Tag: Notes

  • Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2023

    Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2023

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    The internet along with the pandemic changed the entertainment industry, and for creators, the last couple of years were the Golden Age of Streaming. In order to win more subscribers, streaming companies funded massive amounts of content. At the same time, the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso and the rise of American soccer players helped…

  • Note: Where to find Womens World Cup coverage

    Note: Where to find Womens World Cup coverage

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    Update on Aug-21-2023: Well, it’s all over. The greatest World Cup we have yet seen. So much drama, such fan enthusiasm, the incredible FRA vs AUS 20-player shootout. So many suprises. You never knew who was going to win. Never.

  • ‘Ella, a Modern Day Fairytale’ (2023)

    ‘Ella, a Modern Day Fairytale’ (2023)

    On a mission to promote womens football ahead of next month’s WWC 2023, England Football and Disney put together a 4-min animation called Ella, a Modern Day Fairytale. Narrated by England WNT star Alex Scott, it is a Cinderella story where, instead of going to a royal Ball, little Ella tries out for the local boys…

  • Notes: 2 shorts on Modern Football and a ball

    Two of the short films being showcased at the 2023 edition of Denmark’s Shoot! Festival are worth a quick watch or mention.

  • Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2022

    Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2022

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    It’s hard to believe, but even though it was a World Cup year, 2022 was one of my worst years for soccer movie reviews. I can’t blame it on the COVID-19 pandemic, because by Year 3, most of the world developed pandemic fatigue and pretty much threw their masks and self-isolation to the wind.

  • Notes: Who’s winning the World Cup?

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    Since Twitter is imploding as I write this, I decided that I would not tweet my World Cup bracket but am instead posting it on my website.

  • Notes: Sorry for not posting lately

    Notes: Sorry for not posting lately

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    There are a few reasons why I have posted so little in 2022.

  • Notes: Google AdSense and a labor of love

    Notes: Google AdSense and a labor of love

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    My ISP Dreamhost tweeted about Google AdSense recently.

  • Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2021

    Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2021

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    2021 was a little better than 2020. The availability of vaccinations helped us get back to semi-normal, but shockingly there is a small segment of the world’s population that refuses to get vaccinated. So the pandemic continues to rage on.

  • Notes: Soccer movies  need a streaming site

    Notes: Soccer movies need a streaming site

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    Keith Phipps recently lamented in The Ringer that sports movies as a genre have generally lost their way to the multiplex. Space Jam: A New Legacy, whose theme is to tie big brands together into one movie, is an example of where the genre might be heading. But Phipps notes that the new economics of…

  • Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2020

    Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2020

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    2020 has been a year we all want to forget. Many of us are isolating at home while the pandemic rages around most of the world. The market for home entertainment seemed to increase the number of soccer movies that were available online.

  • Notes: The Garcia Report details FIFA corruption on every page

    Notes: The Garcia Report details FIFA corruption on every page

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    It is incredibly unfortunate that media like the Washington Post and the NY Times downplayed the 2014 Garcia Report, with headlines saying that there was “no smoking gun”. Virtually every page in this independent report from Michael Garcia’s Investigatory Chamber details FIFA’s corrupt methods in selecting the sites for WC 2018 and WC 2022. I’ve…

  • Notes: Soccer in the year of COVID-19

    Notes: Soccer in the year of COVID-19

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    We are all struggling to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, as lives are lost and normalcy is completely disrupted. If you have been affected, I hope that you recover from your grief and trauma. If you are sheltering in place like I am, then I hope that holding onto something you enjoy gives you some…

  • Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2019

    Notes: Best and Worst soccer movies in 2019

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    2019 was a Womens World Cup year, but unlike with the Men’s side, few producers timed their theatrical releases to the tournament. However, interest in football films and soccer movies continues to grow rapidly, so that my list of movies to watch grows much faster than the movies that are available to me. My watchlist…

  • Amazon Prime soccer movies not worth your time

    Amazon Prime soccer movies not worth your time

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    In the big battle for your streaming attention, Amazon Prime has licensed quite a few independent international movies related to football (soccer). I find less than half of these foreign films are OK, and the rest can be quite laborious to watch. Rather than bail water in a sinking ship, I don’t want to spend…

  • Notes: The Sea Life Guide to 2019 MLS Coaches

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    This list is a metaphor for 2019 MLS coaches expressed as various forms of sea life. I was inspired to write this after listening to Andrew Wiebe interview many MLS coaches for the @ExtraTimeRadio podcast. Peter Verdes = Aquaman 🧜‍♂️🔱 Mike Petke & Brad Friedel = Killer Whales 🦈 Gio Savarese & Marc Dos Santos…

  • Notes: Best and Worst Soccer Movies of 2018

    Notes: Best and Worst Soccer Movies of 2018

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    2018 was a World Cup year, with Russia hosting possibly the most entertaining World Cup ever broadcast. Many producers and creators plan football film releases during a WC year, when interest in soccer is intense. Thus I was pleasantly surprised at the number of films that were shown on cable and streaming sites, as well…

  • Notes: Matt Doyle gets Medieval on Juan Carlos Osorio as USMNT coach

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    This is my transcript from the ExtraTime Radio podcast of Jun-25-2018 where Matt Doyle gave a ballistic and convincing rant on why Juan Carlos Osorio should not be USMNT coach. Go to 1:03:35 in the podcast. I wanted to preserve this brilliant rant for posterity. It reminded me of Ned Beatty’s Oscar-winning speech in the movie…

  • Notes: The Problems with Football Agents

    Notes: The Problems with Football Agents

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    The 2011 film Soka Afrika got me wondering, how does a player in Africa find the right agent? How do players avoid scams by fraudulent football agents that will turn them into victims of human trafficking?

  • Notes: The Slavery Side of World Cup Soccer

    Notes: The Slavery Side of World Cup Soccer

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    If you follow soccer at all, you probably agree that FIFA is synonymous with corruption. As we’ve learned since the FIFA Scandal erupted in 2015, much of the income of the so-called “non-profit” went into the pockets and personal bank accounts of its officers and those of the football associations that represent the 209 member…