When did you start following pro soccer?

Newbie

I guess you could consider me one of the new fans. I've only known about MLS for about 2 years. But don't think of me as a casual fan, 'cause I certainly am NOT. I'm definately one of the very passionate fanaticos. And I'm probaly one of the youngest, too.

PS- What's the name of that thread you're talking about? (or provide a link)

 

Where is the option for "Back when the balls were brown and had laces?"

I believe I saw my first pro soccer match in 1966 in Scotland. (I was there on TDY in the Air Force)

Shortly thereafter I transferred to London and my friends dragged me to about two matches a week and it did NOT take long for me to catch the fever.

Since then I have played, up to the limit of my athletic ability, and coached, and been a fan of soccer.

Now that I am too old to participate the US is finally becoming soccer aware.

I envy those that are still young enough to be able to watch the continued growth and improvement in US soccer. In 20 years we will have a true heritage of quality in the sport and that will be something to see.

 

The only downfall with MLS (and soccer in general) is that very few kids my age care about it. It's not like the NBA, NFL, or MLB where it's talked about at school everyday. And to make it worst, I probaly only know 2 other girls who watch or like soccer. So, I have little in common with my peers. Oh, how nice it would be if more teens liked MLS.

 

It requires a LOT of patience to get to where you want to be.

If you had asked 100 kids at random in the 50s what the NBA was not 3 would have known. In the 60s it would have been about 30-40 or so that would have had a good idea and by the 70s it would have been up to 60-70.

It took over 30 years for the NBA to catch on.

I do not think it will take that long for soccer to get its share but we, in soccer are at the late 50s stage and it "could" take another 20 years.

Even after that time soccer will only have its share. Basketball, American (and Canadian) football, and baseball will have a large share of the sports market even then.

Hopefully in 20 years soccer will be on an even footing with the other sports. But it will not surpass all of them.

 

I started off watching the San Diego Sockers kick ass in MISL back in the late 80's/early 90's. Back then, they even had indoor on TV sometimes (I think on the now defunct channel "Prime Ticket"). It was a blast watching the Sockers win in front of sell out crowds(10,000+).

My first taste of professional outdoor soccer came in 93, when I saw a Mexico friendly against the Ukraine(I think). The was the first time Mexico had played in the Tijuana/San Diego area in a really long time, so the place was packed. A lot of Mexicans got lost on the freeways, so they just left their cars on the side of the freeway and walked the rest of the distance. This all happened during rush hour, so it created a huge traffic jam.

The game itself was really exciting, and was made even more exciting by the huge pro-Mexico crowd. I was impressed by the energy of the crowd, and have never turned back to indoor soccer.

 

Invite some girls to watch your home games. I used to nag on girls to come to my high school games until they finally did, just to shut me up. Once they went to the games, they would realize that the preconceptions they had were wrong and the typically liked watching the games. Eventually we had soccer "groupies" that would come to all of our games. The groupies would actually out number the parents, giving us a total crowd of 20 to 40 people.

Another thing our team used to do to create interest was wear our soccer jersey on game days. Everybody(both guys and girls) would talk to us about the soccer once they saw our jerseys.

 

I started playing soccer at the YMCA when I was 8 and at that time I didn't have the attention span to watch soccer. Though I was fascinated with how far they could kick the ball so I'd go out in my side yard and kick my little stuffed soccer ball and pretend I was the players. I didn't start really watching soccer until a little bit before the 98 World Cup when I was 11. Now I have countless numbers of tapes and I watch every soccer game that comes one TV. I also play soccer all the time. It's a very good sport and I'm sure it'll catch on.

 

Patience

I totally agree with both statements. But the wait is worth it! And hopefully I'll be there to witness it!

 

I believe the children are our future, la la la la la la la. That's an irritating song, but for some reason I have it stuck in my head right now.

 

I'd love to do things like that but, there are 2 problems. First, most of the girls at our school don't like sports PERIOD. They don't watch games and they don't play sports at all. They just tend to pick on soccer a little harder. But actually, this may work with boys. Secondly, I frequently wear MLS jerseys to school (but not my team) and few people like it. Even some teachers have given me bad looks. So basically, I'd get dissed for all types of reasons if I wore my jersey. Sad world, eh..........

 

The old man was stationed at an Air Force base in Suffolk when I was a kid.....saw my first match at Portman Road in '76. Been hooked on the sport since.

 

I followed Pro Soccer more closely when I moved here 7- years ago. It started when I got to see National team games. I thought Americans have a lot of promise at soccer. Then I got into MLS on TV. Then I started to travel to Mutiny games from Daytona Beach. Then I moved nearer MLS and now I have no team. So I support American soccer.
I was an Arsenal fan during the 70's but I never went to many games in the UK. I was too worried about playing for my teams. I guess I was like the problem MLS has here in that people play but don't follow the league. I did watch a lot of Soccer on UK TV though but being a player I wasn't the biggest spectator fan. If we can only get US kids to watch MLS on Tv will be a start.

 

Re: Re: Newbie

I know you weren't. And I used to walk 8 blocks to-and-from school everyday! Really.

 

the first really big game that i can remember was in wc 94. my dad took me to see S.korea vs spain. i was 8 at the time and i can still remember it. im 16 now and i follow mls and the epl regularly. im definately hooked for life

 

Aren't we all?

 

Was it Leeds v Chelsea in the FA CUP that went a second round? Something like that on ABCs Wide World of Sports around 1970.

Incredible. 180 minutes of a death grip. I was died in the wool AFL fan, but nothing they did, and Oakland v Denver or KC was unbridled excitement, came close to those matches from Wembley.

 

So are you saying that this is when you started to like soccer?

 

Re: Re: Re: Newbie

Only 8 blocks! You children are SO pampered.

We used to get up at 4:00 to milk the cows. slop the hogs and feed the chickens. Then we would chop the firewood for the day and then go to school 5 miles away. (We lived close to town)

After we got back from school we still had the back 40 to plow or the fence to mend or work to do on the dirt floor log cabin our parents, grand parents, and 7 brothers and sisters lived in.

We had to get everything done before dark, unless the was a moon, because there was no electricity.

Next thing you know you will say that you don’t even remember the first, and only, time the US made the semifinals of the World Cup or when Stanley Matthews retired.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Newbie

HA,HA,HA. Funny! But who could forget the US in the World Cup this year? NOT ME!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Let's see, the title of the thread is. . .
When did you start following pro soccer.

mmmmm. uhhhhhh. mmmmmmm. uhhhhh
DUH! JACKASS!!!