I did see ten minutes of the first episode of that on Netflix about 3 years ago. Maybe I should have Portland as my MLS team after all this
Poor Timber Jim, nice tribute to his daughter. Sounds like an interesting place, I didn't really make the connection with Portlandia when I watched that but might give that show another chance, watch a lot of US shows on Sky and Netflix
I was doing a sporcle quiz on US-States: Most common language spoken after English and Spanish (http://www.sporcle.com/games/MrChewypoo/its-a-small-world-after-all for anyone that wants to have a go). Spoiler: I was very surprised to learn that in Oregon this is apparently Russian
There are lots of them in the north west, remember that they controlled it for a long time and some of their forts are still on the coast all the way down to near SF. I'll link a couple photos I took at one when I get on my computer in a bit.
here is a wiki link, the images are linked from my website if you feel like looking at more photos of cannons and such http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ross,_California Anyway yea there are tons of them around, they have their own grocery stores in Sacramento and neighborhoods, its fairly normal to hear people speaking it when you go into town. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
I get to Portland about once a quarter on business. Love the city, but too liberal for me to want to live there. They also have one of the best bookstores in the USA, taking up an entire city block. Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/ I always feel a bit sad for Europeans who visit our country and get their lasting impressions from places like NYC and LA. There is so much more to American culture than those shyteholes. I think most Europeans would greatly enjoy the American subcultures they'd find in the Pacific NW.
Given your locatioon I can understand why. I lived in Dallas for a few years and it's the polar opposite to Oregon. Why the Cardinals logo as an avatar and not the Rangers (if you don't mind me being nosy)?
I grew up in Missouri and still follow all their sports teams: Cardinals, Blues, Mizzou, and even the Rams. The only local sports team I follow is FC Dallas. I have grown to tolerate the Rangers, but I will always hate the Cowboys!
Powells is a great book store. There is a real nice one in Seattle near the fish market that you should check out, the name is escaping me. My budy from Hull lives there says the weather is similar so he feels at home. ****ing hate NYC 2nd worst city to visit in the US just behind DC.
Hello folks, have been reading the thread for years as I am a City fan... I am from the SF Bay Area in California and have never been to England, but my family's last name is Hull (hence the screen name) and the origin of the family's name derives from Hull. I was a competitive soccer (football?) player in my youth and I am now a full-time coach. I have been following Hull City ever since the internet was a thing... I used to look up scores every weekend no matter the division they were in. It admittedly started as a novelty, but grew to be part of my weekend routine and as the sport, particularly the Premier League, took off here in the USA, I really enjoyed telling people my favorite team was Hull City when everyone else was jumping on the Man U and Arsenal bandwagons. I have watched every game since they made the Premier League and purchased extra cable channels just to watch them once every two months when they were in the Championship. Maybe this makes me "fake" or "plastic," I don't know, but I really have grown to love Hull City as much as any team I support across all sports, and they're a huge part of my life now. I am constantly bugging people around me about, "Hull City has a HUGE game this weekend against (fill in the blank)," mostly my wife, who watches with me and has told me it would be ok if we named a kid after Robbie Brady. Anyways, I just wanted to say this is the most enjoyable thread to follow ever. I watch 5-6 MLS games per weekend, often after coaching one or several games, and I know a few players in the league. I played with Wondolowski, among others, in youth soccer and I coached briefly with his dad at one of the local high schools (they are a GREAT family, very humble, very sharp senses of humor). San Jose is my local team, but I have fallen in love with the style of play of the Portland Timbers, which is why I'm jumping on the thread now. Portland is a great city to visit, and yes, Powell's is the best bookstore ever (Elle, I know the shop you're talking about in Seattle, but the name also is escaping me... I always go to that particular book store when I'm in Seattle and get a nice read for the trip home). Great food trucks in Portland, and the atmosphere around and in the stadium on game day is second to none... the closest comparison I've seen would be a college football game in the South of the USA, and Oakland Raiders games used to be amazing, but the Portland Timbers games are just cool. We actually have a trip planned and booked for the end of June/early July: Portland vs. Seattle in Portland (quite the rivalry); Seattle vs. D.C. United in Seattle, then the Women's World Cup final in Vancouver. As someone who somehow has made a living within the sport, let me tell you the level of MLS is better than perception. The players aren't nearly as skilled as those in the Premier League, but the top players a close to that level. But what happens in MLS is that the first defender often presses right away, leaving much less time on the ball and resulting in a frenetic pace to the game that isn't really matched anywhere I've watched except possibly the Bundesliga. Now, this brings the question of whether a fast game is on the same level of entertainment as a highly skilled, but slower, game, but some of the counterattacks and goals are amazing simply because everything moves so fast. Incidentally, this is how the game is played at the youth levels here in the USA as team defending and defensive principles aren't coached nearly as often as they should be (neither are ball skills, for that matter) so players just learn to get fit and press the ball. It's really not like any other league in that regard. I honestly feel the top MLS teams would contend for promotion in the Championship, while a few others would be able to play mid-table. Just had to jump in when I saw, and followed for a few weeks, an MLS thread discussing Portland on my favorite Hull City message board. Cheers fellows.
Well we got 4 of us SJ "fans" here now. You still live in the area? We could meet up and watch a game in a bar sometime. I should say welcome to the forum as well.
Thanks Elle... Yep I'm in the East Bay Area now, in the Walnut Creek area... about 20 minutes from Oakland or SF. I'm looking forward to getting down to the Quakes new stadium sometime next month and hopefully a bar with you gents in the near future as well!
Sounds good, just let me know. Im just off 49 near 50 on the way to Tahoe. Its a drive but I dont mind taking the girl to the beach or to SF for a day and catching a either an hcafc in the morning or a sj game in the evening at a bar.
I was a regular at the old Rangers stadium. Made the point of going to see them play all the other teams in the AL at least once per season (this was in the days before interleague play). The highlight was seeing Nolan Ryan throw a no-hitter. I have only been to the new Ballpark once, but was lucky enough to see Kenny Rogers pitch a perfect game. There was a moment where it looked like it wouldn't happen, but a diving catch in the 9th saved it for him. I'm with you on that. I don't really have an NFL team. But if I did it wouldn't be "America's Team".
Welcome to the messageboard. It's good to see more fans supporting the club, and no it doesn't matter where you're from. More the merrier. I said to Elle during the world cup the US national team was on the up & you haven't disappointed your home crowds for 2 major tournaments now.
In my never ending attempt to get others to watch SJ so we have something to chat about. please log in to view this image Kickoff: March 22, 4:00 p.m. PT at Avaya Stadium OPPONENT INFO Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire All-Time MLS Regular Season: 9-13-11 Home: 7-5-5 (23 GF, 18 GA) Away: 2-8-6 (17 GF, 30 GA) Shootout (1996-99): 0-0; Overtime (2000-03): 0-0-0; Playoffs: 0-0-0; US Open Cup: 0-1-0 All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 40, Chicago – 48