Where's the HYPE? Part 1 of an ongoing series

I just checked my alarm clock. Yep, we’re less than 24 hours from USA-Mexico, and the only mainstream promotion I’ve seen for this match so far is a slick, 15-second spot in between SportsCenters while jogging at the gym Saturday morning.

Really?

I thought this was a serious rivalry. Wait, it is. Especially this time around, because it’s a World Cup Qualifier and not just an obligatory friendly.

Apparently, no one at U.S. Soccer or ESPN got the memo. Either that, or they misplaced it.* I work in an office. It happens.

(* Just like I misplaced the "not" before "just" in the fourth paragraph. I've since edited it. To anyone who caught it the first time around: leave a comment, and I'll give you big ups in a future post. Honest.)

But this is a big memo. If there’s a bone I’ll pick all the way to the grave, it’s that the people in charge of American soccer – from the head honchos at U.S. Soccer all the way down – have total ineptitude when it comes to promoting the beautiful game. It’s soccer, guys (and gals), not soapbox derbies or ostrich racing. Sheesh.

And I could’ve sworn myself wrong when I received a tidy little Myspace message encouraging supporters to wear red at the match. What’s this? Maybe the Yanks would break out those awesome “Don’t Tread on Me” jerseys they found themselves kitted out in – of all matches – a friendly against Latvia* prior to the 2006 World Cup.

(*I actually went to this match – my very first US MNT match – and my mom purchased the limited edition red jersey for my birthday. God, I love that jersey. If it were possible to have a crush on a piece of sports apparel, I’d ask that thing out on a date for Saturday night. Gorgeous. The kind of beauty you'd show off in front of friends and jealous enemies alike.)

But, there appears to be little evidence to support the use of the red DTOM jersey, which is another clear indication that suits at U.S. Soccer don’t get it.

For American soccer fans, there are three certainties in life. Death. Taxes. USA-Mexico. God bless the Spanish-American War, NAFTA, and that Taco Bell chihuahua. So why doesn’t the federation go out of its way to promote the heck out of it?

Here’s some free advice: keep that glossy 15-second commercial. I like that. But make more of them. My pulse raced and adrenaline spiked every time I saw it while running on the treadmill.*

(*I’ve discovered through three years of treadmill hopping and the seven occasions in which I’ve watched the US Men’s National Team while on said machine that the two go together like Doritos and soda. Starburst and Sprite. Popcorn and chili powder.)

However, let’s take it a step further. Actually, few steps further.

The idea of the red Don't Tread on Me jersey for USA-Mexico matches would be a great way to ante up the rivalry, no? Why the heck not? It’s an event - an event that we American soccer fans are rarely afforded in a culture dominated by American football, the NFL, and American football. So, please, to the powers that be, USA-Mexico would be the perfect opportunity to break out the “Don’t Tread On Me” jerseys. Reinforce the idea that this is a big deal. It sends a clear message to the Mexicans that you don’t know who you’re messing with. Attitude. I like it. Now run with it.

Another idea: I say the Sam’s Army section at every USA-Mexico match has discounted admission. Like, a paper Lincoln per seat. I want to see hordes of American soccer get buck in there. I want bedlam. I want to see a tidal wave of red in that section. I want chicks in red bras to…oh wait, sorry.

Speaking of bras – I want Brandi Chastain there. She’s a great sideline reporter. I love her insights. Okay, I admit, this is probably due to the fact that my mom loves her. But almost every American knows/remembers who she is. A little star power wouldn’t hurt.

Lastly – although I’ve got many more suggestions – shouldn’t we get some live reports from each camp in the 72 hours leading up to this? Isn’t that what major events like the U.S. Open, major BCS bowls, and rivalry matches across the spectrum receive?

I know that’s the media’s job. But really, if ESPN is so intent on increasing its coverage of soccer – see the Spanish, English and Mexican league scores now featured on the ESPN Bottom Line – why doesn’t U.S. Soccer push for live updates to be featured on the 6pm SportsCenters? It would be foolish to say that there isn’t an audience for this – a 90-minute sellout seems to support the idea that a lot of people are a lot more interested in this than say, I don’t know, the endless blabber that gets broadcast on the station between 4:30 and 6:00pm. Somebody give me a Vicodin.

Okay, it’s obvious I’m getting emotional here. But I can’t help it. I’ve had the date circled on my 2009 MLS calendar since January 1. My red “Don’t Tread On Me” jersey awaits on my door knob, ready for action come Wednesday.

USA-Mexico. This is a big deal. So why won’t U.S. Soccer treat it that way?

Kljes he can!

Few American players have impressed me more than Chivas USA midfielder Sacha Kljestan has in the past year.

Yeah, I know he’s a pretty darn good player. He would have been a starter for last season’s MLS All-Star game. The only trouble with that was he was busy with the U-23s preparing for the Olympics, where he went on to have a sensational showing in Beijing.

Even so, I suppose I’m guilty of failing to fully appreciate his play out on the left coast, where more than half of his home matches have start times of 11pm three time zones away. Call it an East Coast bias.*

(*Or plain general ignorance. Take your pick.)

But in the past seven months or so, I’ve definitely turned the corner and have come around on the sometimes-mustachioed menace. Thanks a recent string of matches with the National Team, I’ve become better acquainted with his body of work.

And before long, I recognized that he belonged with the Yanks. He looked comfortable and fluid on the international stage.

Yet, comfortable was not how I’d categorize his performance against Sweden. Last night, the Goat went buckwild.

In just under 74 minutes, the former Seton Hall Pirate exploded for his first three international goals against a formidable Swedish side that nearly stuck it to the Yanks in the waning minutes. The last time an American scored his first three international goals in the same match occurred nearly 75 years ago, when Aldo “Buff” Donelli pulled off the hat trick against Mexico in 1934.

Talk about being in the right place at the right time. His timing could not have been more impeccable. The attacking mid had just returned Stateside after spending the past week on trial with Celtic, and rumors fluttered that the club is preparing a multi-million dollar offer for the 23-year-old playmaker.

It’s hardly a stretch to say last night’s performance just may have earned him a few extra quid on the transfer market. I wouldn’t be surprised if the star of those adidas commercials was soon teaching kids in Glasgow some dribbling skills before the close of the current transfer window.

Go figure. You finally come to appreciate a guy, and he’s ready to pack his bags to another distant time zone.

Former Stingray Cameron in camp with USMNT

(**I know, I know...I'm just like a week late on this. I'm sorry...Wait...what's this? SWEET! A Holiday Bustle Free Pass! Wooo-hooo! Woooo! Woooo....woo....ahem.**)

I'm sure I'm only like the 1,349,789th person to say this, but isn't it just awesome to see someone you frequently crossed paths with in a smaller arena really make it on the bigger stage?*

(*Feel free to answer that semi-rhetorical question in the comments section.)

The awesome-ness scale reaches even higher when that person is 1. from the same geographic area as you and, 2. is, by many accounts, a good guy, and 3. friends with some of your friends.*

(*Seriously, it's like two degrees of separation.)

So when the news of Geoffrey Cameron - formerly of the Rhode Island Stingrays, currently of the Houston Dynamo - getting called into Bob Bradley's first MNT camp of the year, I couldn't help but flash a dumb grin while after I read the one-graph blurb in the Providence Journal sports section.

Not that I had anything to do with his development. He absolutely did not need the help of a smalltime soccer journalist to make the leap. But in a way, it's as if his success is validation for what I do for the Stingrays.

Why? Because even though the Stingrays are about as smalltown as it can get in the US Soccer universe, I really believe that the club is great springboard for many young players. Geoff is certainly one of them. He's not the only one, either. Guys like Nico Colaluca, Danleigh Borman and Lukasz Tumicz, all sported the Stingray royal blue. All are playing first division soccer (Tumicz in his native Poland) as I punch the keys.

Don't get me wrong - I love covering the Revolution, the men's and women's national teams, and any other brands of big time soccer here in the States. But when it comes to the Stingrays, there's a greater satisfaction because I'm often the only one covering their efforts.*

(*During my first season covering the Stingrays, circa 2007, the team's director of operations mentioned Geoff was a potential MLS prospect, and an interview might be a good idea. I agreed. Unfortunately, Geoff got hurt like three days later, and it completely slipped my mind. I know: I suck.)

And that's fine. It's really a joy writing about these guys. They all have stories to tell.* Finding those stories is what makes journalism so rewarding.

(*Speaking of which...I've actually got one such story in the works.)

Sure, it also affords me a host of "I knew them when..." stories and anecdotes when some move on and play for bigger clubs. I love telling those kinds of stories. But even better than that is seeing how hard alot of these guys work on these proving grounds. They're hungry. Determined. It's borderline Clearasil clear, even from the press box. For me, it's actually a bit of thrill to watch.

And when a Stingray player, after paying his dues with hours of practice and training, "makes it" and jumps to the bigger stage?

Well, that just makes the matches ahead a bit more thrilling.