HOLY CRAP! That was an awsome read. Thank you for pointing that out for me, time to watch Chad Johson play because the man totally knew what he was talking about. He is definitely up to date on the soccer world, great to hear that he's a fan, especially coming from a guy in the NFL!!!
First he says he only watches soccer when he is at home and it is on a channel he gets, then later he says that he is the only player on the team that watches soccer 7 days a week. Then, he says that the US team played really well in the World Cup but they just didn't advance. If he were such a fan of the sport he would have talked well of MLS instead of saying he didn't watch it because it wasn't as good as European leagues. Nothing more than a fluff piece.
Of course he also pointed out a few interesting things. Juggling a soccer ball to warm-up for football was interesting. I'm sure it helps his footwork and acceleration on the field. Plus it gives him something to focus on while getting his legs warmed up. One thing that stuck out was his decision to play football instead of soccer in HS. Too bad because he's a great athlete with good size. It'd be nice to have a Drogba type forward up top for the US. There's no question that Johnson is a world class athlete and it's interesting to speculate if that could have translated onto the soccer field or not. That being said, his decision made sense. Youth development in the US is getting better, but he's right in order to be a top player he would have needed to travel, especially at the time he was in HS. He's 29 now, so his decision at age 14 or so (15 years ago) would have been before WC 1994 and MLS. The sport has really grown since then across the country.
He is a fan of the sport and he knows his stuff. Just cause he doesn't follow MLS doesn't mean he is not a fan of the sport. The fact any NFL player says anything cool about soccer impresses me. Most NFL guys are caught up in themselves and their sport, its refreshing to even hear of a player who watches soccer when he can.
BTW, that is a correct statement. MLS is much different from watching EPL, La Liga, etc. The pace of the game, the skill of the players, it's simply on a different level. I watch 1-2 MLS games during the season and my wife (who's also a big soccer fan) continually comments on this fact as well. MLS has improved tremondously, but it's still a step or so below the top Euro leagues. I'm confident that is and will continue to change over time, but when you consider the status of soccer in the US when Chad (or myself) were growing up versus what it is today, it makes perfect sense. The kids growing up with the sport now will naturally be better than the current generation of players. As passion for the sport grows across the nation, so will the quality.
Thanks for putting that up, I did not know that Chad liked soccer and that he played it. Bengals are the best team in American Football, we will go all the way, if we can keep everyone out of Jail this year.
Soulphish is probably a "Stillers" fan just like most West Virginians. Can't give any love to a Bengal.
You gotta admit, with his history he'd probably come up with some of the best goal scoring celebrations. I can already picture him hiding a cell phone in the corner flag and running over to it after he scores and calling the opposing coach.
BTW, Joe Horn was the WR who used the cell phone for a TD celebration, not Johnson. Of course CJ does have some good ones and he does try something different each time.
His proposal to the cheerleader was one of the best i've ever seen, it was hilarious and the cheerleader was so shocked.
lol soulphish in mls the pace is different, skills of players are weak...not really enjoyable..well to an american yes...
WoW good article Seems to me there are a lot of good soccer players in south Florida with not too many places to advance.
The "SportsCenter" ad where upon suggestions at the Bristol boardroom HQ's on what dance he should do next, and his reply of, "Man, if I did that, I'd fine myself", that is classic.
Quick video of Chad's answers can be found on the soccernet.com front page. Click on Ocho Cinco is a Soccer Fan on the right side of the page.
And relevant to this: Q: How old was Chad Johnson when MLS kicked its first ball? A: 18. (He was born in '78 sez http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/235222) The chances are real good he'd made his choices by this time. MLS wasn't even there when he was "growing up", so it's not like he ever had the chance to grow up with it.
I'm guessing that, like most people, he didn't put tremedous thought into what soccer he would watch and what he wouldn't watch. He just watches what he feels like watching.
They've shown him dribbling in warm-ups b4 matches before, and he looked quite skillful...i never knew he was such an adament viewer though....