For the soccer fans... USA! USA!

[Roger_The_Rogue]

Well, in few hours we will be facing the mighty Brazilians. May the other underdog win.

[Lost_my_hope]

The underdog will win, hoekom jy weet?

[huGGy]

Football is a game which lasts 90 minutes and in the end Germany will win. (Or something like this ).

@Lazy: Money doesn't give you better players (it helps training the ones you have tho).

[Roger_The_Rogue]

Half time = 0:0! Come on, Bafana Bafana!

[Lost_my_hope]

[quote=""HuggyPierre""]Football is a game which lasts 90 minutes and in the end Germany will win. (Or something like this ).[/quote]

It's a quote from Gary Lineker. And very true, unfortunately :neutral:

[Lost_my_hope]

nooooooooooooooooooooooo

poor south africa :neutral: gg though

[generalbuschmann]

this was no good game, wrong winner and really boring, brazil didnt played like the games before

[LaZy]

Huggy, I agree with u. Still money makes the world go round and only a money making machine, like the football industry, will put a specific country on the international spotlight. Only when football becomes a national sport ( and thus a money making machine) will the US become a true contender.

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

[huGGy]

Nah, gotta disagree (not at all although). The US might get stronger, but the main football market is in Europe, so if US players want to play on a competitive level they have to come to Europe. And if you want to put up a competitive league you need good players, but they wont go there, because the competition is missing. Also Football suffers from a big tradition. The culture is different. People identify with their footballteam. It's their life. Some clubs in Germany have a chapel in the stadium to make the club your official religion. Or a graveyard behind the stadium (hamburg til i die...and beyond ). Also its difficult to place Football next to the traditional US Sports like Basketball, Baseball or American Football. Actually our Football should be pretty famous in the US, since Football and American Football have the same roots in Rugby.

Also, going to a football game is more than just watch the game. It's the athmosphere when you walk on the street and can see the stadium, hear the fans singing.

Back to the beginning. Outweighing the english league or spanish league will be tough. Paying 200 Mio € (95 Mios for trade and 100 Mios for 5 years) for one single player isn't something you can easily effort with some sponsoring. They should focus on Basketball. I love watching NBA, can't do it here tho (only PPV )

[Blackadderthe4th]

I agree more with Huggy, although football can become big in the US it doesn't mean they will dominate. The European leagues are already huge, I really don't see how they could get bigger or be out shone by one single nation. Also it isn't all about money either. Brazil isn't exactly the wealthiest country on Earth, yet look their team is one of the best. They field such teams because their populace play football all the time, allowing young talent to be discovered and nurtured. Even with marketing, whether the beautiful game can replace other more traditional US sports as the No1 sport in America remains to be seen.

[Roger_The_Rogue]

Ja, damn Brazilians, for spoiling our evening. That was an excellent goal and almost impossible to save. Well, we'll play against Spain again on Sunday. Ouch!

[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?

[huGGy]

[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 .

[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=""Blackadderthe4th""]I really don't see how they could get bigger or be out shone by one single nation.[/quote]

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.

Dont 4get that the US has been trying, for several years now, to get the spot light onto their homeland. Beckham´s relativly recent transfer is a mere example of that. More will follow. Why bcos of the money. Not bcos posh wants 2 have drinks with Paris Hilton.

[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=""HuggyPierre""]Nah, gotta disagree (not at all although). The US might get stronger, but the main football market is in Europe, so if US players want to play on a competitive level they have to come to Europe. And if you want to put up a competitive league you need good players, but they wont go there, because the competition is missing.[/quote]

I couldnt disagree more Huggy. Players are, above all, profesionals. They will always sign with the strongest bidder. Do u really believe that Ronaldo would transfer 2 Madrid if he was going 2 get half of his pay from Man U. Of course not.

Another thing is important. Lets not 4get that the competetive leagues dont require national players. An american league will never be made up of american players only, the same way that the Spanish league has God knows how many diferent nationalities in it.

Yes 2 get a truly competetive leauge u need top notch players. The players dont play in England because of the weather, nor do they play in Spain bcos they get more media attention. They play in the clubs that pay them the most.

Football is also very cyclical. Portugal, for example, was a huge football contender (club wise) in the past. It has one of the most pathetic leagues in europe atm. Even if Porto are always a serious contender in the Champions leagues and Uefa cup, the portuguese league is very diferent. But Portugal is right next door 2 the worlds most competetive league!?!?!? We also produce some of the finest football players the world has ever seen. So what does this mean? Money doesnt solve anything. If its mismanaged, as is the case in Portugal, Brazil etc it will produce the result Ive stated above. If its not marketed properly the stadiums wont fill and the games wont achieve TV shares. So europe has both, the best and mayB the worst leagues 2 offer.

Brazil, for example, as Chris stated, is a nation (again larger than the 5 european countries all put 2gether) that produces some of the finest players in the world. But do they have a competetive league???? NOPE. They are merely an export nation of athletes, much like Portugal. Why, bcos players dont get paid squat at home. FACT: 90% of the Portuguese clubs in our 1st division dont get paid on time! FACT: more than 6 clubs had players that recieved no salary in the last 5 months!

Regarding the money/wealth issue. Your confusing a nations wealth with the amount of money the football industry generates! Figo´s transfer from Barça 2 Madrid (which at the time gave him the nick name of pessetero - money hungry) was, at the time, a new record transfer. Madrid saw the money they paid for him back in under 1 year just by selling T-shirts and the like. This is sports marketing at its best, and NO other country in the world does it better than the US!!!

To make a long story short (bcos Im kinda tired of siding with the US 2 much ) the US has everything it needs 2 become a football giant. It has 600 million spectaters. It has 600 million diferent gene combinations 2 produce football stars. It has the ambition and money 2 produce the mutli million contracts u c in sports (dont 4get that Tiger Woods, is still 2 this day the best earning athlete in the worlds!!!) All it lacks is time. Its time thats going 2 nurture a football culture. Time is required 2 produce a serious competetive league. It is time that will allow the US 2 reach semi-finals and world finals.

Make no mistake about, if the US doesnt achieve what I predict in 20 years time then its their own fault

out

[huGGy]

Well, it's not all about the money, but alot. That is and will always be true. BUT, if Ronaldo gets the chance to earn the same money in the US like in Madrid, i bet he would go to Madrid, no? So why is that?

The german league isn't as good as it were some years ago, when Munich or Dortmund won the Championsleague. German Teams aren't allowed to pay that much money. It's also not allowed that Investors from the Middle East come and give their money. And you know what? I really like it that way. Stadiums are full and the League is interesting . I totally see your point and it's not wrong, but it isn't as easy as you say it here.

Btw: The brasilian league is competitive (player wise, not financial wise). The winner of the Copa Libertadores always has a good chance vs "our" Winner of the Championsleague.

Of course the US can win a big Tournament and if they do they deserve it, but Football won't be the number 1 sport there. It can reach the Basketball and American Football level, but it will be difficult to establish another sport on a top (media) level.