wizards sign first ever indian player

[edmundo]

this popped into my youtube subscription box today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrDX_taP1Mw&feature=sub

[WHITEY]

He's a pretty solid footballer.

[CretanBull]

At some point, I think in season 1 or maybe season 2, we were looking at signing an Indian player. I forget his name, but I wonder if its the same guy?

It's kind of surprising that such a huge country with close cultural ties to England doesn't produce more players...

[twistedchinaman]

At some point, I think in season 1 or maybe season 2, we were looking at signing an Indian player. I forget his name, but I wonder if its the same guy?

It's kind of surprising that such a huge country with close cultural ties to England doesn't produce more players...

The country is absolutely obsessed with cricket.

[WHITEY]

The country is absolutely obsessed with cricket.

That's it right there. Cricket gets all the funding and resources and football is left by the wayside.

[TFC07]

At some point, I think in season 1 or maybe season 2, we were looking at signing an Indian player. I forget his name, but I wonder if its the same guy?

It's kind of surprising that such a huge country with close cultural ties to England doesn't produce more players...

Don't be surprise if you see Indo-Canadian players playing for Vancouver Whitecaps in the future.

[Auzzy]

True, cricket is massive in India. An Iranian friend at work was offered a pro contract in India when he was studying there, even though he himself says he was good, but not amazing. That being said, this signing of Sunil Chhetri could be a pretty big deal, especially if he does well. He's well known in India, and there's lots of media attention there about this. The population of India is about 1.2 billion, and lots more living around the world, plus they are quite interested in North America. You get a tiny portion of them paying attention to MLS a bit more, or get a small portion of the Indian players interested, that's significant. Too bad it has to be for a crappy market like Kansas City, but I guess they are trying hard on a couple of fronts.

[WHITEY]

Don't be surprise if you see Indo-Canadian players playing for Vancouver Whitecaps in the future.

There are a lot of good Indo-Canadian players in VanCity so I could see that happening. They have history of signing Indo-Canadians.

[TorCanSoc]

There a few of us IndoCans here. Caught my eye right away on the mls websit. I watched both videos posted there. Don't even try to watch the first one, its the execs saying how wonderful KC is. Krykie, I was surprised at how good his English is. http://www.mlssoccer.com/content/wizards-sign-sunil-chhetri-part-two Anyway. I always thought it would be someone English with Indian decent that would get signed. But great news for the IndoCan soccer community. Bloody hell I hope he doesn't suck. Really interested to see what leve he can play. I'm guessing the physicality of this league is going to be surprise. If Freddie Lunjberg needs to be prepare better, this guy is going to ge bounced around. Good stuff.

[ensco]

And the manager of the Indian MNT is...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Houghton

[CretanBull]

The country is absolutely obsessed with cricket.

Yeah...the English middle class/upper class game of cricket caught on like crazy, but the working class game of soccer is barely even on the radar - the fact that Canada has more players in top leagues than India does speaks volume.

[billyfly]

The country is absolutely obsessed with dancing in large groups and jumping out of trees.


Fixed.

[prizby]

even mens field hockey is bigger than soccer

[WHITEY]

Fixed.

Is that the only stereotype you could find Billy? Really?

[billyfly]

Sorry. I work in Brampton with recent immigrants from Indians and born and raised in Toronto Indians, and if you are trying to tell me that's merely a stereotype and not some type of fact, then brother you be lying.

That's what 99% of Bollywood movies are and my friends and co-workers are HEAVILY into them.

[CretanBull]

Whatever, racist.















Joking :D

[billyfly]

I mean sorry "WHITEY" if that offended you.....

[El Diego]

Playing FM exposes one to some weird leagues, so I always kinda wondered how good Chhetri was. Guess I'll find out.

[billyfly]

The same question popped up when the Pirates signed the Indian pitcher a while ago - when will this large group of people start appearing on the world's sports stage? (other than cricket).

Just by numbers alone, where's India's basketball team and soccer team?

[TFC07]

The same question popped up when the Pirates signed the Indian pitcher a while ago - when will this large group of people start appearing on the world's sports stage? (other than cricket).

Just by numbers alone, where's India's basketball team and soccer team?

Right now, the funding isn't there for other sports to develop their athletes. Think of China before their economy started turning around. They weren’t great in the world stage, but now with some money to invest in their athletes, they’re doing quite well. I am kind of surprised though China soccer team isn’t doing well.

[billyfly]

That's a country I guess you could compare India's situation to, albeit the Chinese have a different social and political setup than India.

[TFC07]

even mens field hockey is bigger than soccer

India used to be great in field hockey back in the day , but now, I don't know what happen.

Wiki:

The Indian hockey team is the national men's team representing field hockey in India (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_in_India). It is the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Hockey_Federation).

In 1928, the team won its first Olympic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games) gold medal and until 1956, the Indian men's team remained unbeaten in the Olympics, winning six gold medals in a row. In total, the Indian hockey team has won eight Olympics gold medals — the highest among all national teams.

Field hockey at the Summer Olympics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_Summer_Olympics)


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1928 - Amsterdam, Netherlands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1928_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1932 - Los Angeles, USA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1932_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1936 - Berlin, Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1936_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1948 - London, UK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1948_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1952 - Helsinki, Finland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1952_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1956 - Melbourne, Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1956_Summer_Olympics#Medalists )
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Silver_medal_icon.svg/15px-Silver_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Silver_medal_icon.svg) 1960 - Rome, Italy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1960_Summer_Olympics#Medalists )
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1964 - Tokyo, Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1964_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Bronze_medal_icon.svg/15px-Bronze_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_medal_icon.svg) 1968 - Mexico City, Mexico (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1968_Summer_Olympics)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Bronze_medal_icon.svg/15px-Bronze_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_medal_icon.svg) 1972 - Munich, Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1972_Summer_Olympics#Men.27s_M edal_Winners)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1980 - Moscow, Russia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_hockey_at_the_1980_Summer_Olympics#Men.27s_M edal_Winners)
World Cup (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_World_Cup)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Bronze_medal_icon.svg/15px-Bronze_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_medal_icon.svg) 1971 - Barcelona (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona), Spain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Silver_medal_icon.svg/15px-Silver_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Silver_medal_icon.svg) 1973 - Amstelveen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstelveen), Netherlands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Gold_medal_icon.svg/15px-Gold_medal_icon.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_medal_icon.svg) 1975 - Kuala Lumpur (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur), Malaysia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia)

[TFC07]

That's a country I guess you could compare India's situation to, albeit the Chinese have a different social and political setup than India.

True, it will take more time for India to able to compete in world stage compare to China. India has a lot of problems to fix before worrying about sports.

[Dirk Diggler]

India is not a sporting nation ... that is the bottom line right there. Anyone who is remotely athletic aspires to become a cricket star. The 1% of athletic individuals who do not want to be a cricketer are the ones who go into other sports.

[CretanBull]

That's a country I guess you could compare India's situation to, albeit the Chinese have a different social and political setup than India.

That's a major issue...India has close cultural ties to England. Their love of crickett comes from England, but they haven't gravitated to other 'English' sports like rugby, soccer and rowing.

[FluSH]

I mean sorry "WHITEY" if that offended you.....

LMAO

[Cashcleaner]

Cricket is King in India, but soccer seems to be gaining ground. I believe they are in the process of putting together a proper domestic soccer league along the lines of what they did for T-20 Cricket (Indian Premier League). Right now there's the I-League as their top-flight league, but I'm pretty sure it's not up to the standards that FIFA would like.

[Alarius]

The qualified for next years Asian cup (think Gold cup for Asia)... in preparation, the coach Bob Houghton has received permission from the AIFF to grab all the national team players and keep them together for a year....

[WHITEY]

I mean sorry "WHITEY" if that offended you.....

Fucking straight it offended me "billyfly" just like you get all bent out of shape when people go into the Leafs thread and bash them and their fans.

[billyfly]

Whitey I don't know you but you are a RPB member. I will apologize if I offended you.

I hope you can also appreciate the board name "Whitey" being a tad inappropriate as well.

Let's call it even.

[MUFC_Niagara]

Fucking straight it offended me "billyfly" just like you get all bent out of shape when people go into the Leafs thread and bash them and their fans.

aujlw tyNgrw

[WHITEY]

Whitey I don't know you but you are a RPB member. I will apologize if I offended you.

I hope you can also appreciate the board name "Whitey" being a tad inappropriate as well.

Let's call it even.

If the name was inappropriate whatsoever then I don't think it would have been approved. Yes, let's just call it even.

[Blizzard]

India's coach is Bob Houghton, a very familiar name to some of the "older" soccer supporter's around here. He coached the Blizzard to two Soccer Bowl appearances (83 and 84).

If anybody remembers the television program "20 Minute Workout", his wife was one of the (I'm trying to think of the right word here) ......... athletes ......... on the show.

[MUFC_Niagara]

If the name was inappropriate whatsoever then I don't think it would have been approved. Yes, let's just call it even.

Just out of curiousity why did you select that particular name? I only ask because now knowing your ethnic background it makes me wonder....I am not implying anything.....just curious.

[Whoop]

Short form for Whitebread...

[WHITEY]

Just out of curiousity why did you select that particular name? I only ask because now knowing your ethnic background it makes me wonder....I am not implying anything.....just curious.


Short form for Whitebread...

What Whoopee said LOL

[MUFC_Niagara]

ok, thanks. lol.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whitebread

[RedsYNWA]

WOW INDIA & PAKISTAN SUCKS...no hate, just feedback from the Indians and the Pakistanis I met when I was there a few years back..not just that.... it really SMELLS there BIG TIME

[Macksam]

Sorry. I work in Brampton with recent immigrants from Indians and born and raised in Toronto Indians, and if you are trying to tell me that's merely a stereotype and not some type of fact, then brother you be lying.

That's what 99% of Bollywood movies are and my friends and co-workers are HEAVILY into them.
Probably more like 16% for the dancing. As for the jumping out of trees, I have no idea what you're talking about.

That's a major issue...India had close cultural ties to England. Their love of crickett comes from England, but they haven't gravitated to other 'English' sports like rugby, soccer and rowing.
FYP

They don't care about England.

[WHITEY]

Probably more like 16% for the dancing. As for the jumping out of trees, I have no idea what you're talking about.


LMAO way back in the 60's and 70's it was the case not these days. Its funny how a non-Indian can throw out a number like 99% without like probably ever watching a Bollywood movie. Oh well to each their own I guess LOL

[CretanBull]

^^ They still do. I realize that there have been a lot of changes over the last 50-60 years in particular, but the ties are still there in the same way that they are there between England and other Common Wealth countries.

That aside, its not as if soccer was invented 10 years ago. The original point still stands - at the time when Indians took to crickett, its interesting/odd/curious that they didn't also take to soccer, rugby, rowing etc. in the same way.

[Whoop]

WOW INDIA & PAKISTAN SUCKS...no hate, just feedback from the Indians and the Pakistanis I met when I was there a few years back..not just that.... it really SMELLS there BIG TIME

Wow.......

But it does remind me of this clip.

_sUMtHcUMWo

[WHITEY]

Anyway, enough of this bullshit debate about Bollywood! I'm happy for Sunil Chhetry and like I said earlier he's a solid footballer.

[Dirk Diggler]

I think MLS should become more aggressive in looking for talent in all of Asia. Most of them probably dream about playing in England and probably Spain and Italy but I bet they would choose an English speaking country like USA or Canada over the smaller European nations like Denmark and Belgium any day of the week. Asia is pretty much the last frontier for untapped talent in terms of Football and it would be great to see MLS establish a foothold there before other European nations do.

[Macksam]

^^^Too bad the J-League trumps the MLS.