FIFA World Cup

Dynamo Learn, 'You Can't Win Them All'

Have you ever been traveling, and you just have this sneaky suspension that you left something in the hotel room? The lads in Orange over at BBVA Compass Stadium might be having that same feeling right about now. Just two weeks ago, they were the proud owners of a 36 home match unbeaten streak. The ... More >>

Pope Francis I: Five Questions We Want Answered About The New Guy

We've got white smoke; we've got cheering crowds, habemas papem, as they say. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio got the gig and, even though his name ends in a vowel and looks like it should be preceded by a nickname, he's not Italian. For the third time in a row, the College of Cardinals has elected ... More >>

US Women's Soccer Team in Town to Face China Wednesday Night

Fresh off their gold medal winning performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the US Women's National Soccer is making a pit stop in Houston on Wednesday night. They'll face an old adversary in the Chinese National Team at BBVA Compass Stadium. It's been eight years since the ladies last p ... More >>

Soccer Notes: Mexico Comes to Town, Again

If you're a fan of watching a big-time football team beat up a small program, then October 12 at BBVA Compass Stadium is the place to be. And no, Texas Southern won't be hosting an SEC or Big 12 team.

Euro 2012 Final: Houstonians Love Fútbol

According to UEFA predictions, approximately 250 million soccer fans tuned in to watch the Euro 2012 final match on Sunday evening. Compare that to the 111 million that watched this year's Super Bowl, and you get an idea as to the impact and significance of this event. The game pitted reigning champ ... More >>

Euro 2012: How to Fake a Conversation on Europe's Huge Soccer Tournament

Wait a minute, your American red blood-soaked brain might be thinking, wasn't there just an international soccer tournament? World...something? And didn't we win that already? Are we going to kick ass in this one, AGAIN? In short:a) two years ago, b) Cup, c) no and d) no, because this tournament is ... More >>

The Super Bowl Prostitution Hoax

Indianapolis mobilizes for an epic battle with an urban legend.

Three Things We Learned from Mexico's Win Over Venezuela at Reliant

Check out our slideshow of fans and dives during the Mexico vs. Venezuela game. To get a feel for Mexico's game against Venezuela last night at Reliant Stadium, one only needed to watch the last 25 minutes. Seriously... the previous 65 minutes only produced one Venezuelan goal. Mexico found the n ... More >>

Special Soccer Edicion

Nelson Mandela Hospitalized; Five Great Speeches He's Given

A leader unlike any other​Nelson Mandela is in the hospital with a collapsed lung. Doctors say that he is in no immediate danger, but then again he is 92 years old. He has stayed largely out of the public eye for years, of course, except for big events like the recent World Cup. His time is ... More >>

2022 World Cup Host Is... Not the US

Brittanie SheyUSA! USA! Did not win!​Houston city leaders, members of the Dynamo organization and soccer fans gathered at a bunting-filled room at the George R. Brown Convention Center this morning to hear the international announcement of which countries will be hosting the 2018 and 2022 Worl ... More >>

Bend It Like Beckham

Reignite your soccer passion with 2002's scoring dramedy

Manchester United: Five Reasons To Hate Them

Yeah, yeah -- tradition yadda, yadda, yadda​Manchester United F.C. will be making their first trip to Houston as they play the MLS All-Stars at Reliant Stadium Wednesday. As one of soccer's most successful and most recognizable clubs, Man U is the sole reason why a record-sellout crowd is expected ... More >>

MLS All-Star Game Build-Up Begins, And Dynamo Start Super Liga Action With A Win

The man who cheated Ireland out of the World Cup is coming to Houston​The Houston Dynamo officially kicked-off their Super Liga schedule last night with a 2-1 over Mexican rival Pachuca. Joseph Ngwenya was the hero of night with both goals for the Orange. Ngwenya first got on the board in the 19th ... More >>

World Cup 2010: Spain Wins Ugly, But Wins

Spain finally gets the cup​The Spaniards huffed and puffed; and they puffed, and puffed, and ...Well it took 116 minutes of puffing, but Andres Iniesta scored the lone goal Sunday to give Spain their first FIFA World Cup title. And it came off a Dutch mistake in the backline, when they turne ... More >>

World Cup 2010: David Villa Goes For The Golden Boot

No need to play: The octopus has chosen Spain​It's been almost one month since South Africa and Mexico got the FIFA World Cup started in Soccer City. This Sunday - 63 games later - the Netherlands and Spain close up shop with what could be an instant classic.This will mark the first time tha ... More >>

GOOOOOOOLLL!!!: 17 Sexy Soccer Album Covers

​​After tomorrow's third-place match and Sunday's final, Rocks Off will be sorry to see the World Cup go away for another four years. We've grown pretty fond of those vuvuzelas, and besides, there hasn't been much else to cheer about sporting-wise around Houston for, like ever. See you ... More >>

Willie Movie Postponed; Woven Bones Cancel; Paul Wall Hosts Party

​Just a few late-breaking notes before Rocks Off gets the hell out of here... Austin lo-fi garage trio Woven Bones has canceled its show at Mango's tonight. No reason was given; all the more reason to go see Lightning Bolt and Indian Jewelry at Khon's. Aurora Picture Show's screening of W ... More >>

World Cup 2010: Spain Vs. Germany -- Starry Individuals Face A Daunting Team Of Relative No-Names

All Euro all the time​One team has been laying beat downs.The other team, well, hasn't.That pretty much sums up the difference between Germany and Spain heading into their semifinal date later this afternoon - evening in Durban, South Africa.In a rematch of the 2008 European finals, the Germ ... More >>

Believe It Or Not, There Are Bigger Crybabies Than Cristiano Ronaldo

​We've reached the quarterfinal stage of the World Cup, and some big names have already been unceremoniously booted after early round losses. Not many people were surprised at France's exit, and The USA and England were lucky to make the Round of 16 in the first place. But Italy, the reigning ... More >>

World Cup: 25 Things An Outsider Learned

What? No "Heil Shitler" headline?​With the U.S. soccer team defeat to Ghana on Saturday, I thought I would note some things I noted from the World Cup this year.1. From my readings on the internet and twitter, it appeared that the U.S. soccer team was coached by Gary Kubiak. The team had bad fi ... More >>

World Cup 2010 -- What's The Future Look Like For Team America?

Is Coach Bob Bradley staying?​Now that the US has been eliminated from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it's time to play a little Monday quarterback, futbol style.Even though the US won its group for the first time in this millennium, and even though they made it past the first round (this was the team's ... More >>

Game Time: 2010 World Cup -- I Am Darth Soccer

"Luke!! I am your bad-luck charm!!"​If ever there were a sporting event that was tailor-made for watching in a sports bar with a room full of diehard fans, it's World Cup soccer.It's the one sporting event that takes a pretty easily graspable concept for the casual fan (put ball in goal -- and in ... More >>

World Cup 2010: USA-Ghana -- Do You (No Longer) Believe In Miracles?

Yeah, and WE wanted YOU to stop giving up early goals​They did it once, they did it twice, even three times for awhile, but the US National Team failed to come from behind as they fell to Ghana 2-1 in overtime Saturday.For the third time in this tournament, the US fell behind from an early goal, h ... More >>

World Cup 2010: USA-Ghana -- Five Keys To Look For

A moment he'll never forget​The images of Wednesday morning are still fresh on many people's minds. The image of Landon Donovan putting the US ahead in the 91st minute against Algeria, putting the Americans back in the round of 16 for the first time since 2002.Their opponent on Saturday is Ghana, ... More >>

Hate Mail

The World Cup Soccer Final: Netherlands vs. Spain

Check out our World Cup Soccer Bars Directory for a place to catch all the action

Game Time: 2010 World Cup -- USA Wins! Now Awaits Conference Expansion Invite To Become Part of South America

Photo by Monica Fuentes Catching Cup fever this morning​"Soccer is about to cement its place as the worst 'sports bar sport' EVER..." -- Me at the 89-minute mark of the USA-Algeria game today"THIS IS AWESOME!!!" -- Me hugging strangers at the 91-minute mark of the USA-Algeria game today A ... More >>

The French Soccer Team: Five Movies That Would Have Ended Differently With Les Bleus In Them

When the going gets tough....​France is in an uproar over their soccer team, which has not only sucked to an incredible degree in the World Cup but which has also gone on strike -- IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD CUP -- because their feelings were hurt.Why did they strike? One of the players criticized ... More >>

Five Things In Sports More Annoying Than Those Vuvuzelas

Photo by pempempie​Folks, it's time to shut up about those stupid African trumpets already: The constant drone of cheap and tuneless plastic horns is killing the atmosphere at the World Cup. Where are loud choruses of "Oooohhhs" from enthralled crowds when a shot scorches just wide of the go ... More >>

The Week In TV: Boardwalk Empire And Bravo, Two Ends Of A Spectrum

This guy has to be stopped.​The Cup is upon us, the spring season is definitely behind us, and I'm warning you: Don't tease the panther. This was the week in TV Land: • So, the World Cup started the other day. I was with friends at a Mexican restaurant when the USA-England game began, whic ... More >>

World Cup 2010: Discovery Green Rocks To England's Blunder

A draw for the ages?​Even though the Americans didn't win their opening match Saturday against England, they couldn't have asked for a better start. The 1-1 tie between the two sides was just as good as a win for the US, as they go into their second game with as many points as they finished with a ... More >>

World Cup: Today South Africa; Tomorrow Houston

This ball is shaped funny​The world's biggest sporting event might be coming to a stadium near you, that is, if you want it here more than everyone else. A reception was held at City Hall Thursday to announce that Houston is holding the top spot in the bidding to host the FIFA World Cup in 2 ... More >>

World Cup 2010: These Teams Will Make It Out Of The Group Stage. Guaranteed

Now THAT was a USA World Cup squad​The 2010 edition of the FIFA World Cup is finally here. Thirty-two teams made it to the big dance to see just who is the best in the world. Realistically though, only a handful of teams have a shot of winning the cup. It's all going to come down to matchups ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Oh, okay. When we heard "designer meat" we were afraid it was going to be some ridiculously sculpted abomination, but no, we'd totally eat that.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we accidentally made a fancy dessert dish with our banana-scented sunscreen. We s ... More >>

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa - USA on the Field

It's the USA team's outings at the Cup

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Watch as the soccer world goes to war

World Cup In Houston: Where To Get Your Gamewatch On

32 teams, one cup, plenty of Houston bars​Two days from now, the world will tune in to Johannesburg, South Africa as the 2010 FIFA World Cup officially kicks off. The first match is a Group A clash between Mexico and South Africa. For all you futbol fanáticos, there are plenty of places to view a ... More >>

World Cup: Get in the Spirit

zota​If you couldn't care less about the World Cup, that's fine, because basically the ENTIRE REST OF THE WORLD is excited, and we'll make up for your lack of enthusiasm. But should you be looking to get into the World Cup spirit, here's a brief list of Houston restaurants where you can enjoy ... More >>

25 Weird And/Or Hilarious Soccer Chants

​Rocks Off spent June 2006 in Salamanca, Spain during the World Cup, and we can tell you it's difficult to exaggerate what an event this is to pretty much every country in the world but America. (Although the U.S. is reportedly gaining.) While watching the games, we would leave the window open ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Life Goes On, Even After Lost And 24

​In case you hadn't heard, this week marked the series finales of both 24 and Lost, leaving fans of Byzantine plots, glacial pacing, and right-wing propaganda with huge, empty spaces in their lives. At least until the next Tom Clancy novel comes out. But have no fear, brave TV watchers. For t ... More >>

The World Cup Is Coming To Houston! The Trophy, At Least

​While Houston won't be hosting any World Cup games anytime soon, fans of the world's most popular sports can at least lay they eyes up on the world's most coveted trophy.The World Cup trophy is coming to the University of Houston and will be on display as part of a soccer festival that will featu ... More >>

Year in Film: Director of the Decade

Clint Eastwood talks straight about his prolific career.

Honoring Sally Yan Yan Ng

The MFAH remembers a film fan

Are You Ready for Some Fútbol?

World Cup Runneth Over

Comida sin Fronteras

In 21st-century Houston, it's getting hard to tell the difference between Mexican and Tex-Mex

Gooooaaaal!

Emporio Brazilian Café scores with home cooking