FIFA World Cup 2006 [R]

Ashers wrote:

...At this level, barring a few exceptions, you have to expect to come up against a tight, well drilled defence, the Czechs had players to unlock this, the US team seemed far too 1 dimensional, a case of I get the ball, OK, what next, passes it, now I've got the ball, well I see that player is in a decent position, pass etc. The Czechs get the ball and they're already thinking a few moves ahead, you see it in their movement and passing, there's an air of great familiarity about it as well, players break and everyone already has an idea of where their teammates are heading...

I think you nailed it.

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Agree with just about everything said about American soccer. LordE makes a point I hadn't thought about with the commercial breaks. One thing nobody talks about though, is how great our women's soccer is. If our men are at the bottom of world soccer, our women are at the top.

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Come on you soccer moms!

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Why has there been such resistance to football (soccer) in the US? It puzzles me. Is it just because of all the money wrapped up in the NFL? Or do some Americans still feel playing a "foreign" game is somehow un patriotic?

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FreeDuck wrote:

Agree with just about everything said about American soccer. LordE makes a point I hadn't thought about with the commercial breaks. One thing nobody talks about though, is how great our women's soccer is. If our men are at the bottom of world soccer, our women are at the top.

Interesting, Ms Duck.

Do you think that this could be part of the "soccer" problem, in the USA?

That the sport is only regarded as third rate, as compared to American Football, basketball and baseball, among your male population?

We have some VERY good women's football teams in the UK, and they are very much part of nearly all the big football clubs over here.
I support Arsenal, a top flight club, and they have really made an effort to develop a women's team.
They have leagues, cup competitions and more.

Do you play? You seem very keen on "soccer" (sorry, I still have to put inverted commas round the dreaded word).

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Lord Ellpus wrote:

I support Arsenal, a top flight club...

No one's heard of Arsenal in the US. Not since that lovely Glazer family bought MUFC Smile

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Steve (as 41oo) wrote:

Lord Ellpus wrote:

I support Arsenal, a top flight club...
No one's heard of Arsenal in the US. Not since that lovely Glazer family bought MUFC

I'll bet there's some truth in that, as well. HA!

I wonder how long it will be before my team is called "The Arsenal Emirates"?

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Lord Ellpus wrote:

Steve (as 41oo) wrote:
Lord Ellpus wrote:

I support Arsenal, a top flight club...
No one's heard of Arsenal in the US. Not since that lovely Glazer family bought MUFC

I'll bet there's some truth in that, as well. HA!

I wonder how long it will be before my team is called "The Arsenal Emirates"?

I thought that might get you going E

Smile

I'm seriously thinking about sponsoring this lot

http://www.fc-utd.co.uk/

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Steve,I heard all that on the radio when the Glazer thing first blew up.
They were even organising a bloody great savings account, where all MU fans could invest, in the hope of one day making a buy out when Glazer goes bust.

I reckon it's a good idea, myself. I haven't heard any more about the "finances" side of things lately. Are they managing to cover those massive loans?

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OOH! I haven't done my prediction for Korea v. Togo (who?)

OK, I haven't a bloody clue, but will go with 2 - 0 to Korea, as my best guess.

Player to watch out for...........

LEE (Korea)

<puts tongue in cheek>

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Lord Ellpus wrote:

FreeDuck wrote:
Agree with just about everything said about American soccer. LordE makes a point I hadn't thought about with the commercial breaks. One thing nobody talks about though, is how great our women's soccer is. If our men are at the bottom of world soccer, our women are at the top.

Interesting, Ms Duck.

Do you think that this could be part of the "soccer" problem, in the USA?

That the sport is only regarded as third rate, as compared to American Football, basketball and baseball, among your male population?

We have some VERY good women's football teams in the UK, and they are very much part of nearly all the big football clubs over here.
I support Arsenal, a top flight club, and they have really made an effort to develop a women's team.
They have leagues, cup competitions and more.

Do you play? You seem very keen on "soccer" (sorry, I still have to put inverted commas round the dreaded word).

Football is actually fourth -- following baseball, pointy-end football,
basketball, and ice hockey.

Many Americans consider it a great sport for little kids before are ready
for "real" sports.

I'm not sure why it has been so successful among women here, but I
believe you are quite correct about that having an effect on the sports
perception by many american males.

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I used to play when I was young and spry, but only ever recreationally -- though we did win a few tournaments for money. I am very keen on soccer. It has something that American football and baseball don't have. Constant action, moments of brilliance and beauty, and something else I'm having trouble finding words for. You know when you see a really good team that almost has a psychic ability to read each other -- that's something you don't find in the more popular sports here. Football (American) is very boring to watch. Just as soon as you get a glimpse of some action, they all huddle up and talk about for what seems like forever. I'm sure people who love strategy and statistics find it interesting, but I much prefer the constant, on-the-fly playmaking of soccer. And baseball, whoever decided they should play 9 innings should be shot. I've watched a few games and anyone who can keep awake after the 5th has my respect. That's why they keep manufacturing things to keep us interesting. So-and-so is going to break a record, the end. Basketball is better to watch, but it almost seems as if the players' abilities are bumping up against the confines of the game -- meaning, I think it's about as good as it's going to get. But to answer your question, yes, our males see soccer as third rate and would definitely put it behind football, basketball, and baseball. There is some weird, almost instinctual, cultural apprehension about it. It is seen as a communist sport. There is definitely a political allegory there somewhere -- if soccer is communist, then football is autocratic, and baseball is...

I used to think that soccer didn't play well here because not many people played it. That theory would explain why our women do so much better internationally than our men. It's one of the few sports that has been open to women for the last 20 years or so. Still, a national women's league tanked and no longer exists, so there aren't many options for women to play here outside of college. But kids here play soccer like crazy, they just seem to drop it after a while. I don't see much of a love for it. Another thing -- soccer here is a middle/upper class sport. You need to live in the burbs where there are vast green lined fields and leagues to play.

This has gotten rather rambly. I think I will organize my thoughts and try again later.

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George, I think hockey has the same problem as soccer. The only thing saving it is its popularity in the northern, cold climate, Canadian border states where it's not possible to play much else. It's also very violent -- many people watch just to see the fist fights.

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Togo is up 1-0 against Korea.

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George wrote:

Many Americans consider it a great sport for little kids before are ready for "real" sports.

All my children were in soccer leagues for "little kids". When my son started high school he switched to baseball for the first year. Then he became passionate about soccer again and played on his high school soccer team for the remaining three years. Next year he starts college and will try out for the college's soccer team.

However, it is more common for kids to switch from soccer to another sport when they start high school.

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FreeDuck wrote:

George, I think hockey has the same problem as soccer. The only thing saving it is its popularity in the northern, cold climate, Canadian border states where it's not possible to play much else. It's also very violent -- many people watch just to see the fist fights.

Agreed. Hockey remains a niche sport.

For some reason we like sports that allow you to look at a well-defined
state and know exactly what is going on at that given time.

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My knowledge of American sports is poor at best, why should I expect the Americans to take up football in a big way when I'm indifferent to their stuff? Is it purely because "soccer" is played worldwide and there's a certain, 'should play' rather than 'could play' about it? Also, why is it such a hot topic anyway? Why is it so important that the US takes this sport up in a big way? Genuine questions. Anyway, sport at it's base level should always be about fun, if it's popular at youth level, great, if there is a staple set of top sports that appeal to the mainstream in the US already, great.

By the way, I know I said some stuff about the US team earlier but there aren't many teams at the world cup, never mind international level in general, that can play the game as well as the Czech Republic are at the moment, fear not. The US seems like they have a good base on which they can build. It's interesting to note the comparisons between the respective leagues of the top nations when you think of the relative quality in the MLS though.

Different countries have had to to do it different ways, the italians have not one single player in their squad playing outside their own leagues, England have very few, on the other hand, Holland, Germany and France to name a few seem to have players cropping up all over the place. The quality of teams in, say, the Dutch league can't really hold it's wait against say, Spanish teams and yet, both have an array of top class talent in their respective squads. Top coaching is vitally important to long term hopes.

Togo 1-0 up :wink:

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Togo striker Sherif Touré plays for Concordia Ihrhove in Germany ... a village club, promoted in the next saison to the ... 6th league (equal to [UK] county premier).

FIFA World Cup 2006 [R]

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