Before prognostication, a disclaimer: I have never been able to pick a winner. Not that it has ever stopped me from trying to. Well, it has stopped me from buying stock, but let’s not talk about that. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
I have to admit, I’m not patriotic. It has partly to do with principle, but it is also a phobia/neurosis. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
A player should be disparaged if he gives less than his all, if he doesn’t give 100%, no matter what shirt he’s wearing. Whether it’s your national team, your club, or little league. Yes, there are friendly matches, recreational ones, and so on, but sport in its essence is about giving your best. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
I’ve never had a problem finding a team, a league, or a pickup game. Actually, I’m not sure I want soccer to get bigger. We have so many teams in San Francisco that there aren’t enough fields. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
I think I’m being conservative when I say there are more people playing soccer in the United States than in 90% of the world’s other countries, probably 95%. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
If you want to know whether soccer is big in America, pick a weekend, go to any park in the land, and pay attention. We’re there. We’ve always been. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
My father loved Brazilian football, a diehard follower, so of course, he hated Germany and always rooted against them, always. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
My father and I rarely saw eye to eye when I was growing up. We saw the world differently. It was only when we were both adults that we were able to share spectacles. However, football, and particularly the World Cup, was when we, enemy combatants, could traverse trenches and be together. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990, spanned four World Cups. It would have been a more symmetrical five had the Lebanese begun in 1974, but you know, we’re Mediterranean, and timing isn’t our forte. Rabih Alameddine Read Quote
