In order for soccer to grow in America, do we need our own Ronaldo

Do you see any young Americans taking on that role? I am fairly new to the soccer scene and don't know much about the young American players.

 

Not sure about Ronaldo but we definitely need a Maradona or Pele.

 

Yes

it would speed up the growth of soccer if we had a superstar. A real superstar, that is a star in the top leagues. Not necessarily a star with celebrity-esque fame although that sort of comes hand in hand with stardom.

 

Actually I think a celebrity-esque player would make a much larger impact. I mean when a past-prime David Beckham came to the MLS, while he wasn't effective in "changing the sport", people were still interested in coming out to see the guy dating Posh. Of course, for a US player to be a celebrity, it would probably be required of him to be a star at the game playing at a place like Milan or United.

 

Having an American who is a true global superstar wouldn't hurt. At least more kids would grow up saying they want to be that guy and some of those kids could be great athletes.

 

I doubt very seriously an American Ronaldo is on the horizon. Not the way our system is set up.

 

American soccer can develop a bit more without needing a top 5 in the world level talent.

But if it ever wants to make the leap to being considered one of the major sports like Football, Basketball, Baseball or even Hockey, we are going to need a star to market. The NBA rode Magic, larry and Michael to relevance, the NHL did the same to a degree with Gretzky. I think an American Maradona absolutely would revolutionize the way the game is perceived.

 

We absolutely need a marketable, high caliber player. It would certainly help things move along.

I don't see such a player coming anytime soon, though. What would it take to send a ten year old over to Barcelona's youth academy?

 

This player, ideally, should play in England. Most Americans, on some level, are Anglophiles. If we could have a player who is a crossover star in Britain (like Becks), word would eventually reach the average American.

 

Sure it would help, minus the diving of course... but those kinds of players don't grow on trees. Even Portugal hasn't had a Ronaldo-esque player since Eusebio in the 60s.

 

Yes they do grow on trees in the Netherlands But seriously, we are a mini country the size of New York City in population and produce more stars than England the last decades to name just one country. The only country the Brasilians respect football wise is the Orange team.
So there is in the USA an enormous potential waiting to tap in ( and please donot come up with the usual "all other sports suck up the talents" as there still is a huge quantity of youngsters capable of being the soccer star), but the kids must want it themselves to be a soccer star and than given the right environment to grow.

Just imagine if one of those kids with star power gets the thourough drilling of the Dutch system and than makes the headlines in the Champions league final some day. That will make aware of the huge possibilities soccer offers.

 

To be honest with you, as a German Soccer Coach with 35 years of active experience I can see the failure very very well. Yes indeed US can win the World Soccer Championship, no doubt in my mind whatsoever. A Giant Country with 300 Million people living should win the Soccer World Championship. Soccer is Number 1 sport of the world. It was officialy announced last week that 2,8 Billion people all over the world is watching Soccer WC. Which other sport has that much -or even half - spectators?
US should do only one important thing. Support the street soccer, which is amateur soccer. It is called the factory of soccer.
Please check and see players playing in South Africa representing many Countries, how many of them are High School or College graduates. I can guarantee you not even 1% because they are all coming from street soccer factory. Just like Lionel Messi who was seen when he was 12 years old and transferred to Barcelona. I can count hundrets names like that.
I dont know if I made myself understandble with my weak english. Best regards.

 

I'd rather that player be our own Messi.
Ronaldo squanders far too many scoring chances with his selfish play and excessive flair. All too often, he does so many step-overs and feints that he knocks himself off the ball.
Messi has skill, but he also has a boatload of determination to see his team score. He hasn't scored for Argentina in this tournament, but damn near every goal they have scored has been created by Messi.

 

You're cristal clear and I support you 100% on the street soccer thing, but what you put down in the rest of your post doesnot explain why the Dutch are disproportional succesful compared to the rest of the world. The explanation I give in another thread about what the USA has to do to produce better strikers.

 

Soccer/World Football will never expand to the level of Football, Basketball,Hockey in the United States because of the fact that
it is a global sport(producing a major competition once every
four years). Soccer/World Football will only expand around the
world, becoming more popular than any sport at a rapid rate.
The push and collective following ratio is equivalent or beyond
what the X games/(Insert Awards Gathering)/Olympics brings to
all forms of entertainment.

I/We always win in this retarded argument that soccer will never catch
on in America, because It comes from people to refuse to transition from
their childhood sporting activities, or what their parent(s) told them as kids
(I.E soccer is a sport for sissy's).

This molding has essentially stayed with their decision making even though they know this sport requires full body fitness to excel. The rules are almost the same as hockey, which is another major world sport, and both of these sports are broken down into many subgroups/variations of its parent sport.

Football fans...

We win these arguments without having to even go into any details..

We're Americans, we don't copy, we create better models...
in ten years promising stories of academic scholarships will increase due to the popularity/growth~potential of soccer/football in the United States

The end

 

In terms of popularity, it certainly worked for golf. Tiger brought the game to audiences that PGA Tour executives had only dreamed of reaching. But then again, the U.S. already had the infrastructure in place to handle Tiger. Would Americans have been so intrigued by him if he was dominating the European Tour? Maybe, but I doubt it. I think the U.S. needs a very good domestic league that can showcase homegrown talent. I think those two factors (domestic league + star player) would do wonders for the game. But I don't think a star player alone would be enough.

 

Dutch great system
Priceless
World Cup Champion
Zero

 

I dont agree with you, I am sorry. Soccer is not a sport played once in four years. In Europe, Asia and Africa every year there is European Championship of Champions of the Countries. Then again every year European, Asian and African Championship of Cup winners. Every 4 years European Championship of Countries (just like WC). Hockey, Baseball, American Football are NOT world sports. They are played in USA and may be in Australia and a little in England. They are even not Olympic Sports. It is officially declared by BBC that 2.8 Billion people watching WC Soccer, which other sport in the world has that much spectators, not even the wars. Soccer will be popular in the US also but it will take some time. If we look back we will see today how much Soccer became popular in the US comparing with 1960 or 70.

 

Anglophile - Appreciation for a branch or more than one branch of english history/culture(Pink floyd...this term isn't really too hurtful...but its intent didn't seem hurtful either)

 

when I think of growth/potential, I think of the next Lebron James having an appreciation for Soccer/Football at a young age instead of just 'basketball to make it out of his or her surroundings. I had believed that the though of soccer's growth alone would prevent you from even mentioning the MLS, who has made great strides since it arrived in 1993 without going 'belly up' unlike defunct leagues of the past....ten years from now there will be more players appreciative of the Donovan's, Howards, Altidores...and they won't fade away into some misc. category for US sports...Freddy Adu at 24 will be in the next World Cup. I don't know how you can't call football a world sport when there are leagues and sub leagues for every country. Granted, they might not all be at the level of the EPL,Seria A, etc...that constant competition forms the world's teams...the amount of viewing for the World Cup is beyond the viewing of every other sporting event finale combined(NBA Finals,Super Bowl)

I believe I might have drown you off in my Soccer/Hockey comparison...the rules are almost the same in regards to how you have to position yourself(offsides-onsite to score...ahead of the last defender.....whistling referees for hockey...line judges for soccer...the only big difference is the side of the goaltenders net and the amount of people required to play an official game...

Jermaine Jones/Edgar Castillo instead of Bornstien playing at left back for the US would have provided the right amound of speed and defense to open up the field for Donovan...Edu did fine as Bradley's partner this world cup...Better than Clark would have done...Bornstien could be a great midfield player if he ever made the transition

Mikkel Diskeraud is a promising midfielder with dual citizenship who as selected the US, and might end up being a good part

Their back line for the next world cup will be great with
Cherondolo, Bocanegra, Onewyu, and Jones/Castillo
(Bench - Demeritt, Spector, Bornstien)

A player like Shea Salinas or Antony Beltran from the MLS
might play for the world team someday, Maybe Amaechi Igwe
will become the promising player that New England thought
he would be now that he is playing in Germany..

Like all sports almost...football can be broken down to the realistic
discussions for the future, while the fantasy avenues ventured are
at time not too far off from what actually happens...we have technology
that simulates games to determine how one team might win, or draw safely.
With that being said, the mentioning of a soccer timeline is not valid due to
the worlds population and advancement of viewing streamed media...In
1960...there wasn't a lot of the stuff we have no...but their were ideas
that created wheel...or adjusted the way that that wheel would spin..

The aim is not misdirected, but it is also not directed at you

 

No
We need a group of very very good players, but no superstar, balon de ore winning player.

Michael Jordan will forever be known as the greatest basketball player ever. What he did was raise the bar and expectations for all future players to an unreachable level. Since, the NBA and basketball have suffered of no one being as good.

 

If you have 88.000 spectators in one match in a Country like South Africa and if it was announced by BBC that 2.8 Billion people watching the WC, then all argumets about Soccer has no meaning.
Small Holland beats Brasil, this shows that technology cannot effect Soccer. We say ball is round. There are no other sports in the world that is even close popular to Soccer.