I Traveled Far

So I decided to calculate how far I traveled during my entire around the world sprint.

Here it goes:

JFK to SFO: 2,580 miles
SFO to ICN: 5,620 miles
ICN to SIN: 2,890 miles
SIN to JNB: 5,380 miles
JNB to CPT: 790 miles
CPT to JNB: 790 miles
JNB to DKR: 4,170 miles
DKR to IAD: 3,970
IAD to EWR: 211 miles
EWR to PHL: 79 miles

Total miles traveled between 6/17 and 7/2: 26,480 miles.

Also, the length of the equator is 24,860 miles. So basically I went around the world and then flew from New York to Denver for good measure.

Recap Days 11-22

The last time I did this was June 20, before I embarked on my jaunt to South Africa. I will now, game-by-game, provide you all with some insight.

Day 11
POR-PRK. Complete demolition of the North Koreans. Apparently their hired-Chinese fans weren't enough. Still hate C. Ronaldo though.

CHL-SUI. This game was dirty. I think a Swiss guy got red carded in a questionable game. Right about this time I was driving in a car to Fedex to drop off clothes that I couldn't fit in my carry on bag.

ESP-HON. My passport arrived during this game. That's all that's important. Honduras did not rep CONCACAF well.

Day12
MEX-URU. Completely missed this game. I was somewhere between San Francisco and Seoul.

FRA-RSA. See above. Geoff, Nate and Noah were in a super market when bafana bafana scored. It was awesome. (Hey, remember in the URU-GHA QF when John Harkes said "baghana baghana"? He sucks.)

NIG-KOR. Saw a couple minutes of this game while running to my gate in Singapore. Along the way - in the airport - I saw a Red Sox bar. That's all I know.

GRE-ARG. I know nothing.

Day 13
SLO-ENG. All I know is that when this game was going on I was orbiting another planet. The closest I came to experiencing this game was when I was trying to get my fucking smartphone to tell me if Slovenia scored. At that moment, Donovan scored. Thank you smarthphone?

USA-ALG. Emotional high of a lifetime. See many other posts on this subject.

GHA-GER. Something happened in this game, I'm sure. But I was smoking a Cuban.

AUS-SRB. See above.

Day 14
DEN-JPN. I was rooting for the Danish because I like small central European countries. But the Japanese were actually exciting and I later joined their bandwagon.

CMR-NED. Love the Oranje. They won.

SVK-ITA. Hate the Italians. They lost.

PAR-NZL. My favorite team in the tournament may have been the Kiwis. I had to continuously fight myself to avoid buying a New Zealand jersey in the airport (which is, amusingly, basically just a white t-shirt with "New Zealand" in the corner; I really wanted it.) In any case, the Kiwis - completely written off - drew three games.

Day 15
POR-BRA. Brazil tied nil-nil. Really Brazil? I bet you are going to lose in the QF. Great work Dunga.

KOR-CIV. Really wanted something miraculous to happen with the Ivorians so they could advance. Not much more that you can ask than 3-nil. Pretty sure the 2010 World Cup was wiped off the North Korean history books. (I wonder what those looked like to begin with.)

CHL-ESP. Noah went to this game. Nate, Geoff and I got emotional over beer, scotch and a lot red meat.

SUI-HON. Remember the Swiss border patrol in 2006? That was funny.

Day 16
URU-KOR. Really joined the Uruguaian bandwagon here. Diego Forlan is pretty awesome, as is Suarez. This period of my life was spent preparing for the following four hours. Or, as Nate put it, preparing to yak later.

USA-GHA. Another incredibly emotional moment of my life. Please see elsewhere in this blog. Remember Ghana. Fuck Ghana.

Day 17
GER-ENG. Read the first chapter of Soccernomics. It explains everything that took place in this game with remarkable accuracy. I love Ze Germans.

ARG-MEX. Pretty exciting game here. No CONCACAF teams advance to the QF.

Day 18
NED-SVK. Dutch defend their unofficial world title again. Around this time Geoff was extremely close to killing: the GPS, the entire population of Sun City, an elephant (that was already dead) and several South African drivers.

BRA-CHL. Listed to this game on the radio after dropping Geoff and Nate off at the airport. It was a sad moment. I also liked Chile much more than Brazil.

Day 19
PAR-JPN. Boring 120 minutes. Exciting shootout. Rough way to get eliminated. No Asian teams get to the QF.

ESP-POR. Spanish win in a game that they dominate possession. I dislike C. Ronaldo. Every first place team won their R16 game... except us. No stars from the Write the Future ad reach the QF.

Day 20
There were no games this day. It was weird.

Day 21
See above. Noah left. I went to Cape Town.

Day 22
BRA-NED. HELL YES ORANJE. Caught the two Dutch goals while running through the Newark airport in the midst of my IAD-EWR-PHL connection (don't ask). Really excited for this team.

URU-GHA. Karma's a bitch ain't it? I hate Gyan. Can't believe that he missed that penalty at the end of time. Incredible. Fuck Ghana. Love that Uruguay gets through. Would be pulling for the Dutch anyways, but I don't think the Uruguaians can't get through without Suarez.

Pool leader: Guess who's back on top? ANDREW! (And Josh too). But seriously, I picked the Dutch upset of the Brazilians with the correct score. One of the top moments of my life.

chatting with katie....

Katie: i gotta root for africa now
me: i would like to be able to do that
cannot
which is why i think im not watching
Katie: plus, don't you want whoever beat us to beat everyone? so we can think we were almost good enough
3:35 PM me: yeah, ive heard that line of reasoning
Katie: they are the only hope of an entire, impoverished, corruption ruled continent
me: i mean, it makes sense
im just still upset
all of these things make sense
im just still upset
3:36 PM Katie: i'm upset, but i'm also proud of that us and i don't particularly feel like they deserved to go much further
3:39 PM me: i mean, i agree
but the disappointment is still too raw
im not actively rooting against ghana
i just..... i just cant handle it right now
Katie: haha okay fair enough
but they are a fun team
me: i mean, i liked them a lot in the group stages
3:40 PM Katie: and besides, we still have america as our country
me: ha, valid
but, i still feel like i was dumped by my girlfriend
Katie: haha
me: and its just going to take some time
3:41 PM Katie: i feel more like i was dating someone who looked good on paper, but the spark wasn't there, and we've broken up. i miss the idea of him, but not actually
that was this u.s. team for me- heart for sure, but passion and skill and grace, not so much
me: ha
see, i started dating them 2-3 years ago
ive stayed up late at night with them working on their problems
and while understood the limitations, didn't think they'd go crazy on me like this so quickly
i mean, we were never getting married/they were never winning the world cup
3:43 PM Katie: haha
me: but, i just thought it would end better
Katie: haha fair enough
3:44 PM fuck uruguay scored
3:45 PM me: ha
im not even happy about that!
Katie: good
3:46 PM me: bah
wish the germans and argentina were not playing each other so soon
i can root for both of those teams
the germans play like i wish we played
sum better than the parts
Katie: i cant root for the germans
i like the way they play, but don't root for them
and argentina has my future husband on the team
me: yeah, it is difficult to root for them, i agree
Katie: so it's no contest
me: ha
i just wish we were the germans
knew how to win
organized
thoughtful, purposeful passing
ability to finish
scrappy, everyone likes each other
Katie: yeah they play like such a team
3:48 PM me: they are the girl at the coffee shop i wish i was dating, but is out of my league
Katie: oh goodness
3:49 PM me: she's got some banker boyfriend, who does something fantastically interesting at night, like write short stories, or on the side graphic design
or, maybe build furniture
he's in shape, is funny
i've got nothing
except this damn girl who has a ton of problems, but i loved anyways
bah

Mara's just delivering the goods

Dutch upset of Brazil + beignets + cafe au lait + bloody mary's = happiness.

Who needs new orleans?

Favorite Quotes from South Africa

"There is nothing to do now but yak later."
-Nate, before the USA-Ghana game

Geoff: "I couldn't have done this trip then."
Andrew: "I couldn't do that trip now."
(general agreement)
Comparing the 2006 and 2010 World Cup trips

P.s. I got the Nederland-Brasil game correct, with the correct score. Fuck yeah.

More verbal goal scoring

Have come to really like the michael davies and roger bennet blog/podcast on espn through this cup, and found another good one today. this summed up a few things:

"When did I last feel this bad about a loss? England's 1990 semifinal defeat to Germany, perhaps?

But I am not talking about England's 4-1 battering. It was the U.S.'s ouster that left me devastated this weekend. England's failure was, regrettably, all too predictable. We are a nation that has long mistaken fame for skill. But the U.S. team created a sense of endeavor, nobility and optimism -- all too rare a commodity in sports and rarer still in American soccer. We will always have Landon's goal, a totemic symbol that will be played and replayed, even as we debate how or whether America's fascination for the big-event nature of the World Cup will translate into a more lasting passion for the sport of football itself."

all from some englishmen too... god, miss this team still.

Simmons just putting the ball in the back of the net

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100701

Favorite part:

"I hate how teams milk leads in the last 15-20 minutes by faking injuries and taking forever to sub players. When that Ghana player had to be carried off on a stretcher at the tail end of the America game, then hopped off like nothing ever happened as soon as the stretcher was out of bounds, I thought that was appalling. Actually, it made me want to go to war with Ghana. I wanted to invade them. I'm not even kidding. That's another great thing about the World Cup: Name another sport in which you genuinely want to invade other countries when you lose."

and of course:

"Rasheed Wallace loved to say "ball don't lie." YouTube don't lie, either. We will always have the Algeria game. Always."

Why I Still Love the World Cup

On my flight back from Cape Town, a group of 10 Uruguians (spelling?) were really rowdy. Then the loudest one got up and walked all the way down the plane taking a poll to see which passengers were rooting for Ghana and which for Uruguay. When I said Uruguay I got an applause. Ghana was favored about 2 to 1 though.

Then I struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. Turns out he is a Brit who is at his fourth World Cup. His first was USA '94 and he stayed at the Sharon Motel. Unlike Swansea, Sharon is in Massachusetts, but I still thought that was hilarious.

As far as Cape Town, I have a few thoughts:

1) Holy crap is it a beautiful city. Infinitely nicer than Joberg. Lush, green, on the water. I was really unprepared for it.

2) Had we stayed there, we would have died. I don't think it's any more dangerous than Joberg, but the problem is it feels too much like home. Long Street is the "Bourbon Street of South Africa" because it is lined with balconies with bars. While enjoying a beer on the balcony we saw a ridiculous scene take place about 20 feet away that included three police cars, two ambulances, a fight, a gate used to keep people out of an ally, several people on their knees with hands against the wall, a guy getting into a moving cab, and general confusion. The woman standing next to us said she saw a guy come out of the ally with a stab wound and get into a cab to go to the hospital while his friends yelled at police to do something. Overall, I could see some issues arising for us.

3) I also, for the first time in RSA, felt like a jackass for wearing my USA hoodie. The scene that I witnessed was very Euro/hipster and - although it could have beeen because it was the first day without a game - I did not see any World Cup spirit around. Except for the Uruguains. I love the World Cup.

Goodbye Harties

Now, just replace "Horses" with "Harties" and you're in business. Some final thoughts:

We will miss RSA, as scary and dodgy as it can be. We will miss Harties despite its electrical fence and echoes of apartheid and Anglo-Dutch repression. We will miss the moment in the supermarket when South Africa scored their second goal against France and everyone, black, white, American, Afrikaner, went ballistic with joy. Beyond all the guardhouses and running of red lights and poverty and fear, there is hope here. The people were wonderful and we were better for having met them.

Thanks to Noah, in a plagiarist but no less meaningful echoing previous posts. This would not have been possible without his planning and administrative voice. We can be disasters. So can Noah. On this trip, we remained confused and disoriented and he was well-versed, aware and prepared, all amidst the churn of thousands of words of journalistic copy everyday. Like the end of a public television broadcast, he gives full meaning to, "This was made possible by ...;" So we offer our thanks and continued admiration.

We will miss this US team. My teller at the bank today was from Ghana. He looked me in the eye and said, "It was joy to see Ghana win but it was sad to see USA go. They had real heart." Then he opened a credit card for me. I told him that Ghana's win was good for Africa but nonetheless crushing for us. He shook my hand and said, "We have so much here; we will be back." This statement was tough to read but reflected just how much "we" this US team engendered here. I don't know who he'll be rooting for in four years but, we will be back, hearts still full. See you in Brazil.

Goodbye, Harties, Goodbye

Today is the last full day in Hartbeespoort - pronounced har-teh-BEERS-port, as we learned from the Canadian/South African Red Sox fan who we sold our QF tickets too... but more on that below.

As with the 2006 trip, we've taken it upon ourselves to "experience" this great country after the U.S. was eliminated.

Saturday night was an incredible low point for everyone, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, we shared some beers with nice guys - one in full British soldier regalia - and by the time Noah got us home at 4am, our spirits were reasonable. Sunday was spent recovering.

Monday it was time to see Africa. A two-plus hour drive back towards Rustenberg saw us arrive at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. I'm not sure what our expectations were going in, but after about 5 minutes Geoff, gazing out into the brush, nearly drove us into an elephant. The elephant was enormous. Completely disregarded the road he was on. Geoff: astonished. Nate: in Noah's arms. Noah: in Nate's arms. Andrew: still filming. Incredible.

From there we spotted some hippos from afar, some zebras, giraffes and warthogs from quite close. But then after a friendly South African boy told us that there was a pride lions devouring a dead elephant, we raced back to the other side of the park. The image is difficult to describe. The elephant was enormous, but it's middle was missing. Lions were lazily sitting on its front and back leaning over a gaping hole in the middle. Really, really cool. Until the wind shifted. The stench that took over was a mix of garbage and death (not that I know what death smells like, but I'm guessing and I'm sure I'm right.) Thus concluded our trip to the game park.

From there we drove Geoff and Nate to the airport via two failed entries into Sun City and a stop at Nandos for dinner. During this time, Geoff fell out of love with both our GPS and South African drivers, but we nonetheless arrived safely.

As I write, Geoff and Nate are probably about 3 hours from landing in New York. I'm spending one last (chilly) afternoon on our sun deck. Noah is inside reading a book. For the record it cannot be emphasized enough what a goddamned hero Noah has been on this trip. Not only planning everything - EVERYTHING - but also working all day while we jackasses certainly did not. Noah, I love you. I'll handle Brazil.

Noah leaves tomorrow. I also leave tomorrow via an 18 hour stop in Cape Town just because. After a lot of hassling I managed to book a flight through Dakar that gets me home in 12 hours faster and 2 days earlier. Thank god.

This morning we sold our QF tickets, which was an amazingly bizarre experience. After accidentally showing up at a place where the ticket buyer was, he met us at Cinnabun. He then awkwardly stood with us while Noah waited for a terrible drink and told us how he had an epileptic episode after the Ghana game and blacked out in his bathroom, dislocating his jaw, cracking a few teeth and needing stitches. Then he took us up to his wife's high-end perfume shop where she made awkward/racist comments and gave us champagne. Great work everyone.

That's all from here. Probably the last post from Harties. Good luck and god bless.

I still have no words

I almost cried watching that video. There was so much emotion leading up to that match, and to see us just get beat, flat beat, continues to be really tough pill to swallow. I actually thought this opening paragraph from nymag summed up this emotion pretty well:

"I woke up yesterday feeling a little like I got dumped. Watching the tournament without America in it was like being the one left behind in the apartment you used to share with your ex. You just keep walking around looking at spaces that seem to have grown larger and more empty somehow, driving yourself crazy with thoughts like, "I remember when Landon was kneeling at that spot. Things seemed so grand and full of promise then." Or, "It was just yesterday when Benny and Jozy were over there in the grass kicking the ball around. Why can't we go back and make it all right?"

I just have this really immense feeling of loss right now. While the reality always was that the 2nd round was an expectation, and everything after that gravy, that somehow still doesn't console the the harsh reality that this team, that we poured so much energy into, no longer exists.

And on top of that, we really deserved to lose. We fucked up on the first goal, and were outclassed on the second. For all the fight and effort we put into the 2nd half, when we did play well enough to win, coming away with only a penalty is a bottom line that can not be escaped. We have no one to look to but ourselves for that - no one can finish a breakaway or put a quality shot on goal other than the players, and the blame for that starts and ends there. And the real slap in the face came with how Ghana got that 2nd goal - almost the exact same play that Jozy could not finish in the 2nd half was the shot which they could. They did it, and we didn't. And that really sucks.

And so, the break-up process begins. I'm sure in the coming months this feeling will dissipate, and we will remember the amazing come-backs, the quality goals, and the heart that every player left on those fields. While we can question landon and clint and michael and tim's ability to come through under the heaviest of pressure, we cannot question their fight and spirit. Dempsey, Donovan and Bradley ran themselves dumb in that game, and they deserve credit and praise for that. Landon Donovan - you were our emotional leader, and you did it in South Africa. I'm going to miss all of them - Boca's play in the center, Demerrits heart, Bradleys work ethic, Donovans streak routes, Jozy's thuggery up top. Hopefully we can still be friends.

I'm also really fucking tired of losing to Ghana. That needs to stop.

So, I'm looking forward to your stories when you get back, having a passport again, hopefully not losing our shirts on the QF tickets, seeing if Holden and/or Torres can become a dynamic presence in the midfield, and if anyone wants to finish a goddamn chance on net up top next to Jozy. Also, can we start playing like the germans? While we do not posses their touch, their organization, especially on the break, is amazing. Quick passes with purpose, multiple moving parts, true teamwork. More of that. Less of this.

I love all of you.

Although maybe not ricardo clark.

A.G. (After Ghana)

B.G. (Before Ghana)

Remember Ghana

USA-Ghana from Andrew Silver on Vimeo.

It's Over ... It's Never Over

Echoing Andrew's post from last evening, the World Cup is over for us, it continues for others and it is certainly alive in our hearts. This has been an amazing journey and one that perhaps has only further laid the foundation of Americans who travel, a wonderful group of friends, and forever loyalty to the Red, White and Blue.

The emotions are complex. Luckily, we were not England, blown off the world stage by a hated rival. But then again, these are the same arguments people use to reduce all First World suffering; "Remember, there are starving children in Africa ...," turned to, "Hey, you could be England, France, Italy, Ireland, etc." Well, last night was uniquely and especially miserable, but fear is also the heart of love.

There is no glory without pain and no cheer without misery. Hopefully US fans can remember these facts and this team. We were not disgraced; we just lost. We will be in Brazil in 2014. We will continue to love these team and all these people. This was a wonderful ride. Thank you South Africa, all our friends, all the strangers we met and shared time with and all the football fans the world over. To everyone here and those carried in our hearts, our thanks, our commitment and our promise to return. USAmerica.

See you in Brazil

I can't put everything into words yet.

But this trip has been an incredible experience.

Last night's loss was terrible. The hatred that I know have for Ghana is solidified in a way that it wasn't in 2006. They spent 30 minutes diving left and right. Terrible. That being said, we didn't finish; we didn't possess in the midfield; our back line got beat; and Tim Howard didn't show up in a major way. Crushing defeat.

We were in the stadium until they kicked us about 45 minutes after the game ended. But the experience was summed up by our time at the bar/cafe across the street, where we spoke with Germans, South Africans, Brits, hundreds of Americans, some Ghanians. Incredible, global experience.

As I sit here, delirious and exhausted, my heart is still very full.

A beautiful email from Tom

Dudes,

Couldn't figure out how to get on the gustrowharties.blogspot. You probably won't get this email till after the game, but I just wanted to send what collective footballing luck I can summon from the banks of the Ohio (more than you'd think) on to the match today. Although Forsythe and I didn't make it this time, we're more than there in spirit--dying a thousand deaths with each cross bar clanged, and screaming volley shanked (seriously Jerry may have broken my ribs with his bear claws after lando's goal). Whatever happens, you're doing us more than proud (by the by, I am continually amazed by the sheer volume of prose Noah has churned out on Goal.com while in that vortex of fandom--I'm also amazed by how (relatively) healthy you guys still look).

It's go time. Reverse curse the Black Star.

America. -T