Article in Guardian, "Get Ready to dislike America"

[Neville2]

I did not see this posted elsewhere.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/comment/story/0,,1786908,00.html

Horrible title, but mostly complimentary including this great quote:

"Sooner or later the US will get spanked in this World Cup. But we are not talking here about New Zealand or Australia. Or even Cameroon or Nigeria. The US men's team is an overdog in embryo. A glance at the stats (pro-soccer in the US is already better attended than in most European countries while the grassroots game continues to explode) tells you that the US will soon be a soccer superpower. And when that happens this intensely patriotic country will - for the first time ever - have a men's sports team that can consistently kick international ass (the US women's soccer team has been doing it for years). And that's not going to be pretty. There'll be nothing 'plucky' about it. Just the brutal application of raw demographic power."

[Reignking]

The title is "Get ready to dislike America"...

[sebakoole]

Meanwhile America's soccer partisans - like my team-mate who visited Highbury on vacation and now turns up to play every Saturday in a pristine Arsenal kit - will engage me in earnest debate about the merits of Theo Walcott...
Gee, this doesn't resemble anyone I've ever played with.

[Neville2]

The title is "Get ready to dislike America"...


Sorry about that. Fixed the title.

[arcturus rex]

I did not see this posted elsewhere.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/comment/story/0,,1786908,00.html

Horrible title, but mostly complimentary including this great quote:

"Sooner or later the US will get spanked in this World Cup. But we are not talking here about New Zealand or Australia. Or even Cameroon or Nigeria. The US men's team is an overdog in embryo. A glance at the stats (pro-soccer in the US is already better attended than in most European countries while the grassroots game continues to explode) tells you that the US will soon be a soccer superpower. And when that happens this intensely patriotic country will - for the first time ever - have a men's sports team that can consistently kick international ass (the US women's soccer team has been doing it for years). And that's not going to be pretty. There'll be nothing 'plucky' about it. Just the brutal application of raw demographic power."


Talk is cheap.

Superpower? Soon? mmmm....I think not.

Now I'll go check what the rest of the world's opinion about the US is....bye.

[Poet]

Talk is cheap.

Superpower? Soon? mmmm....I think not.

Did you notice who is doing the talking Nostradamus ?

[NBlue]

And when that happens this intensely patriotic country will - for the first time ever - have a men's sports team that can consistently kick international ass ."


Ummm, wonder what these guys would think of that?

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/pboettke/images/dream%20team.jpg

[Golazo]

"Get ready to....."?

[SoftTackle]

The title is "Get ready to dislike America"...
As if Guardian readers needed preparation.

[elephantstone]

I'm sure Guardian readers will find some way to prepare themselves for this onerous task.





I do like the conclusion though:

"I suggest US soccer fans enjoy being underestimated, derided, mocked and written off while they still can. It won't get any better than this."

That's what makes this fun.

[Nutmeg]

That's what makes this fun.

Sure. That's why I'm here. The second soccer turns the corner, I'm off to cheer on US ping-pong players.

[crewfighter]

Ummm, wonder what these guys would think of that?

http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/pboettke/images/dream%20team.jpg

Yeah what happened to our last olympic basketball team? The thing is it's not 1992. And he is right I think on many things. For one who really ever gives a damn about olympic basketball in our country? Not many. And who really gives a damn in the rest of the world? No one. Maybe Italy but any country would take winning a World Cup over winning a stupid Olympic Basketball tournament. This is the best sport in the world hands down, so hopefully if this team can do well maybe more people will learn how to accept it.

Or we can go on with Barry Bonds, Kobe Bryant, and Barbaro as news. No thanks.

[jsantarita]

Oh the Brits. They write so well.. In fact not only do they play soccer better than us but they also write so much better than us. I wish we had sports writers and headline writers as creeative as the Brits. Head lines like "What a Messi" with a big pic of Messi causing havoc in Chelsea's defense ( or should I write defence with a "c"?) Ah the Brits...

[Deuteriumoxide]

Sure. That's why I'm here. The second soccer turns the corner, I'm off to cheer on US ping-pong players.


Figures, I was rooting for US ping pong since way before it was cool.

[Neville2]

Talk is cheap.

Superpower? Soon? mmmm....I think not.

I guess it depends on your definition of soon. I think the writer of the article is right when he states it comes down to sheer demographic size.
In my opinion it is one of the major reasons Brazil is so good is sheer population size. Brazil has as many people as France Italy and United Kingdom combined. Combined that with their great soccer culture it is why they could send two teams better than almost anyone else.

We are the 3rd largest country in the world in population. The New York Metro area has more people than the Netherlands. As our soccer culture grows (fan base, MLS, etc.) so will our success. And just look at the advances we have made in sixteen years since Italia 90. I think most who follows the U.S. team believe this is the best team we have ever sent and I fully expect the team to be better in 2010. I am hoping for 2018 for the final breakthrough.

[Clinton AFC]

Sure. That's why I'm here. The second soccer turns the corner, I'm off to cheer on US ping-pong players.

For the last time, it's Table Tennis!!! Only newbies call it Ping Pong. And yes, I'm staking my claim to being a Table Tennis Snob on BigTableTennis.com :D

[Chris M.]

Awesome article.

I am glad that he recognized the two great Nike ad campaigns:

It consisted of a TV ad where a droning anti-soccer radio shock-jock was drowned out by a go-go anthem called Tell It To The World and the screen rejoiced in shots of street kids and meat-packers and spindle-legged teens doing amazing things with soccer balls on basketball courts, tennis courts and baseball fields. It closed with the shot of the US team smashing home a goal against England in Chicago. And it felt good, dammit, it felt evangelical.

But there was more - a print ad that bordered on genius. Using the angry, relentless and irresistible diction of Thomas Paine's war-winning pamphlets and invoking the revolutionary image of the spitting rattlesnake with the 'Don't Tread On Me' logo, Nike's 'So Says This AMERICAN Game' manifesto pitted players plucked from "Texas trailer parks" and "Florida projects" against the snobby French, supercilious Brazilians and arrogant English.

[comeonoxford]

(pro-soccer in the US is already better attended than in most European countries while the grassroots game continues to explode)

Huh? Hey, I'm a partisan of the American game, but this is just silly.

[scarshins]

That's a very good article, he gets what many others miss by a mile. But I don't think it will be so "soon" either, raw demographics only goes so far...

[Eric B]

(pro-soccer in the US is already better attended than in most European countries while the grassroots game continues to explode)

Huh? Hey, I'm a partisan of the American game, but this is just silly.Actually, if you check the numbers, there are a lot of clubs in Europe (many top flight, in fact) that get Wednesday-in-Denver type numbers....