Since the US-Poland game there has been alot of talk on how the Polish fans outnumbered the US fans in both numbers and voice. There are lots of reasons why the fan base is relatively small in the this country, but the main reason is that in between the WorldCups there is so little to root for. Friendly's and WCQ against the likes of Jamaica and Grenada?? As much as i love it, thats not especially compelling to most. That said, my question is: For what reason does the casual fan have to follow and support this team???? If there is something, i would love the hear it...
You make somewhat of a valid point, but that logic should transfer across all sports. It does for me. I only watch the Super Bowl and the World Series because they are games that count. Since we are not a soccer nation like most countries of the world, the likelihood of seeing more US fans than visiting fans at a game is almost nil, with the exception of the northwest. I also think with friendlies, USSF is looking to fill seats and make $ regardless of who is in them. I mean Poland v US in Chicago?...only makes sense as there is a large Polish contingent in that area of the country.
**To me, it not just the final games that matter, but the road to the final game that are equally compelling. Sadly for me, it takes 4 years for the US to travel its road. And thats too long of a drive..
Obviously it's the same for every team qualifying. I think the bigger issue for casual fans is the players that are (or aren't) involved in the friendlies and qualifiers. You pay decent money and you're never sure who is going to be on the pitch. It could be the full-blown "A" team or a team made up of younger players with which Bruce Arena needs to get a good look. If you knew you were going to get the WC lineup every time you went to a game, at least you would've gotten to see all the players with which you are familiar and feel good about. Player availability from clubs is always an issue and the only time it isn't is during a major tournament.
**another good point.. I am still looking for a reason to support and follow the team.. Why follow this?? There must be one good reason?? Or from the lack of posts here, perhaps not
You are completely wrong. Americans are very club-centric in ALL their sports and only within this country's domestic league(s). They don't care to follow and therefore completely ignore a US national team of anything. Were the Baseball World Championships (yes there is such a thing--and we even sent a 'good' team), the Hockey World Championships and the Basketball World Championships on national TV? Did they get even a passing article or two in the newspapers? No. The only time a 'national team' gets any interest is every 4 years for the Olympics. And that is only considered a glorified track meet/gymnastics show.
I have only been a fan of the nats for about twelve years now, before WC in the USA i can only remember maybe watching a few games. I have always liked soccer and fell in love with it watching my brother play on some premier youth clubs. Here is a good reason for the casual fan to become a fan and cheer on the NATS, PRIDE!! Come on, don't we want to be the best in the world at what is the worlds most popular sport? I mean that's what got me into it more and more and I've seen the NATS in person 4 times now since 2000. I was more than excited when MLS was announced and i became a crew fan immediately. I have been going since Ohio Stadium. I still love the other sports too, but to me the whole part of it being the USA vs. insert any country, that's special, that's different, it's us as a country. Come on casual fans, get on board, now is the time to do it with all of the youth we have coming up through the ranks. This is not your father or grandfather's US National Team, it's yours, embrace it! But, that's just me, I could be wrong!
If we want the casual fan to follow the USMNT, we're going to have to come up with a better nickname than "Gnats".
OK pride.. like you, I love the team myself, but i dont see that as a reason many would jump on board. Sports fans bond and grow attached with their team through past games and experiences. When you dont play any games to get these experiences you are really building nothing. The US team is kinda like the Globetrotters.. Kinda travel around playing exhibition games.. Some people come out too see them, but they dont build any sort of fan base.
I am a fanatic English soccer fan. I know the score to every game. I read every match report. I follow stats, analysis, transfer gossip, personal rumors,etc...I get pay per view at least 10 times a year(@10-20$ a game!). I feel a personal involvement with the top four leagues in England. I follow the USMNT less fervently. I think the US team needs a more dominating personality. The USMNT needs scandal or something to get everyone interested in seeing the game. Culturally, the USMNT is under the radar. There's very little media coverage of US soccer and most of the USMNT websites are dry, don't have interviews and pictures, or in depth squad profiles. I have an easier time following English soccer than US soccer and I follow a division 2 team! I am more familiar with Paul Sturrock's or Steve Bruce's POV and football philosophy than anyone from the USMNT, or even MLS! Sorry I don't have an answer, but I certainly agree with you.
As JFK said, "We choose to do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard!" Yes, it is difficult following this sport closely here. Yes, it is difficult following the Nats. And that is why I love it. I do love all sports, but sometimes I just need a break from boxscores. I have overloaded on fantasy football (not that I can't wait for the upcomming drafts!). But there is something to being in a sort of clique, like BigSoccer. It is not easy to travel to the Nat's games. But there is a great reward. Try it. Go somewhere away from your hometown to see a match. Find out where people are meeting. Go to the tailgate and stand with Sams Army. You will have a ball. You will make friends. In the past four or so years, I have held Redskin season tickets, I have bought a package for Wizards games, and I have gone to many Orioles games. I have never met anyone at any of those games that I keep in contact with. In fact, I rarely have anything relating to a conversation with a stranger. However, at a Nats match, I have met people that I now consider friends. I am looking forward to getting to a qualifier so that I can renew some of these aquantiences. Furthermore, it is hard. Qualifying is hard. We can look at the teams we will face to get to the hex and think, "No problem." Well, it never has been that easy. Qualifying is not a given. If I remember correctly, had we not scored against Guatamala after we had had a player (Eddie Lewis) sent off, we would not have made it to the hex last time. No Guerra Freeza (Or however you say it). No Celebrations in Foxboro. No early mornings to see the us in the WC. No Our Way. (No 23 Days in Korea, mon dieu! How could anyone survive without those words of wisdom?) No beating Portugal. No Dues a Cero! No damn Scottish refferee keeping us out of the semis. How casual a fan would you or thousands of others be without those great moments? One goal, scored by McBride on a cross from Cobi that shook the building when we were a man down. Without it, we were out. Before the hex. Qualification is hard. We will go to places in Central America that no NFLer, NBA superstar, or Major Leaguer would go to play. The atmosphere down there will be fantastic. It will be loud, frightening, intense. And it will last from the time we arrive to, hopefully the time we win. Or else, it will go on for days. Enjoy it. The ups and the downs. Ruiz almost killing Keller and then equalizing a minute later when he had no business being on the field. Berhalter handeling with his head to allow Costa Rica to beat us at the very end ot the match. These were horrible moments, but ones I am glad I experienced because they made that moment of qualification so sweet. We had overcome so much. And we will need to do it again. It won't be easy. But if you stick with it, over the next year and a half, through the ups and the downs, God willing, you will have a huge reward. Ultimate satisfaction. Is it easy? No. But is anything worthwhile ever?
** wow man, all i see is friendlies and WCQ against Grenada and Jamaica coming up.. Since the WorldCup I havnt seen one compelling moment. i will keep watching though...
The success of the NATS is dependent on the success of the MLS since there are so many MLS players now being called up for international games, but it's hard to support the MLS even for die hard soccer fans like me. What makes it tough to support MLS is the fact that almost every team makes it to the playoffs. Why watch a game when it doesn't change the outcome of the playoffs? In order to not make it to the playoffs, you have to really suck. There's not a whole lot that MLS can do about this, since it's still so new. Since there are only 10 teams, there still needs to be a solid playoffs. Expand slowly but surely. Or ditch the whole playoffs and do and premiere league thing. I also think that A-League relegation/promotion would be sweet, but we're probably not ready for that. Also, there aren't a whole lot of teams to support. I'm from wisconsin and have no team to support, so I don't watch much MLS at all. I'm sure as hell not supporting anything from Illinois! Moral? Time and slow expansion are our friends.
The world basketball championshops were on TV. The world hockey championship final was on TV. Never heard of the world baseball championship though.
They were? Must have missed them. Ah here it is. The TV schedule: http://www.nba.com/wbc/tv%5Fschedule.html Just the final then, huh? There is one. They are talking about allowing major leaguers and having a 'World Cup'. Two problems, though. FIBA would want regular Olympic style dope testing that is against the CBA signed by the MLBPA, and Japan is cmplaining that MLB is taking too much of the organization of the event and that FIBA should take a more active role.
ESPN showed was the junior hockey championship final and the IIHF final. The hockey World Cup starts at the end of August with extensive coverage on ESPN.
at first, i thought he was overstating... but he's just way off - international hockey and basketball get plenty of attention in the US - IIRC the basketball world championships were on WTBS and TNT last time, even matches not invloving the US (mccauley culkin gasp!) CUS, you do remember the dream team right?
Long post. sorry! This is the way i see what is a very complex issue: -MLS is pivotal to the future of US soccer, and especially the NTs, but that does not mean one cannot take priority over the other at certain times....And i do not mean only during qualifiers and playoffs, but in other circumstances as well (to promote image, popularity, cater to new fans, etc) -Outside of hardcore MLS fans, will anyone in the "general" public feel like they won't purchase tickets (for what is one of of the few affordable sport events left for the average whole family) if a player or two of each club go away and play Copa America? My guess is NO....A regular season ticket holder, hardcore fan, that's a different story, but even them i'm sure would get caught up in the CA excitement, since many MLS club fans love the USMNT just as much if not more...... -A lot of the 'casual' fans that MLS lost after 1996 were either of the "novelty" variety, or of the "I follow soccer when it's played a certain way" variety , which i assume included many fans of Latino or European soccer heritage.....While they are/were in reality hardcore soccer fans, they became merely casual ONLY with respect to MLS...why? Because they found the level of the play poor, and the style very unattractive to watch.....PLUS they did not share the "it's not the best, but it's ours" attitude that i share with many of the current fans (and the last few years we can add: ".....and it's getting better")-Hopefully expansion does not mess things up too much on this respect...... -For all the whining and anger i sense sometimes on these boards towards so-called snobs, it is opportunities like Copa America that i think should rarely be missed...Why? Because it creates in the minds of those soccer fans (mostly Latino in this case) that the US is out there and kicks ass.... Right now, it is hard for me to say they'd get excited about US- Grenada or even Poland-US, when even the Americans themselves did not appear all that excited about it (i still think the 45k or so that came... mostly Polish....is a low turnout....especially after all the talk of the 11 years that had passed without the USMNT in Chicago..... ) how many were only USMNT fans? -NOw let's imagine this: if Peruvians could see the US kick Ecuador's ass in a meaningful tournament, (NOT simply friendlies-Many should understand by now that friendlies are watched on TV by those fans of teams involved- for the most part) maybe many of them would start cheering for the US ...Why? Because there is a rivalry between Ecuador and Peru and Peruvians here would start identifying themselves with the US as they beat their rivals....If Ecuadorians saw the US beat Peru, same thing....Or Argentinians seeing the US beat Brazil, or Colombians seeing us beat Argentina, etc....It creates this further dimension as to what we can do in their minds and creates a greater level of familiarity within the immigrant communities here in the US.... I can tell you they would identify with the US and their players more, and it would have the potential to start influencing MLS attendance as well, once they start to wonder : Gee, where did all these kids came from? BUt that must start with the USMNT showing up in tournaments and leaving a mark more often..... the WC is great, it happened but in the end is one tournament "only" (Warning: I'm trying to see things from the perspective of a casual fan/ethnic/snob whatever you want to call it).....But factually it IS true: it is ONE tournament (the most important for sure) but love/interest is developed over time, not just through one event, much less once every four years -What have we done instead after the great WC? We played a subpar Copa Oro, a bad Confederations Cup, a no show in the Olympics qualifiers (not only vs. Mexico-pathetic all throughout considering the competition), and not very convincing (IMO) first round of qualifiers..... So (to establish a comparison) after 10k show up in Columbus for qualifiers and x number of USMNT fans (ie NOT cheering for Poland) show up after 11 years in Chicago, why do people hold a grudge when many of the ethnic rabid soccer crowd have failed to identify with the USMNT? If our plan is to show up every 4 years, that's fine by me: But I'd rather show up and have people talking about MY/OUR team more often than that..... -people even get annoyed about the invitations in Copa Oro....Does anyone NOT know that w/o those invitations there'd be little to no surprise at all? With all due respect if we just had CONCACAF teams, it'd be an even weaker tournament to watch and we'll probably see a CR/Mex, US/Mex, US/CR final every single time..... Why are there so few crowds except for the games involving Mexico/Brazil? Does it all really come down to marketing? I really doubt it..... I watch Copa Oro, but i'm not the fan that the USMNT team or MLS needs (i'm already hooked).....They need to look beyond their base, and even if that were to prevent me from seeing a player or two for a month in MLS, I would not mind......It's not like the "80% goes to the playoff "setting makes any team's fans (including myself) uneasy about their chances until late in their seasons anyway.... -So let's go get the casual fan (or regain those fans who are hardcore towards most soccer BUT MLS which left after 1996)....If we should use the USMNT as a tool, as long as it does not interfere with MLS in any MEANINGFUL way, then go for it! -Those who argue (as i've seen done) that Copa America did not help Honduras qualify or stuff like that: Sure, Honduras did not qualify (they HAVEN'T since 82 for those keeping score), but they sure kicked our ass in DC,and came as close as they have in a long time......plus Mexico and CR did get better thanks to CA last time...both beating us afterwards as well.....I'd argue that so did Honduras, but since they didn't qualify for the WC, some people see this almost as an argument that participating in one tournamnent does not guarantee passage to another, when i think that's pretty much common knowledge to begin with....The US could use every opportunity they have (CA, CC, etc. ) to show their their mettle, w/o necessarily jeopardizing WC qualification prospects..... Casual fans are attracted this way, and i fail to see how harm can be caused by this..Hopefully reserve teams make this subject moot by next year....
That's true, but not completly. I'v read in Polish newspapers that USA only wanted to play Poland once, in Plock. Polish Football federation said they will play USA in Plock if USA will play Poland in either New York City or Chicago. Either stadium would have been pro-Poland but USA couldn't have put the game in say Los Angeles and had a neutral crowd.
**Why would we want a neutral crowd?????? We really need a a certain type of crowd to play against the Polish B team in an exhibition game???
Actually its only two years... we are only two years away from Germany. I know its four years between cups, but qualifying in CONCACAF is only about 2 years long.