Thursday, June 08, 2006

World Cup nicknames

The NY Times WC blog does a service by listing the WC team nicknames. I like Germany's, which soars poetically, and Switzerland's. Will you be my Oath Comrade?
Angola: Palancas Negras (Black Antelopes)
Argentina: Albicelestes (White-Sky Blues)
Australia: Socceroos
Brazil: Seleçao Canarinho (Canary Selection)
Costa Rica: Ticos (from the local linguistic habit of creating diminutives by adding “tico” instead of “tito” to the end of words)
Croatia: Vatreni (the Fiery Ones)
Czech Republic: Lokomotiva (the Locomotive, rarely used)
Ecuador: La Tri (Tricolors)
England: Three Lions (rarely used)
France: Les Bleus (Blues)
Germany: Die Nationalmannschaft (National Team)
Ghana: Blacks Stars
Iran: Team Melli (National Team)
Italy: Azzurri (Blues)
Ivory Coast: Les Eléphants (Elephants)
Japan: Blues
Mexico: El Tri (Tricolors)
Netherlands: Oranje (the Orange)
Paraguay: La Albirroja (White-Red)
Poland: Bialo-Czerwoni (White-Reds)
Portugal: Seleçao das Quinas (Selection of the Shields)
Saudi Arabia: Al Akhdar (the Green)
Serbia and Montenegro: Plavi (Blues)
South Korea: Reds
Spain: La Furia Roja (the Red Fury)
Sweden: Blagult (Blue-Gold)
Switzerland: Die Eidgenossen (the Oath Comrades)
Togo: Les Eperviers (Sparrow Hawks)
Trinidad and Tobago: Soca Warriors
Tunisia: Les Aigles de Carthage (Carthage Eagles)
Ukraine: Zbirna/Sbornaya (Selection, in Ukrianian and Russian)
United States: None, really, but we’ve been using Yanks and Amerks.

3 comments:

Neddie said...

What happens when the Oath Comrades trade a left half to Croatia for a goalie and a player to be named later? Does he have to formally rescind his oath in a secret ceremony in a torchlit cave far below Zurich? Inquiring minds want to know.

The US team doesn't have a nickname? Wow. The mind reels at the opportunity. "The United States Social Network" comes to mind. Wouldn't it be cool if they named themselves The Modern Lovers, or maybe The Root Boy Slims? The Tuff Darts. Death to the Weird. Or just Christinaaaaaaa!

They should hop onto Blogger, and name themselves the first Word Verif. they see. The United States ehqsbfwe.

Graeme said...

I like Togo's as well. It strikes fear in my heart

helmut said...

I think the USA ought to be something like the "Kicking in the Jams"-es. Or maybe Paul Revere and the Raiders.

On a slightly different tack, how about The Clusterbombs?

jhagwz isn't bad either