How popular is Soccer in USA ?

For children, it's very popular. For adults, not so much, it doesn't seem to have caught on here on TV, which seems to be a gauge of overall interest in a sport. Even when Pelé was playing for the New York Cosmos, it didn't have much of an audience.

I'll watch a game or two. I prefer it live because so much of the action is missed if you just follow the ball. USA is ranked 4th in the world if I'm not mistaken. We're getting lots and lots better!

HA! Fourth in the world my arse!

I saw that the other day. We all laughed about it in the Pub.

We'll see Ellpus, we'll see.

The FIFA rankings are ridiculous, 4th in the world is pretty far from accurate (honestly) although I have no doubt your getting better. Given the USA's involvement in this year's World Cup, how will this affect support I wonder? I keep hearing that interest is growing all the time to be honest but I suspect it may hit a point and stagnate due to other factors like the staple diet of sports already in place. Will patriotism kick in when you play Germany? :wink:

On a side note, England's squad has just been announced...Sven in 'risk taking' shocker! He's included a young lad of 16 I believe who hasn't played a single game of top flight football in England. I'm actually really tempted to say fair play to him, with his job over and done with after the summer maybe this has given him more freedom. Theo Walcott, the guy in question, did cost his new club 12 million so someone rates him highly, very highly. Now can Sven actually use the squad properly when it matters?

Looking forward to the World Cup anyway, football/culture festivals for me, love watching the Brazilians play as well of course.

I'm interested, and will watch as many games as I can.

In no particular order.....

France
Germany
Spain
England
Brazil
Argentina
Portugal
Italy
Sweden
Croatia
Czech Rep
Poland and
Holland.............

......Would certainly rank above the USA in most people's reckoning.

The USA will become one of the major players in football (that's football) in about ten years time, as their young players grow up, but as things stand at the moment, it would be like ranking the English American football team above the Americans.

Serious question.....do you HAVE an American american football team? I've never seen an international match on TV.

Short answer - no. Go ahead and build your English American Football team and we'll send over the worst NFL team there is. Your boys will take one look at the size and speed and concede. Heck, the average offensive line on division 1 college team here has no linemen under 300 lbs.

I still think the U.S. soccer team could give a good run to most of the teams on your list.

Question. Is Landon Donovan playing for the U.S. or is his contract with Bayer Germany keeping him out?

He's the real deal. In Germany he doesn't get much playing time, apparently due to the stigma of being an American, but put him on the field in international play, and he scores, and scores...

1. Is that 300lbs with or without the body armour? Methinks that the US team would have second thoughts about playing Rugby, without wearing a suit of armour, but that's another argument.

2. It will be interesting to see how the US football team fares. Who is your manager? Have the US team played any big name teams during the warm ups?

If you seriously reckon they are in with a chance, I may be able to place a bet at some good odds. We don't get to see much of them on brit TV, so they are pretty much an unknown factor.

Good luck, anyway (unless they are playing England of course).

Theo Walcott was purchased by Arsenal, the team I support.

Their manager (Arsene Wenger) has proven himself to be one of the shrewdest guys around, and is a great spotter of talent.

His present striker, Thierry Henry, is thought to be the best, or equal best, striker in the world, and was spotted by Wenger early on, playing as a winger. Arsene Wenger bought him quite cheaply, really, and immediately placed him into the centre forward role, because of his phenomenal turn of speed and good football "brain".
He is now Arsenal's all time top scorer, who just seems to waltz around defenders and leave them standing.

Theo Walcott, in speed trials, has proven to be FASTER than Henry, which is amazing. He is just as good with his left foot as he is with his right, and his previous manager described him as having the ability to run over puddles without leaving any ripples.

Sven went to the training ground at London Colney a couple of times, and is mightily impressed. The only reason Theo hasn't played in any major games so far, is that it is Wenger's tactic to bring on youngsters very gradually.
Wenger and Sven were overheard discussing him, where a comment was made that, apart from Rooney, Walcott was reckoned to be the most threatenig forward that is around at the moment.
The Arsenal defenders say that he is as hard to handle as Henry, worse in fact, as he can fly at you from both the left and the right.

I reckon that, given the chance, he could be a major surprise in the World Cup, and could end up doing an Owen or Rooney.

What's Soccer?

I have no idea, Chai.

It seems to be an inferior version of football.

Football?

From 275 to 300 pounds without pads. Rugby is very popular in the United States--it would be no problem at all to get a team together--the real problem would be to keep them sober long enough to get the over there to play a match.

Well, we tried to play Mexico but all of the Mexicans were ... oops ... wrong thread!

Sober?

Have you ever seen a college rugby tournament?

I went on a long weekend Rugby tour to Cardiff once.

It took me a fortnight to recover, and we were banned from the Hotel we were staying at.

......and this was a Police team, supposedly playing Welsh Police teams in a series of "friendlies". Fortunately, I was just part of the group, and not expected to play. The state I was in, I probably would have scored at the wrong end.