My wife (Susie) and I joined a group of 40 fans headed to France '98, organized by Richard Groff through the internet. It turned out to be a very interesting eclectic group. I had met many members of the group at various Sam's Army gatherings in recent years, and had seen tag lines from the others on NAS. It amazed me that 40 people from around the country, with very dissimilar backgrounds, could come together under the banner of supporting their National Team, and click so well as a group. Truly awesome!

For $2,000 each, we received air transportation, hotel room for 12 nights and tickets to all three USA matches. Believe me, after hearing many of the nightmare stories about World Cup ticket scams... we were blessed. Susie and I also got tickets to the Bulgaria/Nigeria match (I went to see WIZards' Uche Okafor ride the pine for Nigeria in that match -and- I have established a common bond with two Bulgarian students in my classes through soccer) and the Italy/Austria match (I was really hoping Roberto Baggio would come on and score a goal just for me). Five live matches and a ton of group TV viewing made this a fantastic trip to Paris. I'm startin' ta save my money for Japan/Korea... and I would encourage each of you to start doin' the same!!!

Sitting at home watching the first few games on TV... I wasn't getting too excited. There seemed to be rain at every stadium in France! Not a good sign. However, when we actually arrived in Paris, it was a little overcast, and we got about a 10 minute little shower just prior to the Germany match. Other than that, the weather was beautiful for the next 12 days!!! Much better than the play of our team.

As for actual sightseeing... Well, the first impressive sight was riding the Air France bus into the city from the airport and going past the new Stad de France. What an impressive structure! Wow! (Susie and I managed to get tickets to the Italy/Austria match held there.... Roberto didn't let me down.)

The basic saying, "The only thing wrong with Paris is that it is full of Parisians!" seems to be a bit harsh. Everywhere we went, we were treated kindly (at least for the most part... we were never treated rudely... by Parisians). Of course, Susie is a wonderfully nice person, so people tend to respond nicely in return. Considering our lack of French speaking abilities, we were tolerated nicely by the locals. All-in-all a pleasant cultural experience.

The folks we did have trouble with were German. Before the USA/Germany match, on the street... many German fans had been drinking and looking (unsuccessfully) for tickets. A few of them got a bit mouthy, but there were tons of riot police visible for that match... we didn't see any confrontations. We also ran into a drunk German (local) on the subway going to the match who found it necessary to bad mouth the USA. Its amazing how stupid some folks get with a bit of booze to boost their confidence.

Going to Paris for the World Cup was just a secondary motive. We actually went to Paris for the pastries!!! 8-) And we hit alot of the local pastry shops along the way. Can Japan/Korea even come close to matching that orgasmic experience?

The hotel was rather small, but adequate. I thought it rather strange that they had the window standing wide open with no screen on the window to keep out the bugs. We discovered there were no bugs to keep out! That made for a really nice vacation. A bugless vacation is something special. (and, our air conditioner actually worked)

The hotel was located one block from the Arc de Triomphe (magnificent). The view of the city from the top was kinda neat... but the real thrill was watching the automobile traffic trying to circle the Arc below!!! That circus held our attention for a good 15 minutes. Truly amazing. Five lanes of traffic with cars/busses/motorcycles literally going in every direction. Mass insanity with a purpose. Cool. Especially with the occasional metal-on-metal sounds rising from below.

The hotel was very conveniently located close to a Metro station.... so getting out and around was quite easy. I think I could get used to living in Paris, if I could afford it. But, US$2.50 for a Coke is a bit much. It seemed that prices of general items were about the same as here in the States... but food was definitely more expensive (but I have to admit... the food is better in Paris).

The Grande Arc (new, big, stainless, square thing) was interesting... but I like old architecture. It just didn't "fit in" with my mental image of Paris (neither does the glass Pyramid at the Lourve). Since Adidas is an "official" sponsor of the WC... they managed a primo location for their corporate display across the river from the Eiffel Tower. Since Nike was not a sponsor of the WC, they had to lease a less desirable location. Nike located their "Nike Parc" on the plaza next to the Grande Arc... Nike spent something like US$25,000,000 for their showcase. Really nice setup, with lots of interactive sites for fans to participate in soccer related activities. First class! Nike's site made Adidas look very amateurish.

I wasn't impressed with the Grande Arc... but, I loved the Eiffel Tower!!! What an awesome view of the city!!! Plus, standing in line at the tower was our first encounter with the military/police security established around the city. They were decked out in their machine guns and bullet proof vests and were doing an excellent job of making sure bags and backpacks indeed belonged to someone. Whenever they found a stray bag/backpack, they immediately went into action to cautiously remove it from the area. I felt safe (most of the time... I'll talk more about that later).

Considering the fact that we made it back to the hotel most days by 2:00 to start watching Soccer matches (when we didn't have a live match to attend)... we held the touristy sightseeing to a minimum. We skipped the Lourve and opted for the Museum D'Orssey (cool place). We had alot of shopping to do to make sure everyone back home got a special little something from Paris (Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, Harley-Davidson). Of course, Notre Dame was on the must see list. I like Gothic architecture... but, the plastic sheeting covering one side of the cathedral (restoration work) kinda distracted from the visual impact of the place.

For Susie and I, the best part of any trip is just watching the people, and Paris is the perfect spot for that sport. Just traveling around from shop to shop with the occasional stop for a different taste of food... watching (and being part of) the people zoo was way cool. The multitude of different ethnic groups in the different neighborhoods was interesting. Seems the "beautiful people" can be found around the Champs d'Elysees (sp)... with the gene pool getting rather thin as you travel out away from the heart of the city. I guess that isn't any different from any other large city, but the reality of it really struck me in Paris.

Wine is a good thing!!!

As I said earlier about the Germany match... there was a massive assemblage of military/riot police present. The perfect backdrop for Susie and I to celebrate our 24th anniversary. 8-) The ticket distribution system in France really contributed to the potential for nasty fan reactions. Thankfully, nothing really happened.... certainly nothing like what the Germans did later and then what the English wound up trying to do better. Really stupid mentality. I weaseled my way into an interview with Rob Stone.. I guess I just didn't have the right persona to actually make the airwaves back home. 8-) For the most part, our live match experiences were uneventful (kinda sorta). From a spectators standpoint, I thought we did quite well at the Germany match, making noise for the American side... even though our team came out playing like they had no confidence. They seemed very intimidated by the Germans. The German team seems to take things in stride... just waiting for an opening... then Wham!!! We looked like little boys entered into a man's arena. Very sad for me to sit there and watch that. My heart dropped when Dooley turned the wrong way....

Admittedly, I've never played the game of soccer before... so I try not to sound like I know what I'm talking about... but, was it really a tactical problem with Sampson's 3-6-1 formation, or did we just not execute that plan well, or had the internal bickering from the old guard already sabatoged the play on the field? Something wasn't working!

The ticket situation at the Germany match was interesting. A knowledgeable observer would have known it was just an indication of bigger things to come for the American fans... but, Sam's Army was located in the second level in the corner of the end zone (it turned out that all National supporter groups were tucked into opposite corners to keep them separated). Our groups' tickets were scattered around the first level just below Sam's Army, about 16 rows from the field. I've seen several pictures of a group of young male USA fans with face paint and body paint and shirtless... having a great time. They were in front of us on about the 3rd row. I believe these guys were members of the under-17 national squad. So, it looks like Sam's Army was put on the back burner by the USSF ticket allocators. But, that corner of the stadium made lots of noise, and it was a great time supporting our lads. Its just too bad they weren't having just as good a time on the field!!

What really seemed strange was the fact that in this section of the stadium, which was a USSF ticket section... there seemed to be alot of German fans. I thought they were supposed to be segregated from the USA fans. How did they get their hands on USSF tickets? (more on that later)

We took the high speed train from Paris to Lyon for the Iran match. Cool. A 5-6 hour road trip condensed into a 2 hour rail experience. Our boys played much better against Iran... the result just didn't show it. But, what I really noticed was the difference in security at this match. Against Germany in Paris, the black suited militia was VERY visible. In Lyon, the militia was equally NONvisible. There was a helicopter in the air at all times. There were spotters on rooftops (I could not see their weapons) outside the stadium and on the roof of the stadium. But, the mass of black suits were not visible on the streets I was interviewed by a video crew wanting to know what I thought about the "political" aspect of the USA/Iran match, and whether I was attending this match for that reason. I responded that I was traveling to all the USA matches to support my National Team. I came to watch soccer and it didn't matter who we were playing.

After we passed the ticket taker gate, we had to walk up a long set of steps to actually enter the stadium, where stadium ushers were standing to direct you to your seat. Susie and Vicki Barnes showed their tickets and were led off to their seats. Dan Barnes and I were a couple of steps behind our wives, and were were stopped at the top of the steps (along with everyone else that had been let though the ticket gate behind us). No other people were allowed through the ticket gate for about 15-20 minutes. Supposedly there had been a bomb scare. Dan and I had an opportunity to talk with several Iranian fans standing around outside. Most spoke English quite well. I traded one of my soccer scarves for an Iranian scarf and compared ticket locations. They had tickets down in front of us... and they seemed truly surprised to discover that their USSF tickets were in front of actual Americans. (and the saga continues)

France '98 was my first live World Cup experience... and I'm truly glad I made the trip to support our lads... but, you gotta know, once the United States national team entered that stadium in Lyon, they were as far away from home as they have ever been. In a stadium that held around 40,000 people... the United States was represented by about 1,500 fans. The other 38,000 fans were pro-Iranian!!!! That match definitely meant more to them (politically) than it did to the USA. But, that is very understandable, and I can't take anything away from the Iranian fans. They were there en masse. From an American patriotic standpoint, what really got caught in my throat was the fact that thousands of United States Soccer Federation tickets wound up in the hands of Iranian fans..

I think I was the closest American fan to the field, and I was 12 rows back. Everyone in front of me was an Iranian fan (except the row of local French children in wheelchairs... who cheered for and supported the American side). Before the match, I positioned myself in the first row, holding up my USA scarf for 15 minutes, surrounded by a whole pot full of Iranian fans. I drew alot of camera attention... I think it symbolized how out numbered the American fans really were. Lamar Hunt and Francisco Marcos had rather crappy seats at the edge of the sideline section. I was setting at about the 18 yard line. Their seats were on the goal line. Maybe somebody can tell me how two big wigs in the USA soccer world can get stuck with worse seats than a pee-on like me... when thousands of Iranians had better USSF seats than either of us. It doesn't make alot of sense to me.

I have concluded that the soccer powers in the USA are just newbies to this international arena, with an awful lot to learn about how things are actually run. If they seriously think the USA is capable of hosting and winning the Cup in 2010... they need an intensive crash course in "Behind the Scenes FIFA Politics" before they even have a remote chance of pulling that one off!!!

I did not witness any anti-American crap in Lyon. What I did witness was a massive Pro-Iranian political statement. There is some lady who is running for political office in Iran. Raja Travel agency somehow got their hands on thousands of USSF tickets and managed to transport thousands of supporters of this lady to this highly visible match against the USA. What a beautiful political platform to have your message seen back home in Iran. WOW! If any of you are considering a career in politics... you need to be talking to the people at Raja Travel for your next campaign! Out numbered 30-1... I don't think the USA fans were ever heard in that stadium (not that we didn't try). There was no, "Down with Satan" talk... it was all "Up with the Lady" noise.

An interesting Sam's Army side note: The stadium security people allowed me to hang up my USA flag on the hand rail (one of only two USA flags I saw hung in the stadium), but they would NOT allow me to hang my Sam's Army banner. "It has writing on it, and we cannot allow banners with writing. If you hang your banner with writing, then many others will demand to hang up their banners with writing, and many of their messages we cannot accept." So... there was no Sam's Army banner (not even the "official" banner by Mark Spacone)... but there wound up being tons of banners posted with the political lady's face plastered all of it. 8-) Oh, well. It was her day.

The massive throng of humanity leaving the stadium to get on busses to head back to the train station was maddening. One member of our group was pick pocketed and lost his wallet. Another member had his rear pants pocket slashed in an attempt to get at his wallet. And, a third member caught a guy's hand in his pocket after his wallet. Crazy time.

The question is, "How did Raja Travel get their hands on USA tickets?" My guess is Gulliver's dumped their unsold tickets. I personally confirmed that Iranians held USSF tickets who were sitting in front of us. This ticket dumping concept doesn't really bother me... its a common business practice. But, what does bother me, is the fact that the few Americans who did manage to get tickets had worse seats than those Iranians who were holding USSF tickets. And, except for the very late confirmation of tickets through Sam's Army, American fans back home could not get tickets without going through a packaged tour operator. Now that AIN'T right!!! On the flight home, I sat next to a young married couple from Dallas (the Hayes) who booked through Gulliver's. They were supposedly the 6th folks to book with Gulliver's... which should have assured them of the best seats Gulliver's had to offer. They paid US$2,000 to Gulliver's for two nights hotel in Paris plus two tickets to each of the three USA matches. They wound up with Category II seats in the very last row of the stadium for all three USA matches!!! With THOUSANDS of USSF seats filled with non-USA fans in front of them... how does one justify this kind of treatment by a U.S. based company with connections to USSF? Can the folks running the USSF really be that blind? Some serious questions need be be answered. (And, don't get me started on InterForever.)

The same kind of ticket scam occurred at the USA/Yugoslavia match in Nantes. There were thousands of Yugo fans sitting in USSF seats!!! However, I must admit, there were also alot of French bodies in the stadium supporting the USA for this match, and many of them were in USSF seats. Once again, they were entertained by an American team who seemed to play with more spirit than they did against Germany. The lone Yugo goal was absolutely beautiful. I was sitting on the 18 yard line in the perfect line of sight to see that one. When the ball popped over to the right side of the net, the Yugo guy had only one option to make that goal. The few video replays I have seen of that goal were taken from an angle down the field from the left side... and it made the play look much easier than it was. From the right side, the Yugo guy was slightly past the ball and had to contort his body back to the ball to get his head on it... and there was one (and only one) slot for him to place that ball on net. I saw the play develop. I saw that slot (about the width of a ball). I saw him contort to get back to the ball. I knew that was the only chance he had for the net. And, I just knew there was no way he could pull it off. The angle was very thin... and the contortion was too much... and the concentration needed to pull it off was just too great. But, there it was. He did everything perfect. I don't know if I have ever witnessed a goal that made me feel so satisfied... especially considering it was made by the opposing team. It was a beautiful thing to behold. (Then, when I got back home... I got the opportunity to watch the very same Yugo guy score another header goal against Holland from exactly the same spot!!!!)

The Yugoslavian match was the only match where I felt uncomfortable from a safety standpoint. There were tons of Yugo fans in front of us in USSF seats. They brought in a blue/white/red banner that was 30 feet high and 110 yards long and laid it on the ground in front of the first row. I realized they intended to display it if-and-when the Yugos scored. When that Yugo goal came, they started pulling out their monster flag (it must have looked cool on the TV). As their flag reached my row, the thought kinda went through my mind something like this, "I'll be damned if I'm gonna let these Yugo fans, who are sitting in American Federation seats, celebrate and cover ME up with their flag!" So, I reached up, grabbed the edge of their flag and pulled it down so it wouldn't block my vision of the field. The few USA fans standing behind me picked up on that move and would not allow the flag to go over them either. As it turned out, the Yugos were passing the flag from the first row all the way up the stadium seating to the top row then back down to the first row. When we finally figured out what they were trying to do, we let go of their flag and let it be passed up the stadium... but I almost single-handedly started an international incident. A couple of rather large Yugo fans started screaming at us (seems the only American words they knew were F-You!!!). Then there happened to be a drunk Britt standing next to me... who had no love loss for the Yugos... and his mouth started to spout venom... and I knew that I was about to get into the middle of something that wasn't going to be very pretty. Somehow things calmed down a bit (some older Yugos managed to talk the younger mouthy Yugos down from their chest thumping... and the mouthy young Britt seemed to be ignored from that point on).

The American fans were indeed way outnumbered again, but this time our voices were heard. We did good. And, midway through the 2nd half, the whole corner of the stadium where I was chanting and the end zone next to it, erupted into vocal support for the USA team. We were playing well... attacking like crazy... and the French seemed to respond in support. They were yelling/chanting in unison for our lads!!! It was perhaps the best part of the the World Cup for me. The absence of anti-Americanism at the Iran match was cool... but, the support of a foreign crowd for my National Team was rather emotional for me. To me, that was what the World Cup is all about. (geeze... I still get choked up just thinking about it)

All-in-all... each of the three USA matches presented a different perspective on humanity, and I'm glad I was there. I'm looking forward to making the Mecca every four years. And, I hope the USSF does a better job supporting American supporters in the future. Sam's Army is a national treasure, and the USSF needs to implement a commitment to the preservation of Sam's Army.

Irregardless of the whiny assed bickering coming out of the locker room, the USA will reach a vaulted position in international soccer... and I intend to be a part of that history making era.

GO Sam's Army!!

GO USA!!!

Bring on Japan/Korea!

2010.........

Damn! Life is good!!!