Normally I would be the last person to care about soccer. When I was a kid I despised "the beautiful game," but for some reason when this years World Cup began to come around, I got a little excited. Yes in the past, I probably would have rather count the blades of grass in front of my apartment then sit down and watch a soccer game, but that was all before I began to understand the nuances of the game. Yesterday morning I even woke up at 9 a.m. (hey I'm a recent college graduate and when you don't have to be up until the afternoon to get to work on time, that's quite a feat) to watch the U.S. take on the Czech Republic. I should have just stayed asleep.
Yes I am someone new to soccer, and no I can't really say i'm a fan, and no I don't know too much about the game, but I was embarassed by the play of the U.S. yesterday. The Czech's wanted it more. Their passes were crisper, they hustled more, and they actually got some shots on goal (three of which went in). After all the hype surrounding the U.S., coming into the World Cup with a #5 world ranking, they surely dissapointed those who decided to watch.
Maybe that is why soccer is not as popular in the U.S. It's not a sport we dominate. Look at the sports that are popular. Football only Americans are great at the game. Basketball, despite our recent flops at the World Championships and the Olympics we still know that our superstars could take anyone if they actually went and played at the World Championships and Olympics. Baseball could be the one abberation, but then you could still make an argument that had more of America's superstars played in the World Baseball Classic then they could have made a run for the title (not to take anything away from the eclectic countries that have superstars in the MLB). All of this is to say one thing. The U.S. soccer team may continue to drown in anonymity until they learn to dominate. Just look at hockey and the NHL. No once cares, except for Canada (and that's because they dominate). As much as true fans hate bandwagoners, it's the only way for soccer to get a mass following here in the U.S.
2 comments:
Andrew, great post. I agree a hundred percent with your assessment. In soccer there is no action, there is no attitude (unless you play club soccer in England, and that has more to do with the hooligans, er, I mean fans). I just can't get into watching a bunch of guys standing around kicking a ball.
I also think you make a great point about soccer not being an "American" sport. Until we do well consistantly it will not be very popular.
Enjoyed the post! Sorry boys, I love soccer, and hockey too! It's probably a liberal thing.
:]
"G"
Post a Comment