Young  Germany  World-­‐Cup  Guest  Blogging  

Steffan  Pedersen  June-­‐July  2014  

                                                                 

Background    I  applied  with  writing  samples  and  a  persuasive  “Why  Should  We  Choose  You?”  biography,  and  was  selected  to  be  a  part  of  the  international  team  of  13  to  cover  the  World  Cup  for  Young  

Germany,  a  well-­‐known  German  lifestyle  outlet!                                                Over  44,000  Facebook  likes,  and  9,300+  Twitter  followers:    

This  was  an  opportunity  I  couldn’t  miss!    

                   

 

Meet the YG World Cup Bloggers! Young Germany called and they came: Our team of World Cup Bloggers for 2014 is set. And check out the players! It is going to be a fun Cup with YG bloggers offering perspective from all over the world.

We had planned to put together a team of eleven, but with so many great applicants, we expanded that number to thirteen. In May we will introduce each of them to you in more detail, but for now, here is an overview of the folks you will see talking soccer and World Cup here this June.

The YG World Cup Blogging Team

Kristie Foran. A California girl learning German.

Pin-Ji Tang. An editor from Singapore who will be in Brazil for the last two weeks of the Cup.

Eliud Mwangi. A Kenya soccer player dreaming of playing in the Bundesliga. He is already blogging about soccer over here and has a youtube channel here.

Raul Espinoza Estrada. A Costa Rican soccer fanatic who has spent time living in Münster.

Joshua Burns. This Chicago resident has experience blogging about sports and feels connected to Germany through his German ancestors.

Danya Gutierrez Gonzalez. A Chilean who is currently learning German and working at a Brazilian restaurant.

Ian Schneider. A student of Economics and German in Oregon, USA, Ian spent two semesters studying at the Heidelberg University.

Julia Paterson. A Scottish student of Phamacy at the University of Tübingen.

Yuri Damasceno. Originally from Rio de Janiero and a student of law at the Universidade Federal Fluminense, Yuri is connected to Germany by family who live in Munich.

Jessica Barra. A Brazilian from Juiz de Fora and a current student of Art and Design at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora has been “waiting my whole life for this moment to live a World Cup in my country.”

Matt Lines. From the UK, Matt studied German (with time spent in Dresden) and is part of a regular soccer podcast called Matt, Matt and Matthews. (Find them on facebook here.)

Momen Mamdouth. An Egyptian freshly graduated from dentistry school with a long history of following German soccer.

Steffan Pedersen. And last but not least, an American-Danish student currently located in Atlanta, Georgia who plays soccer and tennis and can be found blogging here.

I can’t wait to hear what they all have to say when the action starts in Brazil on June 13th. Welcome to every one of you! YG is lucky to have you!

(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) This entry was posted in FIFA World Cup 2014, Football, General, Soccer, Sports in Germany and taggedfootball, soccer, World Cup 2014, World Cup Blogging on March 11, 2014 by Nicolette Stewart.                                                        

Meet the YG World Cup Bloggers: Steffan Pedersen by Steffan Pedersen In just under one month the 2014 World Cup will begin in Brazil. To celebrate, we’ve invited bloggers from around the world to talk about their experiences during the Cup. Today we’d like to introduce one of those bloggers, a Danish-American who works in marketing. Take it away Steffan:

I am a May 2013 Cum Laude graduate from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, where I earned a Bachelor degree in Marketing and Communications. Growing up, I spent seven years living with my family in Randers, Denmark, where I was first introduced to the excitement and togetherness brought along by sports. The way sports bring people together in friendship and unrivaled unison is one of my greatest passions.

To this day I’m fluent in Danish, and cherish my past in Denmark, including my introduction to the beautiful game – soccer. Upon moving back to the States, I developed a perspective where I appreciate different sports in this way, but none will ever surpass my love for soccer. Also, I’ve been able to understand the American soccer environment and culture, befriending anyone with any soccer interest. I would truly value the opportunity to help the sport in any way, as this is one of my truest passions.

I currently live in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). I will

not be attending the World Cup But I will be watching every game, and blogging/tweeting the entire time. I CAN’T WAIT!

As for why I love soccer… That’s a hard question. It’s everything to me. I live, breath, and dream about soccer all day every day.

My connection to Germany: Well, I’ve been there many times, and love the culture. Being Danish, the culture is not much different. I also keep close tabs on the Bundesliga, and Bayern Munchen is one of my favorite teams. (l also believe Germany will win the World Cup).

Welcome to Young Germany, Steffan!

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) This entry was posted in FIFA World Cup 2014, Football, General, Soccer and tagged football, soccer,Steffan Pedersen, World Cup 2014, world cup blog on May 22, 2014 by YG Guest Blogger.

     

World Cup Blog: Pre-World Cup in America by Steffan Pedersen Twitter: @SteffanPedersen

American fans and soldiers from the US Navy unfurl a giant American flag during the playing of the

National Anthem before the start of action between the USA Men’s National Soccer team and Nigeria

at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. This is the last match before the USA team leaves for

Brazil and the 2014 World Cup Championships. USA defeated Nigeria 2-1. Photo copyright dpa

Asking an American their feelings on the World Cup is like reaching your hand into a mystery bag. You never know what type of response you’ll get, but there are usually a few predictable outcomes.

The responses will vary on the basis of gender, age, locational demographics, and of course interest. Your question may be answered with another question along the lines of, “World Cup? What World Cup?” or straight-up “Who cares!?” You may be told it’s some silly soccer tournament that only foreigners care about. (Check out this YouTube video from TheLifeOfBaha if you want to make fun of Americans who don’t know soccer.) However, you may be lucky to connect with an American who is increasingly interested in soccer.

This type of American will be open-minded and admit he or she may not be the most educated on the sport, but does admire the passion and history behind the game. I am seeing an increasing trend in the American population ‘buying into’ the idea of a free-flowing and more creative game. It’s hard to turn down the passion that comes with being a soccer supporter; however, I still hear people say that all you’re doing is watching grass grow. And finally, if you’re extremely lucky, you’ll hit the nail on the head and find an American who goes the extra mile to support soccer. He or she will be thrilled by your questions, and love the opportunity to discuss with a fellow supporter.

To give you an idea of how soccer is supported across different regions of America, what I’ve found is that the American Northwest is far more advanced in their understanding and appreciation of the game. In my opinion, cities like Portland, Oregon, Seattle, and Washington are among the most soccer-proficient cities in America. That being said, two of these cities also have among the best MLS teams and MLS fan bases. Cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami are great soccer cities as well. I come from Atlanta, Georgia, in the southeastern United States, and soccer is very much a secondary sport to football, baseball, and basketball here. I am hoping that the MLS team set to arrive in 2017 will change this.

Anyways, take another question, for example, “How do you feel the USMNT (US Men’s National Team) will do this year in the World Cup?” When answering this, you’ll see a mix of glass half-empty and glass half-full responses. The draw in December yielded what some feel is the Group of Death, with a more-than-capable Ghana, powerful Germany, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. For the most part, USMNT fans winced at these results; however, there is a large population of fans optimistic about our chances to shock the world. This is as good of a chance as any to get revenge on Ghana, and prove ourselves on the world stage against Portugal and Germany.

In terms of awareness, advertising and commercials for the Cup are exploding through industries I would have never predicted would back the sport. Degree, a personal hygiene brand, has become an official sponsor of the team along with Allstate (insurance), AT&T (communications), Gatorade (sports drink), McDonald’s, Nike, Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch (beer), Castrol (motor oil), and Century 21 (real estate) to give you an idea of the wide range of companies jumping onto the World Cup coattail.

On top of the ever-popular EA Sports FIFA video game, the World Cup has proven to be an immensely important channel for promoting and growing the soccer scene in America. Although our team has yet to defy their historically difficult odds, our country has begun to back them in a way unseen since 1994 when America hosted the Cup. I’ve even seen the general population backing another World Cup bid! Here’s to praying we steal the controversial 2022 World Cup from Qatar!

(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5, rated) This entry was posted in FIFA World Cup 2014, Football, Soccer and tagged FIFA World Cup 2014,football, soccer, soccer in America on June 10, 2014 by YG Guest Blogger.

                 

World Cup Blog: Tomorrow by Steffan Pedersen, @steffanpedersen

Waiting for the kick-off tomorrow (photo by Ines Eiban)

Tomorrow, it’s finally happening. So much anticipation and build up, I don’t even know what to do with myself. I can remember jumping up and down on the 1-year countdown, and even more on the 100-day countdown. Now we’re just ONE day away from the opening kick, and I feel like it hasn’t even sunk in yet.

I have mixed emotions about the Cup this year, and a big part of this comes from the fact that this will be my first World Cup as a workingman. Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. I love my new job, and can’t complain about the hours, but… This is different. If you’re at all into soccer, I’m sure you can sympathize with me here. How do I watch every minute of football for the next month? Do I take longer lunch breaks, or come in to work earlier so I can leave earlier? Do I stream the games on my laptop at work? Do I record the games and hope that nobody tells me the results? Am I going to miss the best goals and upsets?

This is the problem millions of Americans will be facing every day for the next month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be in the same time zone as a majority of the games, but sometimes I think I would rather stay up for the next month straight than miss out on priceless soccer. Somebody just come take my job for the next month!!!

Anyways, with the Cup kicking off tomorrow, America is busy prepping for (what I believe will be) the greatest soccer-takeover our country has ever experienced. A month filled with games everyday and media coverage everywhere. Even for the anti-soccer Americans, they are bound to see coverage on CNN and other news outlets as they relay messages of the tournament’s popularity and happenings.

It’s already all over television and newspapers in the form of advertisements, and this trend will only increase as we see brands jumping on the bandwagon to gain some more “fans.”

Besides the month long March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, there really is no comparative tournament of the World Cup’s duration and sustained interest levels. On a side note, I thought it was humorous to see that there are now “World Cup bracket challenges” where you can win upwards of $1,000,000 for determining the correct result for every single game. I don’t remember this from 2006 or 2010, but that could be because I was backpacking Europe at the time. Correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t believe this is something seen around the world; I see it as an American cultural phenomenon. People go crazy filling out their brackets! I did, however, fill out a couple brackets in hopes of becoming a millionaire

In conclusion, I would like to extend myself to all of you. If you have any questions about America, American soccer, World Cup in America, and so on, I would love to answer them for you. Also if there’s anything in particular you’d like for me to blog about, I’d be happy to. Please feel free to comment on this page, or reach out to me on Twitter (@steffanpedersen)! I would love to hear from you, and hear about your World Cup experiences.

And finally, now that there are no more pre-World Cup posts to write, I can promise a lot more exciting content in my next posts.

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) This entry was posted in FIFA World Cup 2014, Football, Soccer and tagged Brazil 2014, FIFA World Cup 2014, German Soccer Fans, Steffan Pedersen, World Cup Brazil on June 11, 2014 by YG Guest Blogger.

                                           

World Cup Blog: What You Need to Know About Team USA by Steffan Pedersen, @steffanpedersen

Being a guest blogger from America, I wanted to provide some background on our team! I love learning about other countries’ teams, so wanted to provide this humorous and educational list for any of you interested in learning more about the United States Men’s National Team, or USMNT. The win against Ghana has led to an increased interest in the Americans, and with Portugal’s struggles, we have our fingers crossed for a good result on Sunday. Here are some facts to get you caught up before the big game.

Roswell Park Pick-up Soccer (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

1. The USMNT finished in 1st place in their qualification in CONCACAF

22 total points from 10 games played: 7 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses with a +7 goal differential. It was during qualification, but also pre-World Cup friendlies, that Klinsmann’s efforts began to finally pay off. We are hoping he has prepared them just in time, peaking in performance while going through the group stage in Brazil. For all you German fans, do you remember the 4-3 American win back in June 2013? I’m hoping this win gives our boys confidence going into next weeks match-up.

Our qualification losses came from the second and third place qualifiers, respectively, Costa Rica with 18 points and Honduras with 15 points.

2. Jozy Altidore finished tied for 1st in goals during qualification, totaling 4 goals. Clint Dempsey tied for 2nd with 3 goals.

These have always been our goal scorers. Clint Dempsey is a proven talent and was quick to prove his value in the Ghana game, setting an American record for scoring in 29 seconds. Jozy, on the other hand, has struggled on the National stage. Despite his 2 goals versus Nigeria in a World Cup tune-up game earlier this month, he has long had a goal drought, and is now set back by injury. He will miss the Portugal game with a strained left hamstring, and is questionable for the matchup with Germany.

(Jozy has 23 goals in 71 caps for the USMNT, Clint has 38 goals in 106 caps. For perspective, Landon Donovan has 57 goals in 156 caps)

3. Clint Dempsey has released a rap song, and plans on making an album.

You can find the song (It’s Poppin’) here, and the Deuce And XO website here. Not bad for a white, American soccer player. Another rap was released in 2006, titled Don’t Tread.

4. Team USA has loyal fans.

US fans bought 4 times as many tickets as any other nation. The American Outlaws, the USMNT fan group, chartered two planes to fly 530 Outlaws to Brazil. Watch parties are scheduled in every state across the country.

5. Landon Donovan was left off the squad this year.

Perhaps the most popular American player in US Soccer history, Landon was left off the roster this year. Bayern Munich starlet Julian Green was chosen in his place.

6. Record breaking: DaMarcus Beasely, 32, is the only player who has played in four World Cups. Clint Dempsey’s 29-second goal, fastest in US history.

DaMarcus has played in 115 games for the USA, and in leagues in England, Scotland, Holland, Mexico and the United States. And at 19 years old, Julian Green is the 28th youngest player in World Cup history.

7. The USMNT are undefeated in their last 4 games.

Warm up games versus Azerbaijani (2-0), Turkey (2-1), Nigeria (2-1) and the defeat of Ghana 2-1.

8. The USMNT has 5 German-Americans on the team!!

Timmy Chandler, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Julian Green, John Brooks, and finally a non-World Cup teammate: Terrence Boyd who was cut from roster in late May. What a great ‘melting-pot’ for Jurgen Klinsmann, and especially for Julian Green making his National Team debut — I’m sure it helps to have German speakers around. John Brooks, the hero who scored the second goal versus Ghana, even has two tattoos to demonstrate his origins. Left elbow: city of Berlin with a start where he was born. Right elbow: the state of Illinois, where his father is from.

9. Clint Dempsey was born and raised in a trailer park in Nacogdoches, Texas.

He couldn’t afford to play on his youth team, so had to quit at an early age. Economic assistance from his friends allowed him to rejoin and continue playing. He became the first US player to ever score a hat trick in the Premier League, during Fulham’s 5-2 rout of Newcastle.

1. Geoff Cameron is known as the “pretty boy” of our team.

The Stoke City man “shaves his legs and makes sure his eyebrows and hair are done to the max” according to Stoke keeper Asmir Begovis. He was once the smallest person on the USMNT, resembling a giraffe, but has now grown into his figure.

1. BONUS: Aron Johannsson, America’s latest starlet, was born in Alabama but grew up in Iceland.

When he was 8 he told his dad he would be a professional soccer player. I wish the things I told my dad turned out to be true… The Kevin Bacon look-a-like plays professionally at Jozy Altidore’s old club, AZ Alkmaar.

Silverbacks Park 7v7 (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

That’s it for the list! Hope you’ve learned something about the USMNT. I’ve included some pictures in this post from this past week. I went and played pick-up soccer at Roswell Park, with over 50 people on a turf American football field, with lacrosse nets. Beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to futbol in America. I also played at the Silverback’s turf stadium last night in a 7v7 league. The Silverback’s are Atlanta’s NASL team (North American Soccer League), the league under the MLS.

My German bet (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

My last two images (sorry about the quality!) are my World Cup bets from a Danish website. You’ll be happy to see I placed 5 kroner on Germany (Tyskland) to win it all! My other bet was on the group stage winners. I chose to place 10 kroners on Brazil, Colombia, France, Argentina, Germany, and Belgium. So far so good!

Group bets (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated) This entry was posted in FIFA World Cup 2014, Football, Soccer and tagged Steffan Pedersen, Team USAon June 20, 2014 by YG Guest Blogger.

World Cup Blog: Drinking, Streaming, and Partying by Steffan Pedersen, @steffanpedersen

The 2014 World Cup has now been played for about a week and a half, and I wanted to provide my thoughts on the action, and show you how I’ve been watching! We are quickly progressing through the group stage and a week away from the knockout stage. It needs to slow down…

It’s been an unbelievable tournament so far! The ousting of Spain, struggles of England, American triumph and Costa Rican upsets. Soccer is impossibly unpredictable in itself, let alone at the World Cup. I do have to say that Spain has been the biggest surprise for me, so far. I admit it was a pleasant surprise though

Steffan’s Desk

I have been out to a couple bars to watch games, but mostly stream the games from my computer in the office at work, or head to a friend’s house to watch. This is what it looks like when I pull up the games (via ESPN3) at the office. Currently watching France beating Switzerland 5-2! Thank God for two screens!

It’s really unfortunate the ‘better’ games have been on at noon and 3pm. 6pm can also be a tough time to watch because the Atlanta traffic is horrendous!

North River Tavern (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

I’ve included some pictures of the bar where we watched the USA vs. Ghana. The bar is called North River Tavern and is in Roswell, Georgia. It may be hard to tell because it’s so dark, but everyone is dressed in their most patriotic red, white and blue.

North River Tavern: our group (photo: Steffan

Pedersen)

They sold these awesome golden Budweiser bottles at the bar that picture the World Cup

trophy on them! North River Tavern: World Cup Budweiser (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

For the England vs. Italy game, I happened to be at a local Beerfest in Brookhaven ($40 all you can drink from 150+ beers!) where they had the game on TV’s outside the Bud Light Mobile bar. I’ve included pictures from the Beerfest and Bud Light bar, where tons of people were dressed in England and Italy jerseys in anticipation of the big game! It was a great place to watch.

Atlanta Beerfest World Cup

This weekend I am heading to the Atlanta Soccerfest on Sunday for the USA vs. Portugal game! I’m expecting a huge crowd and a lot of fun! It’s really interesting that these types of watch parties are popping up all over the place… Local businesses and parks are jumping on the World Cup bandwagon to gain publicity and business. Don’t get me wrong — I love it. The more soccer related things I see everyday, the happier I am. The soccer community in Atlanta has been thriving in the last couple of years, but this past month has really been the most explosive I have ever seen it. I’ve met many people, and read multiple blogs, where Americans are admitting to now being huge soccer fans!

Beerfest Soccer

The sense of community that you can build around soccer is unparalleled, and Americans are beginning to pick up on that. These watch parties and the passion behind the crowd are persuasive and enticing to any sports fan, even if you dislike soccer.

I can’t wait to have an MLS team in Atlanta in 2017! You’ll see me leading these communities and getting the city ready for the 2018 World Cup! Great timing to convert some more Americans to the real “football”

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated) This  entry  was  posted  in  FIFA  World  Cup  2014,  Football,  Soccer  and  tagged  Atlanta  Soccerfest,  Beer,Beerfest,  Brazil  2014,  Partying,  Steffan  Pedersen,  Streaming,  World  Cup  on  June  21,  2014  by  YG  Guest  Blogger.

World Cup Blog: Atlanta Soccerfest by Steffan Pedersen, @steffanpedersen

This past Sunday, June 22nd, I attended the Atlanta Soccerfest. At the event, it became clear to me that my city has finally started to embrace soccer, or at least the World Cup. It was at Brookhaven Park in North Atlanta and was the biggest American soccer viewing party I have ever been to. Honestly, it may be the biggest watch party I’ve ever been to. The FIFA FanFests in Europe during the 2010 World Cup were incredible, but the amount of people in attendance at this event blew me away.

It’s estimated that 20,000 people participated throughout the day. The event boasted not one, but two giant 11’x17’ screens, VIP viewing areas, soccer arcades and mini-games, and 5k fun runs. The 5k kicked off the activities around 8am (a little too early for me) and activities were scheduled all the way through the highly anticipated USA vs. Portugal game. All three matches were shown, the Atlanta Silverbacks provided clinics, bouncy houses, face painting, food trucks, and of course beer. The event was free, made possible by several great sponsors including Terminus Legion and MLS Atlanta – two organizations I belong to that are doing great things for soccer in the Atlanta area. Other sponsors included my previous employers, Georgia Soccer, as well as my favorite beer company Sweetwater Brewing Company. I’m sure you can tell I had an amazing time.

Atlanta Soccerfest seats (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

I’ve included some pictures to give you a taste of the scene, including this YouTube video of the crowd erupting following Jermaine Jones’ equalizing goal.

Atlanta Soccerfest: goal (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

Tents, blankets, chairs, and coolers were all allowed, but hardly touched since we ended up standing the entire time. Here is a picture I took from our “seats,” followed by a picture of people celebrating our first goal.

I didn’t fully realize how many people were there until we were leaving. After the final whistle, the people in attendance turned into a herd of thousands funneling through narrow exits and towards their cars or MARTA. MARTA is our Atlanta transit system, conveniently located right across the street from the park. Having this type of infrastructure in place really becomes the catalyst behind high attendance numbers. People want their events to be as pain-free and convenient as possible. It’s also nice when you can stumble to the train and don’t have to worry about driving home

Leaving the Atlanta Soccerfest (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

Here’s a pictures of the scene while we shuffled away from the park.

Leaving the Atlanta Soccerfest (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

Bonus picture: two of my friends celebrating the goal with a Britney Spears poster. Needless to say, the crowd went wild… Can’t get more American than that.

Atlanta Soccerfest: celebrating with Britney Spears (photo: Steffan Pedersen)

Overall it was a hot, but awesome day. I was blown away by the organization and turnout; I guess I had pretty low expectations from the beginning, though – typical of any American counting on fellow citizens to support a “foreign” sport. I look forward to continuously promoting American soccer following the World Cup, to avoid the “Olympics Effect,” where the majority population will forget about soccer until 2018. Events like this do help, though, and should be continued for MLS, international friendlies, and Euro 2016.

(6 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5, rated) This  entry  was  posted  in  FIFA  World  Cup  2014,  Football,  Soccer  and  tagged  Atlanta  Soccerfest,  FIFA  2014  World  Cup,  Steffan  Pedersen,  World  Cup  on  June  25,  2014  by  YG  Guest  Blogger.

   Congratulations  to  Germany!  What  a  World  Cup!  

Photo  Credit:  Reuters/Dylan  Martinez