek:

landogrey:

I’m not even sorry.

I think this is it.

This is my favourite post ever.

I was not expecting that.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand with that we are done. Thanks for playing Hipster Tumblr Post or Doctor Who? with us.

At first glance I thought it was a design post, then I know better and couldn’t have been more entertained. lol,

Awesome

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 22:43:47 -0500

Awesome

afootballreport: Bienvenue à Paris, Beckham Words had been...

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:10:38 -0500

afootballreport:

Bienvenue à Paris, Beckham

Words had been swirling everywhere from Australia to England to Qatar, but David Beckham has finally landed in France for a five-month stint with Paris Saint-Germain, the rising superpower in the capital.

The man has also decided to donate his PSG wages to a local charity for children in Paris while he’s in town. With the speculation ending, many are questioning whether or not the 37-year-old can still compete with the best in the world. After all, the decision to join PSG gives Beckham one last chance at the Champions League. So after conquering England, Spain, Italy, and America, a remarkable career continues…

Looks like I owe someone $20, I thought he’d go to Qatar.

afootballreport: Jozy plays on Jozy Altidore was abused with...

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 11:42:55 -0500

afootballreport:

Jozy plays on

Jozy Altidore was abused with ‘monkey chants’ during AZ Alkmaar’s match by some FC Den Bosch supporters. The game was temporarily suspended for the chants and ice balls being thrown at linesmen but Jozy let it be known that he wanted to continue the game. The match resumed with the American international leading AZ Alkmaar to a 5-0 win.

(via heavens2betsy)

Show ‘em who’s boss, Jozy!

Bound to happen.

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:49:15 -0500

Bound to happen.

architizer: Life on the Edge: A Photographer’s Self-Portraits...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:46:52 -0500

via Mymodernmet

via Mymodernmet

via Mymodernmet

via Mymodernmet

architizer:

Life on the Edge: A Photographer’s Self-Portraits Straddling the Void!

afootballreport: Meanwhile in New York, the Cosmos make $400m...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:46:27 -0500

afootballreport:

Meanwhile in New York, the Cosmos make $400m plans

It’s no secret that the revamped New York Cosmos are hoping to make a splash as they return to professional soccer in the North American Soccer League (NASL) this August. It’s no secret that Major League Soccer wants its 20th team to be in Queens.

Today, the Cosmos launched a microsite with full details about their plan to privately fund a new 25k seat stadium in Belmont Park, almost on the border of Queens and Long Island. The proposed stadium hoping to open in 2016 is designed by Populous, the firm behind projects like the Emirates, Wembley, and the London 2012 Olympic Stadium. Questions are being raised as to whether or not the New York City area could even support 3 clubs, but before we get to 3 we need to get to 2. A fair share of drama lies ahead between the Cosmos and MLS, as does plenty of entertainment, but it’s reasonable to say that this could be an extravagant, exciting leap forward.

We’re only scratching the surface, so for more information here’s…

The official release about the proposal from the Cosmos site.

Cosmos COO Erik Stover talking about the announcement

Grant Wahl on the Cosmos plan, which is separate from MLS plans

What’s your reaction? Full support, skepticism, or thinking this is general step forward for the sport in the States?

Love this stadium

Give them to me now!

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:22:56 -0500

Give them to me now!

lol

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:03:17 -0500

lol

A different version of me. I think it was a vampire. Yup,...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 22:25:56 -0500

A different version of me. I think it was a vampire.

Yup, that’s me.

Amazing Covers

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 11:35:46 -0500

Better quality

This Is simply amazing! - http://pinterest.com/pin/479351954057936306/

I love these!

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:28:54 -0500

I love these!

juststark: The Avengers and their Pokemons by...

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:36:04 -0500

juststark:

The Avengers and their Pokemons by FerioWind@Deviantart

Love it

keepmywhiskeyneat: iraffiruse: Frozach Submitted I am fucking...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 10:51:11 -0500

keepmywhiskeyneat:

iraffiruse:

Frozach Submitted

I am fucking dying

I think I did this once, only I was a psychiatrist trying to brake the horrible news that the girl had mind gremlins and there is no cure