Local Venues Vie For U.S. Soccer Best of 2007 Awards

By Todd McClamroch in News on Nov 20, 2007 4:30PM

U.S. Soccer announced the selections for the 2007 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards and Chicago has several representatives in the competition. For Best Fan Atmosphere Chicago's Soldier Field gets two nods: one for this sSummer's Gold Cup Final in which the United States defeated Mexico and the other for the U.S. game versus Brazil in September. Chicagoist is voting for the Gold Cup game--it wasn't the most pro-U.S. crowd, but the fans filling Soldier field were definitely worthy of a championship match. This rivalry gets better every game.

Two local watering holes are again in the running for the Best Soccer Bar. Ginger's Ale House has owned this competition, winning it the last four years in a row, but this year they've got stiff competition from neighboring establishment the Globe Pub. The Globe Pub earned some additional soccer credibility this year when the L.A Galaxy and David Beckham took in a few games from the Globe Pub back room, and they get our vote, too.

Chicago's lone representative for the Best Soccer Store is Chicago Soccer, the 2005 winner. Chicagoist has only visited one other store on the list of finalists and it did not hold a candle to our hometown fave, so three guesses who we're voting for.

Visit the U.S. Soccer Best of 2007 Blog to see all the categories and contestants and to vote today.

Speaking of voting, last week Chicago Fire forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco was awarded the 2007 Sierra Mist Goal of the Year for his beautiful strike against Real Salt Lake in August. Blanco's perfectly hit volley left goalkeeper Nick Rimando no opportunity to make the save and beat out more than 500 goals and the other four finalists to earn the honor. Blanco is only the second Fire player to earn the award with the last being Damani Ralph in 2003.