For the soccer fans... USA! USA!

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""HuggyPierre""][quote=""Soccerman771""][quote=""generalbuschmann""]this was no good game, wrong winner and really boring, brazil didnt played like the games before[/quote]

Completely agree with you.

For you "America won't dominate" croud. How can you look at the last 15-20 years and say we aren't getting better?[/quote]

Getting better doesn't mean you dominate .[/quote]

Besides Brazil (who still gets beat) Who consistently has dominated over the past 20 years.

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""LaZy""][quote=""Blackadderthe4th""]Even with marketing, whether the beautiful game can replace other more traditional US sports as the No1 sport in America remains to be seen.[/quote]

Football will never become the Nº1 sport of the US. I never said it would. It will definately become a huge sport as soon as it generates money.
[/quote]

I completely disagree with both of you. Baseball is in a serious decline. Football is on a rise, but is only played 1/3 of the year, and even then only 2-3 days a week. Basketball isn't that much of a draw compared to the other two.

The beautiful game is in perfect position to become the #1 sport in the greatest country in the world. It also has the greatness that it can be (and is) played year round for the most part. If televised, I can usually catch some friendly international, club ball, or tournament going on any week of the year. The rules are simple (except offsides, I concede) and the game is easy to follow. However, as much of a fan as I am, I realize that it is rather boring to watch for the most part. Don't doubt me, after all I am the 771st version of the Soccerman - according to Jim.

[Blackadderthe4th]

[quote=""LaZy""][quote=""Blackadderthe4th""]football can become big in the US it doesn't mean they will dominate. [/quote]

No country in the world dominates a single sport. All I said is that the US would be a serious contender to win any tournament they enter. Just like Brazil and Argentina.

[/quote]

[quote=""LaZy""]

Dont get me wrong here, the US will ALSO dominate football. Its just a question of time untill it happens. All they need is infrastructure and 2 market it as they do with all their other sports. As soon as that happens they will produce a league that will outweigh the spanish or english league by miles. It is destiny

out[/quote]




[quote=""LaZy""]

There are only 3 truly competetive leagues in europe atm thats the Spanish leauge, the english league and the Italian league. Germany and France are becoming more and more competetive. Thats 5 countries. The US isnt exactly a "single nation" Chris. It has 50 odd states. Of which half of them are individualy larger than the 5 countries I stated above.

[/quote]

Yes but as you mention somewhere else the leagues in Europe attract the best players from around the world, not just their native countries. Also their supporters are international. How many people around the world support Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool? So your theory of because the US is bigger than the European nations therefore generates more money etc isn't so straightforward.

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

QUOTE LAZY: The US isnt exactly a "single nation" Chris. It has 50 odd states. Of which half of them are individualy larger than the 5 countries I stated above.

Completely aside from the soccer debate, I completely agree with this assessment. I often say that the United States are united in name only. It's really only been in the last 90 years that "Americans" think of themselves as "national citizens" rather than "citizens of individual States." And you just need to live over here a little while to recognize that Alabamians live a different country than New Yorkers, and that Massachusetts folk are nothing like Montanans. They all speak something resembling English, but they express totally different values with the "same language."

On the soccer question, I know that it was becoming pretty popular in Chicago when I was there. They even have a league: "Major League Soccer." I don't hear about it much in New York, though. When I was a kid in Connecticut, soccer was extremely popular among my prep school, upper-crust Caucasian friends with parents who drove expensive cars and paid the full tuition (I got a scholarship; I wouldn't have been there otherwise). In fact, it was probably the most popular sport in that social circle. I never played. I was a baseball man, myself.

Will soccer supplant baseball and other American sports? I don't know. I don't know many people who are really passionate about it over here, but I know as much about "sports trends" as I do about playing the Sioux; so I'm not really the right American to ask.

In fact, I really don't follow sports at all. The fact that some stars make $200 million every few years doesn't endear me to them at all. I mean, for goodness sakes, I know people should be paid what the market shall bear (at least, if you support capitalistic labor theory), but what do these guys really provide? Entertainment? If we are willing to pay so much to be entertained, what does that say about us? Are our lives so bad and unentertaining that we are willing to pay these kinds of salaries to briefly escape our misery?

I wrote a satire once about sports fanaticism in Chicago. Basically, it provides the death penalty for any city resident who does not OFFICIALLY DECLARE himself a fan of an "Eligible Sports Franchise," because that reflects disloyalty. It parodies laws in general, too.

http://reasoncommercejustice.blogspot.c ... rting.html

[huGGy]

[quote=""Soccerman771""][quote=""HuggyPierre""][quote=""Soccerman771""][quote=""generalbuschmann""]this was no good game, wrong winner and really boring, brazil didnt played like the games before[/quote]

Completely agree with you.

For you "America won't dominate" croud. How can you look at the last 15-20 years and say we aren't getting better?[/quote]

Getting better doesn't mean you dominate .[/quote]

Besides Brazil (who still gets beat) Who consistently has dominated over the past 20 years.[/quote]

Italy, France, Germany and 20-25 years ago Argentina. Domination doesn't mean you win all of your games. Let's just see what the next years will bring.

[huGGy]

[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]

I wrote a satire once about sports fanaticism in Chicago. Basically, it provides the death penalty for any city resident who does not OFFICIALLY DECLARE himself a fan of an "Eligible Sports Franchise," because that reflects disloyalty. It parodies laws in general, too.
[/quote]

I support a 5th league football team in germany. Anytime, anyplace. I'm pretty loyal in this case .

Youre text is pretty well written and entertaining .

[RascalJones]

[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]
On the soccer question, I know that it was becoming pretty popular in Chicago when I was there. They even have a league: "Major League Soccer." I don't hear about it much in New York, though. When I was a kid in Connecticut, soccer was extremely popular among my prep school, upper-crust Caucasian friends with parents who drove expensive cars and paid the full tuition (I got a scholarship; I wouldn't have been there otherwise). In fact, it was probably the most popular sport in that social circle. I never played. I was a baseball man, myself.
[/quote]

WOO!! Columbus Crew 2008 MLS Champions!!!!! (Who play at Crew Stadium, the first stadium built in the US specifically for professional soccer)

Aren't you in NYC, Kaiser? How does anything go beyond Yankees as far as sports is concerned? Maybe the Giants or the Rangers in the winter.

As far as Major League Soccer, they have Red Bull New York, who play at the Meadowlands, the same stadium as the Jets & Giants.


Here you go, guys. Apparently MLS is close to surpassing the NBA & NHL in average attendance by this year.

http://www.oleole.com/blogs/synthetic-t ... ey-in-2009

From this year's numbers, it would appear that Soccer is more of a draw in the western US......except in Dallas.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/atte ... 09&cc=5901

Baseball is still far surpassing MLS this year. Even the lowest on the list is higher than the second-highest MLS team average.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

And the NFL dwarfs them all.....but they only play 16 games per year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance

Some of the European teams draw as many per game as the NFL over here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_at ... ball_clubs



[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]

Will soccer supplant baseball and other American sports? I don't know. I don't know many people who are really passionate about it over here, but I know as much about "sports trends" as I do about playing the Sioux; so I'm not really the right American to ask.

[/quote]

I don't think baseball and football have anything to worry about. NBA & NHL....maybe.

[etrips888]

Going off what kaiser said, I always found it surprising that one of the biggest youth sports from what I've seen is soccer. I feel like almost everyone played it at one point or another in their life time, like I did for 10+ years.

I just find it strange that with the kind of exposure that the sport seems to attract early on, that it is completely ignored later on as a major sport here in the US. I guess we are more into "exciting" sports, but I mean, baseball isn't the most exciting sport either so idk...

Can't find a link to it, but anyone remember that simpsons episode when springfield gets all excited when they get a soccer match played in town, only to be so bored by the game that they start a riot? That always comes to mind whenever I think of American's view on the sport

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""RascalJones""][quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]
On the soccer question, I know that it was becoming pretty popular in Chicago when I was there. They even have a league: "Major League Soccer." I don't hear about it much in New York, though. When I was a kid in Connecticut, soccer was extremely popular among my prep school, upper-crust Caucasian friends with parents who drove expensive cars and paid the full tuition (I got a scholarship; I wouldn't have been there otherwise). In fact, it was probably the most popular sport in that social circle. I never played. I was a baseball man, myself.
[/quote]

WOO!! Columbus Crew 2008 MLS Champions!!!!! (Who play at Crew Stadium, the first stadium built in the US specifically for professional soccer)

Aren't you in NYC, Kaiser? How does anything go beyond Yankees as far as sports is concerned? Maybe the Giants or the Rangers in the winter.

As far as Major League Soccer, they have Red Bull New York, who play at the Meadowlands, the same stadium as the Jets & Giants.


Here you go, guys. Apparently MLS is close to surpassing the NBA & NHL in average attendance by this year.

http://www.oleole.com/blogs/synthetic-t ... ey-in-2009

From this year's numbers, it would appear that Soccer is more of a draw in the western US......except in Dallas.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/stats/atte ... 09&cc=5901

Baseball is still far surpassing MLS this year. Even the lowest on the list is higher than the second-highest MLS team average.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

And the NFL dwarfs them all.....but they only play 16 games per year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/attendance

Some of the European teams draw as many per game as the NFL over here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Average_at ... ball_clubs



[quote=""Kaiser_von_Nuben""]

Will soccer supplant baseball and other American sports? I don't know. I don't know many people who are really passionate about it over here, but I know as much about "sports trends" as I do about playing the Sioux; so I'm not really the right American to ask.

[/quote]

I don't think baseball and football have anything to worry about. NBA & NHL....maybe.[/quote]

We here in Dallas lack proper officiating in playoff games to have great attendance records. :roll:

[Kaiser_von_Nuben]

@ Rascal: It's true, NYC is Yankee town for the most part. Baseball is really popular here. New York football teams are usually middle-of-the-road, plus they play in New Jersey, so that affects their popularity. Hockey is pretty popular, and so is basketball. But nothing like baseball. Even the Mets have a huge following. They are the classic blue-collar underdogs, even though they play in a stadium named after a monster bank now.

Soccer though? Not really. The immigrants like soccer much more than the longtime residents. And we have a lot of those... probably half the city. It's just the mainstream press doesn't work for the immigrants, so you never hear their perspectives.

[KingKaramazov]

2-0 over Brazil *****...let's see if they can keep it up!

[KingKaramazov]

Brazil came out and played like themselves again in the 2nd half...USA did their best but Brazil scored two goals and it's 3-2 now (or at least it should be, the 2nd goal wasn't counted) and Brazil will probably score again and make it 4-2.

[KingKaramazov]

The USA doesn't have the speed, the conditioning, or the skill to play against Brazil in a full game, and they showed it today.

They were up 2-0 at half time but Brazil came out and beat them soundly in the second half, effectively scoring 4 goals (the 2nd goal wasn't counted but should have been).

[Soccerman771]

[quote=""KingKaramazov""]The USA doesn't have the speed, the conditioning, or the skill to play against Brazil in a full game, and they showed it today.[/quote]

KK, Most teams don't. Even at the highest level.

What really hurt us was the Bradley red card and depth on the bench. After 3 tight games full of emotion we just ran out against one of the greatest opponents there is.

I cannot say I'm disappointed in how we played. I'm very encouraged by the leadership play of Donovan and Howard. Dempsey is getting to the level we know he can play at, and the defense is starting to shore up.

Once we get some real, fluid team chemistry we'll be very dangerous.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the CONCACAF qualifying.