This Is American Soccer, US Soccer, MNT, WNT, and MLS - Tackling the subject of Soccer in the US, and worldwide.

From toddlers to teenagers, boys and girls filled the room dressed the part. Swoosh as far as the eye could see, parting ways only for the out of place parent playing the part of chaperones. The DJ spun hip-hop and dance hits, often with a South American vibe (Bebel Gilberto is my girl), with some live hand drums filling in the low end. A hardwood floor lay empty inside a bordered-off rectangle, as if waiting for someone to dance. All I could think about standing shoulder to shoulder in the crowded masses out side the knee-high walls that left vacant this perfect would be soccer court was who was going to be the first brave boy to finally break the air of insecurity and ask a girl to dance. Instead, with the lights dimmed, two 10-foot by 10-foot movie screens began an onslaught of soccer highlights while one simply counted up to three minutes.

The timer strikes three and the dancing begins, but this aint no prom. Mad Max and Tina Turner’s Thunderdome met Brazilian ginga as the Nike’s Jogo 3v3 soccer tour welcomed the diverse skills that flow through New York. Spotlights lit the floor as local of teams of talent squared off, competing for pride more than prizes, although the winners got their fair share of Nike swag (epitomized by the impromptu Nike ID shop set up upstairs from the court, where the newest addition to the Nike boot collection, the bright white Vapors, were finally available to the public). Free knit caps were passed out which seemed appropriate given the beginnings of the now famous blizzard of 2006 that dumped a near-record 20+ inches on the island of Manhattan.

The highlights for me was a quick juggling contest, where the skills took a back seat to the courage it took for these young kids to get in front of a few hundred people and do their best, and watching Diego, a product of the MLK dynasty, representing out on the court – which by the way I felt was a little small for three v three. It was so tight, there was little room for any flash. By the time the ball was at your feet, you had better pass it, or you were getting crunched. The nicest one-touch passing won out. Anyone looking to dribble didn’t last long. While the soccer was fast, the buzz that kept the room hot was the slow build up of the will-he-won’t-he make it whisperings surrounding Clint Dempsey. Supposed to drop his first public rendition of his Don’t Tread song, the snow was hampering more than the line outside to come in. When it came time, though, he was there, fresh from a strong showing with the US MNT (and a goal) against Japan, which most seemed to feel booked his ticket to Germany.

hammer time

Deuce, XO, and Hawk all rolled in to take the dance floor back from the soccer players. The DJ dropped the bass line and Deuce took it from there. Watching the soccer star smiling his way through the song, like it or hate it, you had to appreciate him doing something he loved.

Which got me thinking.

If had to choose, he said he take soccer over hip-hop (easy question), but the 22-year-old is in a business where you’re usually tapped out by 30. He has plenty of time to think about career moves; he knows the worth of practice, and more importantly, he knows how to make the most of an opportunity, whether on the field in front of Bruce, or on the streets in front of the camera. And nothing says “now” like an athlete crossing over to rap in a music video.

Flanked in the video by teammate Eddie Johnson, his little brother, and XO and Hawk, Clint rhymes as well as I would guess any soccer player could. The beat is steady and enchanting without being dull or great. I’m not going to say the Dungeon Family is going to be knocking on his door, but the Texas native might not want Atlanta moving in on his crew anyway.

Commissioned by Nike to support the Don’t Tread On Me campaign, the cinematic video (it never ceases to amaze me how beautifully shot Nike commercials are) has been distributed almost exclusively on-line (I’m told MTV is welcome to air it if they like), not unlike the ever-popular Ronaldhino golden boots, finally up officially on the Nike soccer page after months of viral habitation.

The best praise I can give Clint, the video, and last weekend’s performance is that it was authentic - to his life, his team, and his tastes and talents. I’m not here to laud praises or deride him for the music (art is in the eye of the beholder). I’m more interested in what this means or could mean for soccer and it’s marketing (read some of my thoughts on the greater state of sports marketing a few posts back).

At some point, which I’m not sure anyone can pinpoint exactly, Clint’s teammates began to recognize the hobby of this hip-hop head. In practice, on the bus, in the plane, wherever there seemed to be down time (and in a sports, there tends to be plenty of down time), Clint would start rapping. Nikesoccer.com had a video with him freestyling that got a lot of buzz on the message boards. In loose discussions one day, Nike asked if Clint would be interested in writing a song and making a video. With the ability to control who he wanted to work with, Clint jumped at the chance to flap the wings that had previously been tied to the team bus. The same passion and determination that manifests on the field gave him no choice but to challenge himself. These opportunities don’t come along too often.

The Don’t Tread On Me campaign, beyond the US MNT push, is a fitting representation of Clint’s own soccer career, so it seemed simple for him to create a song that represented his upbringing as well as his soccer life and that of the US MNT. With a relatively small budget, the product is exceedingly slick. Videos like these typically cost record companies hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It should be no surprise then at the Jogo 3 tournament, That Clint was the star, and that once Clint was done performing, the crowd made an exodus for the doors. There was still the adult tournament to be played, but the kids had seen what they came for: an opening act of soccer, and a main attraction that cross the lines of sports and entertainment.

I tend to like my art as art, and my sports as sports. I don’t really want to hear my favorite music become the soundtrack to my favorite team, nor do I want to keep my favorite artists from squeezing every dollar out of a hit that they can. Just as in professional sports, the average music career is short, so you got to get while the getting is good. With the storm bearing down, I left content that both my art and my soccer were safe for now. Long love Clint – Deuce, we’ll see you down the road.