The goal is simple…share the love of soccer with others, help promote the sport in the US and hopefully meet some interesting people along the way. The writing is primarily about American players, as part of the Men’s National Team and abroad. Also discussed is the EPL as it is the lens through which many Americans view soccer as well as its increasing exposure via the new ESPN broadcast rights.
If you’d like to contact us directly, please send email to: shinguardian[at]gmail[dot]com
TSG is:
Matthew
“The positive optimist”
Hometown: Suburbia, NYC (currently San Francisco, Golden State)
Covers: USMNT, Americans Abroad, EPL, Technical Analysis, Game Review
Unknown Fact 1: Attended Sportcenter U’s Newhouse School: Syracuse University
__________
Contributors:
Offers a different perspective
Shaun:
Hometown: Somewhere in the Alps
EPL Team: “You’ll never walk alone”
Covers: Liverpool, EPL, Americans Abroad, Liverpool, Game Commentary
Eric:
Hometown: Disgruntled in DC
Team: Roma
Covers: Serie A, Javier Pastore
———-
———-
Other contributors:Ryan Hadley (Soccer tactics), Jay Bell (USMNT, MLS), Maura Gladys (USWNT), Eric Giardini (Serie A)
Soccer Mom:
Current Team: CGNU Allstars
Hometown: Bronx, NY
Favorite Team: USMNT, whoever is the underdog
Favorite Players: Matt, Mark
Unknown Fact: Used to win ballet competitions as a youngster
Subscribe to TSG via RSS
The Shin Guardian 
Posted by Matthew N on 2009/08/05 at 7:05 PM
I saw this site on a Facebook ad, and I really really love it. If you ever need help writing articles, let me know. I’m a huge Columbus and Liverpool fan, although the US National Team is my true love.
Posted by Mark T on 2009/08/06 at 9:44 AM
Thanks for the kinds words, Matthew. My brother and I are enjoying writing for folks and stoked to see where this goes.
See my brothers note below re: contributing.
Cheers,
Mark
Posted by matthewsf on 2009/08/06 at 10:06 AM
Liverpool?! :> Glen Johnson is going to blow up at the wingfull for you guys this year.
Thanks for the great words of appreciation.
We’d be happy to give you a guest post is there is a unique angle to a story. Let us know if you are interested. We have only one rule, “Be unique.”
Thanks for reading and supporting!
Posted by Matthew N on 2009/08/06 at 10:57 AM
Yeah.. I have watched most of the preseason matches and exhibitions and I am loving Glen Johnson so far. The attacking defender is my favorite type of player (it is one of the reasons I love John Spector!). I’m really anxious for this season but I am unsure how losing Xabi and Arbeloa will affect the midfield play. Either way, I am so glad the season is about to start. If I get a unique idea, I’ll be sure to get in touch 🙂
Posted by matthewsf on 2009/08/06 at 11:01 AM
Matthew, if you want write up a piece on the comparisons of Glen Johnson and Jonathan Spector, great angle.
If not, no worries. Thanks for the contributions and I’m sure we’ll speak again!
Posted by Matthew N on 2009/08/14 at 9:47 AM
Matthew in San Fran,
I need to become much more familiar with both players before I would do something like this. I will watch every Liverpool match and I’m going to try to watch every West Ham match I can. After a month or so into the season, I should be more able to do something like this.
Posted by Kyle on 2009/08/06 at 9:59 AM
Hello to you both…I just saw a Facebook ad about your site (brilliant marketing strategy) and wanted to drop you a line. We just named our Technical Director Peter Vermes, former USA star, as our Interim Head Coach. If you’re looking to help expand your reach into Kansas City, we could arrange a phone interview with PV and make sure all of our fans get a link to it.
Let me know if you’re interested,
Kyle
Kyle Rogers
Press Officer/New Media
Kansas City Wizards
http://www.hillcrestroadblog.com
Posted by matthewsf on 2009/08/06 at 10:27 AM
You mean THE Peter Vermes who (nearly) had the best goal in US World Cup history. We’d be honored!
Kyle, you’re email doesn’t come through — just email us at shinguardian@gmail.com. We’ll respond from there. If it doesn’t come through, we’ll find another way to reach you.
Thanks for reaching out!
Posted by Start Slicing the Orange Wedges, It’s Game Day « The Shin Guardian on 2009/09/05 at 5:02 PM
[…] About Us […]
Posted by kaya on 2009/10/08 at 2:03 PM
I guess I never mentioned I found you guys in a roundabout way on FB, too. Not an ad, though.
I became a “fan” of Official US Soccer and someone responded to one of their (US Soccer’s) posts “US Supporters Club sucks… AO is the best”. After figuring out what “AO” meant, I went to their website and found you guys.
Posted by Lee on 2009/12/12 at 4:16 PM
Hey guys,
I found you’re blog through facebook.
I just thought I’d comment on how good your commentary is on football.
Keep up the good work!
Lee,
Stoke City fan, England.
Posted by Tom on 2010/01/04 at 5:04 PM
Hey,
Just found this site by accident. Great stuff. Thanks for all the info.
Tom
Fulham fan N.J.
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2010/01/21 at 2:39 PM
Somebody mentioned this site so I thought I’d check it out. I like what I have read so far. I am relatively new to US football (6 years) but have been watching English and European football for 30 years. I appreciate the intelligent commentary and analysis on this site, rather that the (patriotic?) nonsense I generally see. And I’d like to add that I am not a EuroSnob!
George
Crystal Palace fan in NYC (They were my local team growing up, before you ask!).
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/01/21 at 2:43 PM
George — thanks so much. And really appreciate the compliment.
We’re going to try and make things easier to find as well.
If you’re interested…here’s a link to how we intend to cover the World Cup.
Oh…and Andrew Johnson….he was Tevez before Tevez.
Best and thanks for commenting.
http://theshinguardian.com/2009/12/17/tsg-exec-plan-world-cup-coverage-schematic/
Matthew
Posted by GeorgeCross on 2010/01/28 at 5:42 PM
I guess I am a Revs fan (I lived in Boston for 5 years) but now I live in NYC and will try to watch as many RedBulls games as I can this year. I actually saw Dempsey when he was there and you could tell that he had that extra ability – even though that turnip, Twellman, used to get the limelight.
I am guessing your reference to AJ is about Palace? How can you not mention Ian Wright and mark Bright?!?!
**Side note: What do you think about people who attend MLS games but wear EPL / La Liga / Serie A merchandise? I know life is short and it really shouldn’t bother me, but it does…
Posted by John Piccirillo on 2010/02/16 at 7:43 PM
Guys-
Been checking out the site since the WCQ’s, very well done, keep up the good work.
jp
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/02/16 at 9:57 PM
Awesome! Thanks for the kind words…
Posted by Mark T on 2010/02/17 at 1:00 AM
Thanks, JP. Anything the Fado faithful would like to see covered here?
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/02/20 at 12:14 PM
Wow, this site is really good guys. Before TSG, to feed my US National Team fix I’d go scavenging around the web and try to compose a complete meal. But now? It’s like all-you-can eat sushi or a big pot of stew every time out.
One thing I’m curious about…you posted the new away jersey (blue with white sash) – is that real?because I couldn’t find it on Nike site. Also, who gets to be the home team during the cup- i.e. who gets to wear white since all teams in the US group have white as their first choice kit. I happen to love how we look in the dark of our away jersey. The current horizontal pinstripes white kit looks infantile. Like the something The Beav’ would be wearing in 1950s suburban America.
Posted by Mark T on 2010/02/20 at 12:22 PM
Johnny,
Matthew and I really appreciate the kind words. Thank you.
The pictures of Landon, Dempsey and others can be accessed by scrolling along the filmstrip of pictures towards the bottom of the nike page we linked to.
Not sure about the home team determination…we’ll look into it.
Posted by Nick on 2010/03/19 at 7:40 PM
Hi guys,
I found your site while searching on WordPress for other soccer blogs, and just wanted to say how much I enjoy your site. Great job! Keep up the good work!
Nick
QueenCitySoccer.Wordpress.com
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/03/19 at 9:57 PM
Thanks a ton for the positive affirmation Nick. Means a lot….who should we be looking for prospect wise out of the south?
Posted by Nick on 2010/03/21 at 8:26 AM
Well I have a good feeling about the Railhawks in USSF Div2. Many of the key players from last season’s USL1 second place finish are back, with some tasty little additions, too. The defense is probably the strongest in the league, and we have added some creative players and experienced forwards. In USL2 my money is on Charleston Battery. Self-relegated from the remnants of USL1, the Battery are a strong club and will be very hard to beat. Charlotte Eagles will probably be in the USL2 playoffs as usual, but I don’t think they’ll go all the way.
You heard it hear first 🙂
Cheers!
Nick
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/03/20 at 8:08 PM
Hey Matt/Mark
Did you watch the Fox broadcast of the Red Bulls game today? I’ve never, ever seen such horrible camerawork and editing. The focus on the main camera was so tight that often you wouldn’t even see the goal as a player was dribbling into the box! On Dane Richards’ goal, you don’t even see Dane shoot (!), just the ball appearing from somewhere out of frame. And to make up for his extremely tight framing, the cameraman kept zooming in and out and panning wildly to try to track the action. It was ridiculous, nauseating, and f-ing bush league.
One of you guys are an illustrious graduate of the all powerful Syracuse’s media school , don’t you know someone over there at Fox? If anybody’s askin, they need to get real soccer cameramen at Red Bull Area and move the primary “A” camera higher in the stadium so that the audience can see the action develop. Soccer on TV looks much better from above (oh what geometry!) – than from the side which is just a muddle anyway.
Here’s a clip of the goals and you’ll see what I mean.
Wow, I never thought I’d be ranting about a soccer broadcast’s camerawork…..By the way, again, you two are doing amazing stuff with TSG. The features are always creative and the analysis is as good as I’ve found.
John
Posted by Nick on 2010/03/21 at 8:30 AM
Hey John,
I know almost nothing about camera work, but you are absolutely right, I think their main camera is in the wrong place! At first I thought it was me (kept cleaning my glasses, had a cup of coffee, and everything), but the angles were weird!
The strange thing is the rest of the stadium looks awesome! It really is a feather in the cap of MLS. But how could you design a stadium like that and put the cameras so low???
Cheers,
Nick
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/03/28 at 6:29 PM
hey nick…I ended up just calling the offices of the red bulls. I started speaking to the guy who answered. we talked a bit about the stadium and the excitement around the team and then I told him about the strange TV feed. he then says, “hold on, the guy who can answer that is right here…” he handed the phone to him and explained that fox soccer channel was using the msg feed which was in HD. since FSC wasn’t broadcasting that feed in HD, the sides of the frame were trimmed due to the narrower aspect ratio. that won’t happen again he assured me.
(note: the production broadcast of the chicago fire match was excellent with the camera positioned higher to give a better angle on the match)
besides quickly getting exactly the information I was looking for from exactly the right guy, the matter-of-fact, non-corporate approach to helping a fan get answers was so f-ing refreshing! no robo-operator, no sicky-sweet “customer satisfaction” babble. no sales pitch. just two soccer guys talking about the game. in that moment, the red bulls weren’t just another corporate sports entity, they were a “club” in the best sense of the word. love that. well done nyrb.
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/03/28 at 6:30 PM
Hey Johnny — thanks for posting this — going to link to it on the main story.
Sorry we couldn’t turn it around faster.
Posted by Nick on 2010/03/28 at 7:20 PM
Hey Johnny, thanks for the update, and yeah, well done NYRB! I watched the Chicago game on Saturday and as you say it looked a lot better! I know you guys are in NY so the new stadium is especially exciting for you, but even for neutral fans like myself it is extremely exciting to see such a great stadium in the league. It looks beautiful, and the atmosphere was rocking! Anyway, thanks again for the update!
Nick
Posted by cosmosredux on 2010/03/21 at 3:26 PM
JohnnyF — just receiving this comment — I’ll look into this and see if I can get a contact shortly.
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/03/25 at 10:30 AM
Matthew….
Re: Ray Hudson….great idea…..there are so many great ones but here’s a selection of favorites…..
1. Go to 4:09 of this clip…
2. Ronaldinho’s wrong way bicycle kick
3. start at 6:10 of this clip
4. A rarity: he’s almost speechless by messi
5. one for the yanks…clint takes account of everything in the universe
Posted by Wrap: MLS Observations of a Novice, More… « The Shin Guardian on 2010/03/28 at 4:00 PM
[…] With apologies to this comment by Johnny F, opening saw quite a bit more camera angles in the two games we watched (SJE/RSL and LAG/NER) this weekend. (Johnny we have not heard back yet on our email to FSC on the camera issue.) […]
Posted by Stephen on 2010/04/09 at 7:15 PM
Thanks so much for your site. As USMNT fans we are starved for info and this fills a huge gap. Keep up the good work and I’ll do my part by spending my retirement to follow the team to as many matches as possible and to continue to go to all the world cups. See y’all in SA.
steve
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/04/10 at 8:45 AM
Thanks for the kindest of words Steve…glad you are participating…
Posted by Jim S on 2010/04/13 at 11:37 AM
To all you Guys and Soccer Mom too. Thanks for you time maintaining the site.
Just wanted to let you know that the link to c. horridus on the right bar has changed. It’s correct in the articles, but I guess on april 1st it moved and they are usings chorridus.com now. thanks and keep up the good work.
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/05/06 at 10:29 AM
Can Bedoya do this???
http://www.thedamarcuscollection.com/about-damarcus.html
Posted by Alex on 2010/05/18 at 7:47 AM
do you guys get paid for this? or just for fun?
If you don’t, flood this site with advertisements! I don’t mind! you guys deserve it.
Posted by JohnnyF on 2010/05/20 at 10:34 AM
best taunts and chants from english leagues….
http://www.zootoday.com/sport/archive/2010/05/12/the-seasons-49-best-chants
Posted by Rory on 2010/06/21 at 8:34 AM
Really the best US soccer commentary on the web. Only wish I’d have known about you guys earlier or I wouldn’t have wasted do much time trolling through ESPN or reading my paper’s baseball guy cut and paste from Wikipedia. Cheers and thanks!
Posted by csquare on 2010/07/01 at 8:26 PM
Fantastic work as usual. How about an entry where you evaluate the ESPN commentators from the world cup much like you evaluatted the USA players after each match?
Posted by Kevin on 2010/07/05 at 12:48 PM
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know how cool I think your site is! I found the website through Soccer By Ives. The clever & funny commentary is great to read – you guys definitely have a unique thing going on. Keep up the good work!
Posted by Stephen on 2010/07/06 at 12:46 PM
I wanted to share my blog with you and your readers if anyone is interested at http://www.thefreebeermovement.com/search/label/senior%20South%20African%20correspondent.
It is our adventures in South Africa following the US soccer team. It starts at the bottom so scroll down to get started. Enjoy and as always I love yall’s site. Great stuff.
steve
Posted by Robert Andrew Powell on 2010/07/12 at 2:06 AM
Hey. I’m a legitimate journalist — NYTimes, Sports Illustrated, a book — down in Mexico for this year working on a soccer-related project. As part of it, I’m planning to soon visit Pachuca, the club that just signed three Americans, including Herculez Gomez. Without delving into specifics for now, would a story about this club and these americans abroad interest you at all? Let me know, please.
RAP.
Posted by matthewsf on 2010/07/12 at 6:24 AM
Absolutely – we’re looking for more writers as well. Email me at shinguardian@gmail.com
Posted by Yvonne Mason on 2010/09/28 at 4:06 PM
Uh, I am being “one of those people.” I love your site and your tweets. I learn so much from you and my other soccer pals. Y’all are funny and bright and incredibly well informed. BUT I am an English teacher and I have something to tell you, but I would rather have a way to tell you privately. Is that possible? You can DM me @ydmason on twitter or I am at ymason@gmail.com.
It’s actually pretty funny, but you might like to know.
Posted by Yvonne Mason on 2010/09/28 at 4:08 PM
I am also totally aware of the ridiculous sentence construction above, but am claiming “style” as an excuse.
Posted by David on 2010/12/09 at 5:50 PM
This is random but i’m trying to get in touch with the person who produced the “We’ve got ourselves a Game” video for the Don’t Tread on Me contest. I know it was taken down by Versus but i’m still interested in contacting the person. Also, Matthew, I went to Syracuse as well (but i’m not sure if we overlapped). Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you
Posted by David on 2010/12/09 at 5:52 PM
I just posted but realized if you don’t work on the site you may not have my email. If you know how I can contact the person who produced the “We’ve Got Ourselves a Game Video” (the soccer version) feel free to email me at David.Sleven@Fox.com.
Thank you
Posted by Kevin on 2010/12/09 at 7:57 PM
I’ve wanted to ask for a while, and, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened to Mark? I noticed he’s not on the list as TSG or contributers.
Posted by Nelson on 2011/07/13 at 8:41 AM
Ladies and Gents,
Welcome to the tell all,
who will win the game.
all of us….fo sho…..
so france and usa win………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….Greetings from Planet “Paranoid ANdroid” (see Radiohead song)
Planet Telex is not functioning well. But I NElson am always there there.
if you haven’t guessed it by now my fav band is Radiohead.
In baseball i play left field.
in soccer i play keeper first.
good d. great offense. three run homer to end the game.
that’s all we ever need.
this is the pep talk to the entire USMNT.
if you know me by person, aka my bros in the AO from Phoenix, AZ or GA. This is my awesome letter or biography.
I’m an Olympian. My full name is Nelson Hermes Gautier Hague.
I am free and accepted.
I have a bad disease. Thank you Anthony Kiedis.
I”m not really sure what the name of the disease is, so i call it a microbial problem.
the blake in me says the minute is the particular.
this flame is out of countrol. no spell check is necessary when you release the flood gates.
the floods are open. the fire is on. the earth is still pandor. ecuador is 0 degrees. do not ever disrepect the mayan god for he is the one, however the one crumbles in to the next one.
Posted by Nelson on 2011/07/13 at 8:42 AM
oh, and if hercules gomez were to wear a wig, could he start as FORWARD????????????
Posted by Jeff on 2011/11/11 at 6:18 AM
I appreciate Eric’s goal of covering Javier Pastore. I’ve seen him three times for PSG and I love watching him play. I like their whole team right now, PSG.
Posted by DMN on 2011/11/13 at 12:03 PM
Aside from playing high school ball, I’m a complete novice (idiot) when it comes to analyzing details of the game. Thanks for such a great site to learn and grasp ideas. Definitely a favorite place to visit. Btw, to whom it may concern…the North Shore has been absolutely horrid thus far in November. Have a good one, TSG!
Posted by Chandrima Chatterjee (@chandrimatweets) on 2011/12/09 at 9:36 PM
enjoy following you on twitter – just discovering your blog – I love it! Congrats on pursuing your passion and thanks for making my twitter experiences more well-rounded. Now though I have this problem. I’m going to always wonder who is tweeting the games. Like tonight with UCLA-NCarolina, I’ve decided it has to be a more critical contributor (not a self-described idealist-optimist like Matthew). I mean “I saw a game just like this….on the Venice bball courts last week.” – hahaha. Thanks for your hard work!
Posted by tomotime10 on 2011/12/22 at 9:23 AM
I’m a huge Chelsea supporter and have my own blog at http://www.TomoTimes.com. I would love to write for you guys if you ever want anything on Chelsea or the EPL.
Cheers,
tomo
Posted by Scott on 2012/02/18 at 5:47 PM
What ever happened to the Quest to Change the USMNT Crest?
Posted by John Henry on 2012/04/06 at 11:28 AM
seconded
Posted by Al Sefati on 2012/05/03 at 2:48 PM
hey just sent you an email. I am interested in both guest post opportunities as well as as adverting. Can you please advise. Thanks
Posted by Fred on 2013/01/25 at 2:45 PM
caught on to this site following your USMNT Depth Chart article, and it has quickly become my favorite site to read football analysis. keep it up
Posted by Chase on 2013/07/31 at 1:27 PM
You guys cover soccer the way it should be covered. I am supporting an expansion team in Atlanta and was wondering if y’all could do a piece on the idea. I discovered this site 6 months ago in Jackson Hole and it has become my go-to concerning USMNT and MLS. Thanks!
Posted by Rob Jelinek on 2015/12/01 at 11:09 PM
Hello,
Not sure if this site is still active, but if it is….do you know where I could find a Cobi Jones or Brian McBride USMNT jersey?
Thanks,
Rob Jelinek