I'm not going to hold forth again on the virtues of soccer and FC Buffalo considering I did that earlier in the week, and in the interest of brevity and time that I don't really have, I'm just going to offer a few suggestions for music to be played before, during (at halftime of course, we're not philistines) and after FC Buffalo home matches, the first of which happens tonight at 7:30. One of the owners, Nick Mendola, asked for suggestions, so may God have mercy on his soul. Here it goes:

Before matches:

Tame Impala - "Be Above It." I really like the sentiment, and the way that it builds to a psychedelic frenzy.



Shuggie Otis - "Special." Simply because this old school new jack jam is utterly ridiculous.



The Very Best - "Warm Heart of Africa" featuring Ezra Koenig. East meets West internationalism at it's funkiest.


Goal music:

The Heavy - "How You Like Me Now?" Propulsive, sassy, and a little nasty, the chorus to this jam says it all.



Half Time:

BLK JKS - "Zol!" I know I threw this one out there last year, but the thought of little kids playing a halftime game with this song in the background makes me smile.



Led Zeppelin - "Immigrant Song." The thought of little kids playing half time soccer to this just makes me laugh.



Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?"


After matches:

Phoenix - "Second To None," for wins.



McFadden and Whitehead - "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." After losses, to keep the vibe super positive up in this house. This one is for the Boogie Nights fans out there. Also, check out this fine Soul Train action. Goddamn!



FC Buffalo's season kicks off tonight at 7:30 against Zanesville Athletic at Robert E. Rich All High Stadium. Tickets are $5.


Update:

Really, it's an addition and a prediction. The prediction is that next year could be a transformative year for American sports fans in terms of appreciating soccer because for the first time ever there will be wall to wall television coverage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. ESPN will be able to broadcast in high definition soccer all day (and all night if they showed the replays after midnight) because for the first time in 20 years the Cup will be played in this hemisphere. And because it's in Brasil it will be a spectacle in every way possible and in the best way possible. American fans won't know what to do with themselves and sports fans will get in on the action because the games will be in primetime (plus late afternoon and dinnertime). Sooo, with a year out NOW is the time to check out FC Buffalo and soccer, so you'll know what's up next year when the world parties. Oh the conversations you will have. In this spirit here's a little something to honor next year's hosts:

Os Mutantes, "Bat Macumba." It's obligatory to include Os Mutantes

Oh, it's a happy time to be in Western New York. Spring is here (I think; it's hard to be sure), and in addition to an astonishing spring concert season, spring means a new season of FC Buffalo soccer (football) in the National Premier Soccer League. There's a lot of buzz around the club this year, with new teams joining our conference that will build strong and passionate regional rivalries, a strong season last year including a cup win, as well as a general uptick in soccer interest in the area, so it's never been a better time to get on-board with FCB and get crazy for the beautiful game. 


Especially because tomorrow is Soccer Sunday in Buffalo.


Thanks to a harmonious convergence not only does FC Buffalo kick off their new season tomorrow at 7 PM, but the English Premier League (the most popular sports league in the world) wraps up their season at 10 AM on Survival Sunday. Now, that might not sound like a huge deal, but it's completely a huge deal. Ginormous in fact. Get this- on the final day of the season all 10 games go off at the exact same time, and for the first time in television history all 10 games will be televised in the US (more or less). A league champion will be determined and crowned, a team will earn the chance to play in Europe, a team will be booted out of the league, and it's all happening tomorrow.


With that in mind, I've whipped up a little Buffalo soccer playlist for your listening pleasure and for FC Buffalo, and I've sort of retooled it to also serve as a mini guide to tomorrow's EPL action. After the tragedy that was the Buffalo Sabres, both on the ice and over the PA, I'm not leaving anything to chance and have decided to offer a completely unsolicited playlist of songs worthy of attention now that FC Buffalo's season is about to kick off this Sunday at the All High Stadium. Indeed, the folks at FC Buffalo do have their heads screwed on straighter than the ones calling the shots at the First Niagara Center, so this might be entirely unnecessary... but I need to go on the record because 1) I'm a soccer fan; 2) I care about FC Buffalo and support what they're doing; and 3) nobody should do what the Sabres did to themselves and their fans last season. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band? For @#$%'s sake.


My 2012 FC Buffalo Playlist:




BLK JKS, "Zol." The South African indie rock band's official World Cup 2010 song. This is utterly joyous, funky, soulful, and beautiful.




Oasis, "Stand By Me." Manchester is a proud, post industrial, northern city with a vibrant underground. We're a proud, post industrial, northern city with a vibrant underground. Just saying, this means there has to be some Oasis.
Now, tomorrow the two Manchester teams are playing for the EPL title. Manchester City (who haven't won a league title in 40 years) will clinch the title with a win over Queen's Park Rangers on ESPN2, while a City loss and win by Manchester United (who win the league all the time) over Sunderland on FX gives the league to United. Also, because the bottom 3 teams in the league get booted out of the league and down into the league underneath the EPL, Queen's Park Rangers will be playing for their lives (not literally, figuratively- this isn't the Hunger Games).


Curtis Mayfield, "Move On Up." The Scousers (supporters of Liverpool FC) among us would no doubt prefer to hear "You'll Never Walk Alone," but you frankly can't get down to it. You can however get down to this Curtis Mayfield classic, the song played at the Emirates Stadium after Arsenal home wins... proof of impeccable taste from this fine North London club. Note: Nick Hornby, writer of High Fidelity, is a die-hard Arsenal supporter, as is John Lydon. Tomorrow, Arsenal plays for a spot in the UEFA (European) Champions League (and the millions and millions of dollars that come with it)- a win over West Bromwich Albion will seal the deal, a loss or tie could be disastrous. This game will be on MSG.






M83, "Steve McQueen." Come on now. You have to play a song that begins with the lyric "I woke up stronger than ever!" even though the taste challenged clowns at the First Niagara Center succesfully ignored my numerous #Sabretunes requests for it. "Steve McQueen" also totally reminds me of Clint Dempsey, American soccer hero (soccer god!). Dempsey has scored more goals in the EPL than any other American (17 this season alone!), and he wraps up his magnificent season for London team Fulham against fellow London team Tottenham Hotspur on Fox Soccer Channel. A win for Spurs coupled with an Arsenal loss will put Spurs in the Champions League and destroy Arsenal fans worldwide, as Spurs and Arsenal are hated rivals. Hated.




The Style Council, "Shout To The Top".... to the top of the table that is. You can't go wrong with the Modfather. Other games of note tomorrow include Newcastle (the UK's northernmost team) versus Everton (Liverpool's other team) with a possible spot in the Champions League up for grabs (on FoxSoccer.com) and Swansea (the little team that could) versus Liverpool (I hate Liverpool) on Fuel TV.





Os Mutantes, "A Minha Menina." Many have pondered what is the source of Brazil's mastery of the game of soccer/football/futbol, their "joga bonito" (translation: to play beautifully). I don't know the answer to that one, but I suspect it has something to do with the samba and Brazilian rhythms, hence the inclusion of Brazil's legendary psychedelic masterminds Os Mutantes. 







Alas, I wish I could include Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance," but unfortunately upon further review the subject matter is not fit for the family friendly atmosphere that FC Buffalo and their supporters have cultivated at the All High Stadium. 


And, in the event of a loss at home... "Don't Look Back In Anger" from Oasis.


FC Buffalo's season kicks off this Sunday at All High Stadium (behind Bennett High School) at 7 PM. Tickets are $5, Lloyd's Taco Truck will be there for your eating needs, and a good time is pretty much guaranteed because FCB plays the game the right way, and because the FCB supporters put on a good show. In fact, you can join with those supporters (The Situation Room) and other Buffalo soccer nuts at Mes Que on Hertel Ave for a pre-match adult beverage or several to get ready for the match. Mes Que will also be open Sunday morning at 10 for EPL Survival Sunday, serving as a "Soccer Central" and the place to be to if you want to keep an eye on multiple matches and enjoy the full Survival Sunday experience. It is going to be a doozy, and a great prologue for the UEFA Champions League Final next Saturday May 19, the European Championships in June, the start of World Cup qualifying for the US National Team and the road to World Cup 2014 in Brazil, and FC Buffalo's new season... 


People get ready. Spring is here, we've got our bar, and we've got our club. It's soccer time in Buffalo.