With the fair-weather U.S. soccer frenzy that is the World Cup coming up in just over two weeks, a lot of dialogue will be focused on just how big soccer is in America. From soccer fanatics spreading the word about the global significance of the tournament to the debutante parties being declared for the American soccer fan, I find myself asking: "What's the endgame? What is "success" for the soccer movement in the United States?" Is it soccer as the most popular sport in America? Is it a 30 team MLS? Is it an American media corps and public at large literate in the sport? Is it a World Cup semi-final appearance by the US Men's National Team? Or is it some obscure "respect" for the game? Whatever it is, I think we need to be realistic with our expectations. Enough of this obsession with why Americans "don't like soccer." Enough with the "but it's so popular everywhere else!" And for God's sake, enough with trying to convince other fans that soccer is simply better than baseball, football, basketball or hockey. The soccer landscape in the U.S. is going to be drastically different 15 years from now. But I'm unsure if we would count it as a "success" as meeting our half-heatedly defined objectives for what soccer "should be" in this country. For my two cents, I count success as the day when I no longer have to explain why I love the sport to every person I meet at a bar. What do you think? What would have to happen for you to consider soccer a success in the US?
"Success" for soccer in the US would be to build up, maintain, stabilize and enhance MLS and the minor leagues ... and nothing else. You dont have to win the World Cup to make soccer bigger as it is right now. Even soccer-homeland England has won the world cup just one time. Does that derogate the popularity of this sport over there? No it does not. And why? Because the EPL is a highly attractive league which draws massive attendance and full (pay-)tv-coverage. The only task after expansion to 20 should be to improve the level of play. MLS must arrive a higher standard. Only a higher level of play will lead to more tv-coverage and in the end to better commercialization. How to achieve that? Do a better youth development. Build youth academies and establish more soccer clubs in all the metropolitan areas. The traditional college-way does not work for soccer in the States. 4 Years of inadeqate college-soccer is not the way. Ronaldo and Messi and the thousands other players in europe leagues have not become the players they are by experimenting a couple of sports in their youth and then playing "a bit" soccer from age 18 to 22 in an environment (college) that is fully geared to (American-)football, baseball and basketball. They joined soccer clubs at age 7 and did the "professional way" from then on. In the long run soccer can become as big as NHL but the structures must be changed and adjusted.
For my personal opinion with 60 years of experience success of Soccer in USA means that the sports goes on the streets and not only Colleges and Schools. If you check European, Asian, African and Latin American Soccer I would say 99% are coming from street soccer. May be only 1% have College education. Soccer needs daily long practice and School does not allow that. I mean it is very very hard to compete for a College or High School student someone grown up as soccer player from streets. It is almost impossible. I guess Wednesday USA plays against Turkey in Pennyslvania a game for preparing coming WC. Certainly you can buy the best players and make them US and win the WC, no problem. But I am talking about own citizens not immigrants.
I think most US Soccer fans view 'success' precisely as when people no longer adhere to the meme of 'Americans don't like soccer', write long treatises about why(1), and debate when or if 'Americans will start writing soccer.' A lot of the path to success, therefore, lies in soccer institutions simply outliving the people who make these issues. (Which largely consists of waiting for everyone who can remember 1975 to die.) (1- Actually, it is a fascinating question, it's just that we've heard most of the arguments a thousand times before, and generally they are all pretty superficial and unsatisfying.)
Success in American soccer is something that will not be as publically pleasing as doing well in South Africa, but something more inherent in American soccer. I am refering to the American style and the system that we play. By playing the system that we do we have involuntarily put a cap on the progress of American soccer and will never reach the ultimate goal of being a serious soccer power internationally. When we are talking about what the ultimate goal of US soccer is and we list all of these different things that are steps towards an end goal, that end goal we are speaking of is becoming a serious world power. Untill we change our system we won't be able to reach that end goal and all these steps on the way will always fall short of what we are aiming for. I implore you to read my blog and other posts to understand what I mean by the flaws in the American style of soccer. So, the ultimate goal of American soccer in my opinion is to break down the system we have built so that our progression potential is high up with the contenders we see today, which is where we want it to be.
Honestly, from my point of view: 1. Having a stable, financially secure, well-respected league that decent-quality players want to play in, and not just as a "retirement league". It has to be seen as a place where players want to come to legitimately further their careers. For each team to have a SSS, and for that stadium to be full more often than not. 2. Having club sides competing strongly - not necessarily winning, but regularly doing well - in regional club tournaments like the CONCACAF Champions League. 3. Having a national side capable of competing strongly - not necessarily winning - the World Cup, where the top European and South American opponents genuinely consider the US to be a dangerous team which can beat them. Some may argue that this has already happened. 4. Having the US media report on the sport without a trace of irony, and give it the same level of respect and intelligent analysis it afforts to baseball, basketball, American football, hockey and the like. Where the Landon Donovans and Clint Dempseys are given equal weight alongside other national stars like Kobe Bryant or Derek Jeter. That would be enough.
Bingo. I completely agree. The rest of our dearest hopes and dreams are just that: hopes and dreams, not realistic expectations of a country and a sporting culture traditionally ill-suited for soccer and, quite frankly, already obsessed with any number of other sports.
Here is a step forward. I just noticed that USAtoday website now lists soccer as a link on the front page of the sports section next to college football. For years it has been listed under "More" next to Sailing.
Private Professional Clubs are allowed to transfer foreign national players by paying them and/or their previous clubs. National teams are not allowed to that. All players of a National team must have the citizenship. Now it is suggested to FIFA that only people who are born in that Country should play at the National team, which all Europe supports. This is the main reason that Soccer should be spread more in the US and not limited to High Schools and Colleges. Schools have other sports also and they do not have enough time for soccer. Today a professional soccer team practice twice a day each at least 2 hours, 10 months a year, changing, transportation showers excluded, alltogether approx. 4-5 hours a day they spend for Soccer. A student cannot spend that much time. This is the main point that USA should organize.
Soccer will be more succesful in America when Sports Radio host start talking about it more outside of the world cup, when a true american style of play similar to the 02 team is more consistant and entertaining the american audience. When soccer transcends pop culture more not just the suburbs, where maybe the top prospect parents is from PG county maryland and not Nigeria or scotland. where there isnt much of a stereotype or invisible line of sports segragtion between foreign and american sport.
When it takes over No.4 from hockey in terms of media coverage. Right now, while it's not a lot, at least some hockey highlights get on Sportscenter, so it would be nice to see a wrap-up each Saturday and Sunday on the biggest games throughout the world. It doesn't have to be covered on the radio extensively, but at least on television if there are some extended highlights/analysis segments instead of the only coverage being when Josh Elliott can squeeze a Messi goal into the Top 10.
Naw the media has to give more coverage to MLS than Europe and ensure local/domestic soccer is top priority! Thats when professional soccer has truly won the battle in the final frontier.
Just received info in Europe that USA lost against Czech Republic in USA 4-2. Czechs did not quilified for WC. If you lose to a team which did not quilified for the elite tournament of the world, how can you talk about possiblity of playing finals in SA. US Soccer needs a big reform. The present way of Soccer organization Professional or Amateur in USA according to my opinion 100% wrong. US should let people play soccer on the public fields, this means make showers and changing rooms for amateur players and employ someone who controlls the field and maintenance just like in Europe, Asia, Africa. Keep the College soccer but College students priority is his/her books and not soccer. I mean kindly you should admit this and start changing. CONFED Cup cannot be compared with WC. US is spending millions of Dollars for Soccer it is a pitty to lose to Czech Republic 4-2.
The day I turn on Sportscenter and an MLS game is the lead highlight, I'll know soccer has "made it" in America. Heck, ESPN showing highlights of MLS games that aren't the Thursday night GOTW would be huge progress as far as visibility goes.
So let me get this straight. You're blaming the US's loss to the Czech Republic on the fact that there aren't enough showers and changing rooms for amateur players? Seriously?
For me, soccer will be a success in the US when the "fans" allow soccer to be seen as the American sport that it is (played in the US and Canada for nearly as long as baseball has, and has had pro leagues since the 1890s), and get off the "IT'S FOOTBALL, NOT SOCCER, YOU #@^#@%#%^!!! bandwagon. When people are once again okay with teams named stuff like "Sounders," "Earthquakes," "Rowdies," "Comets," etc., and stop insisting that the only way US pro soccer will be legitimate is if every other team is named either "United," Racing," "_______ City," "_________ FC," or some other Euroclone name (and stop the pro/rel nonsense once and for all as well). The noob fans who think this way are hurting the game in this country, and sadly, overshadow those of us who have followed the game for decades, and know better, but can't get past the shrillness of the noobs. Also, when guys like Jim Rome and Tony Kornheiser talk about soccer because it's sports, and not because they like to arouse the ire of the soccer Trekkie community, and get them to ranting like whack-job left and right-wing loonies, making them the soccer equivalent to the goofballs the news reporters always interview after a tornado ("I done heerd this thang a-comin', an it sounded lahk a train or sumthin'!" = "Basebore sucks, man! Pointy-ball's for fat dumbasses, man! Soccer/Football Rooooooollllllzzzzz man!").
I'm with you on this one. Realistic expectations are a must for soccer to succeed in the US. The sport will never have the history it has in England and Europe, but it does have its own history here than should be embraced, not ignored. I don't think that it will ever be more popular than the "home grown" sports of American football, baseball or basketball, but I do think it will have a niche appeal in which it will be able to thrive, survive and flourish.
Yesterday I watched USA-Turkey 2-1 game and to be honest with you USA should not quilify from the main four in WC. Turkey is a very weak team, was not able to quilify for the WC. Coach Bradley was also not able to read the game because during the first half Turkish left wing tear the defense of USA. Coach Bradley recognised the mistake after 45 minutes and exchanged players. If you do that during the WC they will never forgive. If USA plays like they did against weak Turkey I see no chance.
Yes, exactly you got me. Before getting bervous please read. 1) Almost 50% of US National Soccer Team are not born in USA. They are imported from other Countries. 2) After WC if the FIFA comes up with the proposed desicion, which is almost 99.9% that National players must be native born, then it would be very hard. 3) If you start supporting street Soccer what would you lose? Before criticising me please think. What do I get for it? Do I have any benifit? Why should I try to direct you to the wrong direction, am I going to get a medal for it? I am just saying that Soccer is a street sport and not a college sport, almost 95% of best players of the world have very little education because of practising. If you think I am lying you can check yourself. If the US supports street soccer what would you lose? I would sugget kindly to think . Thanks.
Well, this is complete bullshit. Of the 23 going to the World Cup, the only people who were not born and raised in the United States are Benny Feilhaber (Brazil) and Stuart Holden (Scotland). You are clearly talking out of your ass. This would be a problem if the US fielded dozens of foreign-born players. Which they don't. Nothing. But I believe you were talking about a lack of investment in facilities for the players being the problem, not whether the players actually play street soccer or not.
That statement is blatantly false. Of the WC squad, The only two who were even born in other countries are: -Feilhaber was born in Brazil, raised in the USA -Holden was born in Scotland, moved here when he was 10 and spent the rest of his life in the USA Besides, we have had American born players go play for other national teams as well (Rossi, Subotic, probably Hoyos)