http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/March/CatalanAdventure.aspx Well done lads! Interesting to read Geoff Noonan's comments. Hopefully he and the Academy staff will have learned from the experience as well as the players.
This pure speculation (and likely unfair) but I'm guessing Fulham sent a team of overdeveloped manchildren who physically dominated what was a tiny, but technically good, Barca youth team.
Actually, Fulham send a mixed group of English, Irish and an American kid named Dumpty. We would have one the game, but some Barca kid named Semmi scored a late one.
Why is it so many American footballers have mental names? Jozy Altidore (or however you spell it)? Claudio Reyna? Landon Donovan? Carlos Bocanegra? DaMarcus Beasley?!?! Even Brian McBride sounds like a made-up name. (And nobody say anything sensible like the US is a melting pot of nationalities - let me have my fun!)
Here's to you, Bidley! As a Yank who's had a driver's license in 9 jurisdictions (8 states and The District), I'd say that, one way or the other, Claudio Reyna, Carlos Bocanegra and Brian McBride are pretty standard ethnic heritage names. Same with Donovan and Altidore, tho their first names are Other Ethnic Group (Landon) or a particular derivation of a common name (Jozy/Joseph/Guiseppe, etc.) Beasley is a name dating back to pre-independence days in the American South. As for DaMarcus? Well, hey, we're Yanks--we make up what sounds good to us as we go along. (BTW, I find the truly interesting names in hoops.).
A fair comment dude, I guess as a typical Brit I expect all Americans to be called things like Clint Eastwood or Bruce Wayne. Seriously though, DaMarcus Beasley sounds like a rapper in a Harry Potter novel. Your taxi's waiting...
First of all Bidley, all names are made up. But there is a cultural angle to American names. Case A) Immigrants to America wanting to keep or foster their cultural heritage by giving their kids foreign-sounding names - Claudio Reyna, Carlos Bocanegra, OGUCHI ONYEWU, Juan Agudelo, ALEJANDRO BEDOYA (Rangers) Case B) Hippie Parents - these folks think that by giving their kids "creative" names, they'll somehow overcome the tide of mundaneness that permeates US society. Landon Donovan, Brek Shea (great player!), Picabo Street (girl skier) Case C) African American parents - need to be a little careful here, but some AA parents like names for that kids that standout. It's kind of like the Hippie parents, but the names are different. DaMarcus Beasley, Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), Maurice Edu (Rangers) It's like I tell my kids (Jose`, Hose-B and Skaramanga), they're just names and they can change them when they turn 21!
