Usa Soccer Team

[ComputerColin]

Soccer, or football as it's known outwith the United States is absolutely massive, easily the most popular sport in the world. The Soccer World Cup is on at the moment in Japan and South Korea and I've got some great news for you all.

The United States national soccer team today defeated one of the best European soccer teams, Portugal 3-2.
As the British sports presenter said earlier today, it will be huge news in the US......NOT!

Anyway, much of the soccer world is talking about the performance of the American soccer team today.

Those 11 stars done your country proud today.

[Carl Price]

It didn't go completely unnoticed.

[doctorgonzo]

Originally posted by Carl Price
It didn't go completely unnoticed.

True, but it wasn't as big a deal as other sports stories. It is too bad that Americans don't appreciate soccer more. It is truly a wonderful game. Let's see what happens when we take on South Korea!

[mc2phat]

I'll root for the good old USA, but the more folks tell me I should like soccer, the less I will.

[jackjones]

Football is truly the greatest sport in the world. I have just finished watching all of the games today and what a couple of matches it has been. I am also looking forward to the USA-Korea match. Both teams seem to be doing quite well this year.

[vacanthead]

I've taken tomorrow afternoon off work to watch England - Argentina and celebrate afterwards.


Or commiserate, should it come to that..........

[Jenni]

Soccer is, in a word, BORING!!!! It's kinda like baseball, which I love, but I ain't gonna sit in front of the TV and watch the whole game. Might channel surf and catch a few innings here and there, and make sure I see the final score.

[doctorgonzo]

Originally posted by Jenni
Soccer is, in a word, BORING!!!! It's kinda like baseball, which I love, but I ain't gonna sit in front of the TV and watch the whole game. Might channel surf and catch a few innings here and there, and make sure I see the final score.

Never understood that. Football is far more popular than soccer here, but while in soccer the action is pretty much constant and non-stop (save for balls going out of bounds), in football they run a play that last five seconds and then take 40 seconds to figure out what to do next. Now, don't get me wrong, I love football as well, but isn't football a tad more boring than soccer?

[SARGE]

Originally posted by doctorgonzo


... Now, don't get me wrong, I love football as well, but isn't football a tad more boring than soccer?

No. Football is strategy and brawn; soccer is just kicking the ball back and forth until someone gets the good kick. ;)

[jackjones]

Yes, you are so right doctorgonzo. I find amarican football so boring in comparison.

[doctorgonzo]

Originally posted by SARGE


No. Football is strategy and brawn; soccer is just kicking the ball back and forth until someone gets the good kick. ;)

That is certainly true for kiddie soccer games (and I used to referee them), but there is certainly strategy in soccer as well. Of course, like any sport, if you don't know where to look for it, it isn't evident. Like baseball ("They are just hitting the ball and running around; where's the strategy in that?") or football ("Everybody's in a big heap; what does that accomplish?")

To people who don't know soccer, an offside trap is probably as incomprehensible as a squeeze play.

[jackjones]

I, a European, am not familiar with football(soccer) in the USA. What is your national league called and do you have an equivalent of the champions league?

[Colb]

I played soccer since 1st grade up untill my freshman year in college. Soccer was life. PLayed club soccer year round untill high school season opnened, then after that, back to club. I loved playing soccer, but I hate to watch it on tv!

Now, the World Cup is by far more interesting than MLS is. And I even watched the whole France game(which they lost). But I can see why people who never played soccer, think as SARGE thinks. Just like people like me who never played football often wonder why every other play is run up the middle into everybody. Is that strategy? Football fans would say yes, while others just get puzzled.

Oh well, later.

[Colb]

Oh yea, the American league is call Major League Soccer.(MLS)

And sad to say, I have never watched a game.

[glc]

http://www.mlsnet.com/ (outdoor)

http://www.npsl.com/ (indoor)

[bigpuma]

As was said earlier the US national league is Major League Soccer but sadly it is really just a minor league. Most of the best American Players end up in Europe. Some stay but the league as a whole is not even close to the European leagues. There is something like the Champions league for North and South America but I am not sure what it is called.

BP

[Colonel Sanders]

Football - whole bunch of players in armor suits(AKA: a ton of padding) stand in a line, then run into each while a few people try to run with the ball. 10 seconds, the process is over. One minute later, the coach has finally noticed where he messed up, and tells his players what to do. 10more seconds of action.. and so on until the end of the game.

I would hardly consider football a sport where the playres think, more memorize plays then act them out when the coach tells them to.

No, I don't like football one bit.

Logan

[alan]

If they shortened the field and allowed players to pound on each other soccer might be OK. As I see it they kick the ball around and play keep away. At least in American football you get to punish people who try to out manoever you with brute force.

Soccer may be the most popular sport in the world but hockey and football are still the best!!

[WJWheels]

Well, it's pretty tough to compete for fans, whatwith the NBA championship series and the Stanley Cup finals going on at the same time. The primary problem with soccer in the US is that for the most part, the only ones that get into it in youth, high school, & college are the ones who are not good enough athletes to make the football, basketball, or baseball teams. If the US had its BEST athletes playing soccer, nobody in the world could come close to competing with us.

[StunGunz]

I agree with Wheels. And for all those Euro's who have watched a game of American Football, and were wondering why they keep running into the middle where everyone is, its about strength, Power , and controlling the game. As one old mudslinging Lineman, I can honestly say there was no greater win in any sport I played (soccer,baseball,football,basketball,golf,track&field), than there was when we just rolled over a team all day long! <2 cents>

Enjoy your games, as I always enjoy mine :)

[SARGE]

In football, if every man on offense does his job, it's touchdown every play. On defense, it's a shutout if every man performs.

[vacanthead]

We haven't even mentioned rugby yet. Now that is a game for real men.

[Statica]

I see no reason to see football to get popular here (Its football .. its played with the foot) .. there is no calculated, purposeful bloodshed, there is very little possibility that you are allowed to give a person a concussion in football. That would make for a very monotonous game. People here have managed to even turn lacrosse into a shin whacking farce .. and not to mention arm-pit ball, Where the entire scoring play is designed around decapitating as many people as possible with refrigerator sized people.

[pmaddock]

Personally, there is nothing better in the world (at least from the sport spectator viewpoint) than participating in a fantasy football league with your buddies. Who knows, maybe they have fantasy soccer leagues around the world.


PM

[Suncoast]

Originally posted by vacanthead
We haven't even mentioned rugby yet. Now that is a game for real men. I had a brother-in-law that played organized rugby. It's an amazing game. I didn't think anyone was capable of drinking that much beer.

[jackjones]

I am really looking forward to seeing Denmark play against France on the 11. June. I don’t know what I am looking forward to most. The free beer at the college bar or the game itself.

[Mr N8]

Like any sport, soccer takes a certain amount of understanding to be able to enjoy what is going on. I used to watch my cousin play all the time, so I REALLY appreciate being able to watch a pro soccer game. I know they are long, but they really are intense. It's kind of like 2 hours of a 95 - 96 basketball game with 15 seconds left. A goal is never a given, as is obvious by the scores you typically see. 0-1 England over Argentina. However, I enjoy hockey more, because it takes the aspects of soccer and throws in some in your face action. That, and they have to do it all on skates.
Being a sports enthusiast, about the only thing I can't sit down and watch is golf. I personally don't care how many of the 25 annual prestigious events Tiger wins or how many jackets he owns.

nate

[Computer Hobbyist]

Hi guys

Before we launch off in to the classic soccer v football fight, let me share that my number 3 son plays semi-pro football (he is a defensive end -- 6'6" 275 pounder) and my daughter is heading off to England this summer to play soccer (she is an offensive minded wing/forward.) I have also had the privilege of showing an American football fan from Liverpool the ropes for the KC Chiefs and I attend a lot of KC Wizards games. I really love basketball (go Jayhawks and Tigers), and I really miss major league baseball (there are only 8 or so major league teams left -- the rest are just farm clubs who play in the same league.)

All that is by way of preface for what I want to say about America's victory over Portugal. Make no mistake the victory over Portugal is of great importance. The USA beat the number 5 team in the world--a team with 6 mature players including the best player in the world. The victory was huge. Americans should be proud.

For all of you folks in the rest of the world, you haven't seen anything yet. America might not win this world cup. It might not advance to the next stage. It might not even win another game. But sometime in the next few World Cups America is going to emerge as the world power in the sport. It will win the world cup and it will win it regularily.

Why would anybody be so bold as to say that? Well, millions of soccer moms have assured that my prediction will come true. The game has really taken off at the youth level. It is quickly displacing baseball. All the great athletes who used to play baseball are smaller than my number 3 son (who is too small to play pro-football.) Many, if not most, of those great athletes are now playing soccer instead of baseball. Those that aren't playing soccer are playing basketball, but there are only so many NBA slots. America is a giant country. It is as large as Europe. America gets to have one team in the World Cup. The only way Europe is going to be able to compete once the current generation of American soccer kids reaches maturity (in about 5 or 6 years) is for Europe to combine into one team. Brazil (itself a giant country) might be able to compete, but they lose a lot of potential players to poverty so the actual pool of talent is much smaller than sheer numbers would dictate. Some day Russia will also emerge. That won't happen until they get their economic house in order.

To my European friends, enjoy this World Cup. It might be the last in which you have any hope of competing. Maybe the world should be working on a World Club Cup to give the nice people in Europe a chance?

CH

[Mr N8]

Hey CH, what team does your son play for? I watch a lot of amatuer football. I live in the home of the Racine Raiders, and catch a good percentage of their home games.

n8

[jackjones]

Computer Hobbyist: “To my European friends, enjoy this World Cup. It might be the last in which you have any hope of competing. Maybe the world should be working on a World Club Cup to give the nice people in Europe a chance?”

What can I say, LOL. I would like to see an American team in the champions league. That said I have to say that the U.S.A has great potential. I believe, it is the country with the most footballplayers(Soccer) in the world so it makes you wonder, why they are not doing better( no offence).

[Computer Hobbyist]

Originally posted by Mr N8
Hey CH, what team does your son play for? I watch a lot of amatuer football. I live in the home of the Racine Raiders, and catch a good percentage of their home games.

n8

He plays for the KCJazz. One day he decided he missed football. He is a senior (premed) at the local branch of MU, (UMKC) which doesn't have a football team. So he went out for the Jazz. They had a preseason game last Sunday in St. Louis. The defense held the opponent to 1 first down. The teams first regular game of this season is June 15.

I agree there is no way the MLS champion could play in the champions league right now, (we have enough trouble with the bunch of Latin American teams we are currently playing) but watching a lot of European Soccer on Dish, I wonder if an all Italian team could play in the Champions league. It seems to me that most of the Italian club players are from overseas.

As to the point about the Americans not doing better. It takes time for a soccer player to mature. Soccer took off in the United States about 10 years ago. The first big wave of kids is just now hitting college. Some of the rising stars from that first wave are Landon Donovan, DeMarcus Beasley, Josh Wolff and Clint Mathis. A lot of players who are just as good or better are in the pipeline. Donovan and Beasley were stars in the World Cup win. Wolff and Mathis sat on the bench (Wolff has been hurt and Mathis has gotten sideways with the coach.)

A few years ago just about any warm body who showed up for the average local high school team tryout would make the squad. Now days you better show up with skill, speed and game if you want to make the local high school team. Its even harder for girls to make local teams than boys, but America already dominates the women's game, so that's not worth talking about.

CH

[SARGE]

Originally posted by vacanthead
We haven't even mentioned rugby yet. Now that is a game for real men.

Do they still play with leather balls?

[WJWheels]

Keep it clean Sarge........

I agree with Suncoast. I tried to play the game once, and there's no way I could drink that much beer.

[SARGE]

Originally posted by WJWheels
Keep it clean Sarge........



Whatcha talking about, Wheels? :confused:

http://www.peta.org/liv/animaltimes/winter2k1at/sports/sports.html

[Colb]

Reply for WJWheels: about soccer players being the ones that got cut from the baseball, football, or basketball team.


LOL! You have got to be kidding. To play soccer you don't need to be the biggest or strongest kid. You need to be the most ATHLETIC. I would like to see any wide receiver try to dribble a soccer ball past a soccer defender. Now reverse the roles, a soccer player would have a much better shot at getting past a D-back. Now size and speed are advantages, but you actually need to use brain power and coordination to play a majority of this sport(unlike football).

I do agree that soccer closely resembles Hockey. With Hockey having a lot more action and a little more contact. For those who think soccer is a no contact sport, have you ever been to a high school game? In my senior year of HS, our team won the state title. It also came with a few broken bones too.

Soccer vs. Football, an ongoing discussion.

[alexmacdonald]

Cricket, there a real game. Try to figure out the rules to that.

[Computer Hobbyist]

Sarge,

Those peta guys have got to be kidding.

I think I'll go pull a burger off the grill.

CH

[Statica]

Originally posted by alexmacdonald
Cricket, there a real game. Try to figure out the rules to that.

You get a hang of it by the 4th day :D

Seriously, I like cricket too (hey am from India .. its sorta like a religion there .. much like hockey is out here in Canada) .. but after getting into baseball seems a waste of time. During some good series I get really hooked on it too.

[WJWheels]

Originally posted by Colb_Dog
Reply for WJWheels: LOL! You have got to be kidding. To play soccer you don't need to be the biggest or strongest kid. You need to be the most ATHLETIC.
You must not have read what I said. I don't agree nor disagree with your premise that soccer players are the best athletes. That wasn't my point at all. What I did say is that US soccer teams (youth, hs, college) do NOT get the best athletes because the best athletes choose to play football, basketball, & baseball. Soccer teams in the US get the leftovers, unlike most of the rest of the world where soccer is #1.

[Computer Hobbyist]

Wheels,

I understand what you are saying, and a few years ago you were right. As far as giants are concerned football and basketball are extremely attractive, but for the average sized great athlete, soccer is now seducing many of the very best. It is seducing them away from the other sport for average sized people--baseball. Have you noticed how many new major league baseball players are now coming from Central America, and Asia. That's not just because they are great players. It is a reflection of the decline of the little leagues in America's suburbs. In my home town, we have a baseball league that used to field 20 teams of 14-15 year old boys. Last year the league was barely able to field 6. This is a well respected league that has produced major league players. At the same time the number of soccer teams being fielded by soccer clubs has soared. In Johnson County, Kansas (rich suburb heaven) bond issues are being passed to build more soccer pitches.

As the man said, there are now more kids playing soccer in American than in any country in the world. What he didn't tell you is that there are now more kids playing soccer in America than are playing any other sport.

Why the switch. For the average thinking soccer mom, soccer has a number of advantages over baseball. First, kids have to run. Soccer, is an arobic sport, baseball isn't. Second, the time commitment is defined (a baseball game takes a long time while a little league soccer game is over in couple of hours--including pregame warmups and ice cream afterwards.) Third, it is not a brutalizing sport. Soccer moms don't like for little Jimmy to come home with broken teeth on a regular basis. Fourth, it is relatively cheap. A lot cheaper than hockey (ever priced hockey pads.) Fifth, while there are rainouts, rain doesn't ruin a field for a week (this is the reason that soccer has long been more popular than baseball in the Northwest.) Sixth, a lot of people need help with college tuition these days. Even people in the suburbs. Just what college team do you think Johnny Suburb, star high school athlete, has a chance of making if he is 5'11" 160lb. You got it--soccer. This is true even if Johnny was a great high school basketball player. There are just not that many basketball scholarships to go around. My daugher has teammates whose parents are counting on soccer scholarships to at least second level colleges. (BTW--my wife and I don't.) Of course, for girls, soccer is the scholarship equivalent of football. As long as there is title 9, colleges and universities will have to fund women's soccer.

Of course, you might argue that baseball doesn't depend on colleges and univerities to produce talent. It relies on the minor leagues. As more money is soaked up to pay AROD's salary there is less money available to pay minor league prospects. By not putting its financial house in order, major league baseball has not only destroyed the ability of most of its teams to win, it has also gutted its farm system.

Finally, soccer players develop a love for the game that is unbelievable. That is why it is so darn popular in Europe. All of the stuff that everybody has written about it being dull is true to the average non-player. But to the person who has played the game, the game is down right seductive. There are lots of adult leagues. People playing long after they should have hung up their spikes.

If my daughter came to me tonight and said Dad I don't want to play soccer anymore, it would be ok with me. When I talk to her about the game, however, all she can say is that she loves it. When she is playing well, a certain joy bubbles through in her smile. All of the girls on Sarah's team have that same love of the game. They just want to play.

As time goes by my daughter and her friends will all grow up. They will all be fans. They will have kids, and their kids will play soccer and not baseball. Within a generation, baseball is going to become a marginal sport. Stupid leadership has doomed it.

CH

[pmaddock]

CH,

I have to totally agree with you. I have never played soccer myself, but my nephew who lives with me is a great soccer player. He has even played in the world cup equivalent for 14 years olds a couple years ago (I think that it is the Gothia Cup or something like that) in Europe. He loves soccer so much that he has quit playing his other sport (knothole baseball). This kid is a great kid, whose character has been molded through playing soccer. I just wish that I had the same interest in the sport that he does (my affiliation still lies with softball and football). He totally loves the game and is depressed when he can't play.


PM

[WJWheels]

I'm sure it's a great game.... I've never played myself, but do enjoy watching it some. The fact remains; you guys can say what you want, but it's going to be a loooooong time before we see interest in any professional soccer league here in the states that compares to out big three sports. Even the player drafts for basketball & football draw bigger tv audiences than any soccer game.

BTW, down here in Florida, little league baseball & football still have the largest participation.