Half Time USA 2 Brazil 0... Are you Kidding me?

[urunobili]

:wow

GO USA! :toast

[Obstructed_View]

What's sad is that I turned on ESPN2 to watch the game, and they've been showing reruns of poker instead. I didn't find the game on one of the Spanish lanugauge channels until right before halftime.

[robino2001]

What's sad is that I turned on ESPN2 to watch the game, and they've been showing reruns of poker instead. I didn't find the game on one of the Spanish lanugauge channels until right before halftime.

Um... ESPN?

[urunobili]

What's sad is that I turned on ESPN2 to watch the game, and they've been showing reruns of poker instead. I didn't find the game on one of the Spanish lanugauge channels until right before halftime.

It's being shown on regular ESPN!!!!

channel 206 on direcTV

They're playing great... if they win it all it'd be the first FIFA cup for the USA after defeating the best 2 teams in the world to get there...

The beginning of a legend and a new popular sport in the US?

I have always thought that it'd just take one int cup for it to become bigger in US soil

[sonic21]

7nqfVxOlqxs&feature=player_embedded

23Gr7OR3w1M&feature=player_embedded

[sonic21]

the confederation cup is cursed. if you win it, you don't win the next WC.

[mookie2001]

dam the USA owns the shit out of other countries in soccer

i bet we would ruin argentina ugly style


not to mention all our guys are white, 5-7 150 lbs and from the suburbs

[Laker Lanny]

s-eHfifo8y0

[jman3000]

I don't even like soccer. Nothing like an underdog story though.

I'm watching and routing for em.

[redzero]

Now that USA has taken over diveball, what sport is next on the list?

[urunobili]

If the US pulls this one through... Many kids may skip Football for a Soccer scholarship... it'd be scary with all the infrastructure y'all have to become a soccer nation... that'd be a WC in the next 20 years for sure...

[mookie2001]

Many more small white kids from the suburbs may skip Football for a Soccer scholarship
correction

[urunobili]

Fuck :pctoss I hate Luis Fabiano

[Thunder Dan]

why do they do the same celebration after every goal.
1)Score Goal
2)Run over to the corner and slide on your knees
3)Take off your shirt

they need some originality

[urunobili]

they need some originality

You need to start watching soccer in other countries.... Urgently... :wakeup

[jman3000]

No thanks.

[Thunder Dan]

You need to start watching soccer in other countries.... Urgently... :wakeup

that's alright, I'm straight. I don't need to watch a bunch of ferries flopping around acting like they are hurt and taking their shirts off. Every time I try and watch, within 20 minutes I'm reminded why Americans don't give a shit about soccer

[Bukefal]

Whaatt 2-1. Damnn USA is surprising me alot. Hopefully they can win. :toast

[balli]

that's alright, I'm straight. I don't need to watch a bunch of ferries flopping around acting like they are hurt and taking their shirts off. Every time I try and watch, within 20 minutes I'm reminded why Americans don't give a shit about soccer
+1
Good for the ol' US of A beating the futbol world's ass and all, but I have some drying paint that needs watching instead.

[urunobili]

I hope all you faggots calling Soccer soft or flopper do not jump on the US bandwagon if they win this one and become legit at the intl level... 10 years ago having a black president was the laughter of a thought... become a big team in the FIFA world is next bitches... it'll be NFL>NBA>Soccer>MLB>NHL soon enough

[monosylab1k]

I hope all you faggots calling Soccer soft or flopper do not jump on the US bandwagon if they win this one and become legit at the intl level... 10 years ago having a black president was the laughter of a thought... become a big team in the FIFA world is next bitches... it'll be NFL>NBA>Soccer>MLB>NHL soon enough

It just shows how much better the USA is when we can even kick the world's ass at a sport that none of us give a crap about.

[Cry Havoc]

We got lucky there. Wow. That was the equalizer.

[mookie2001]

^exactly its our 6th most popular sport behind golf, hockey, skateboarding and ufc

[J.T.]

Football for a Soccer scholarship

Same shit, different flavor.

[dirk4mvp]

^exactly its our 6th most popular sport behind golf, hockey, skateboarding and ufc
It's more like 7th behind paintballing.

[monosylab1k]

The US players out there are probably bored out of their mind, wishing they could check the baseball box scores. Imagine how bad they'd be killing Brazil if they could muster up the energy to care about soccer.

[mookie2001]

soccer is what our 4 year olds play to teach them what a whistle, coach, and uniform is

[sonic21]

the US winning a tournament no other country gives a shit...
there's like 20 teams better than the US team.

[monosylab1k]

I will laugh my ass off if the US wins this soccer game. This would be like Somalia beating us at football.

[mookie2001]

yeah the usa should just forfeit because it isnt a major tournament

[E20]

When I first saw the score I thought Brazil had 2. I had to do a double take.

[Cry Havoc]

the US winning a tournament no other country gives a shit...
there's like 20 teams better than the US team.

yeah, Brazil doesn't give a shit. That's why they're crying about fouls, pulling cheap shots, and getting pissed off in general.

[resistanze]

Tie GAME!

[Cry Havoc]

Fabiano ties it with a well-placed rebound header in the 73rd minute. Howard confused by the deflection and is unable to stop it.

[resistanze]

Awesome match. This is how a Finals should be.

[urunobili]

:depressed

I shouldn't have opened this thread.... I fucking jinxed them :depressed

[sonic21]

yeah, Brazil doesn't give a shit. That's why they're crying about fouls, pulling cheap shots, and getting pissed off in general.

hey i'm just talking shit to mono and mookie :toast

[resistanze]

I tempted to say the US should hold on for penalty shootout but I don't think they'll get that far if they keep defending. They gotta put some pressure on the Brazilian defense.

[monosylab1k]

Even if they win, this whole game has to be a huge embarrassment for Brazil.

[monosylab1k]

What if the US played Somalia in football and Somalia held a 2 touchdown lead going into halftime, and the US had to fight like hell just to tie it in the 4th quarter? We'd probably ban all those US players from the NFL after a pathetic performance like that.

[resistanze]

Even if they win, this whole game has to be a huge embarrassment for Brazil.

I doubt it. This is the Finals, the US didn't get this far on luck. They broke Spain's almost 3 year unbeaten streak.

[urunobili]

What if the US played Somalia in football and Somalia held a 2 touchdown lead going into halftime, and the US had to fight like hell just to tie it in the 4th quarter? We'd probably ban all those US players from the NFL after a pathetic performance like that.

your fast food built brain doesn't let you see the reality... the US is become legit in soccer... they're for real...

[resistanze]

3-2!

[MannyIsGod]

so much for that.

[MannyIsGod]

Brazil has simply dominated the 2nd half.

[urunobili]

:depressed

[MannyIsGod]

Fuck, Gooch had such a good chance there.

[Obstructed_View]

Um... ESPN?

The listing shows it on ESPN2. I never checked ESPN because I didn't want to watch replays of Wimbledon from last week.

[monosylab1k]

your fast food built brain doesn't let you see the reality... the US is become legit in soccer... they're for real...

I couldn't care less if the US is legit at soccer or not. That's the point.

[Obstructed_View]

the US winning a tournament no other country gives a shit...
there's like 20 teams better than the US team.

I think the US was ranked 14th in the world prior to this tournament. They'll undoubtedly go up after this.

Just because most mainstream sports fans don't care about a team doesn't mean they aren't good. Seems like a Spurs fan of all people would be aware of that.

[mookie2001]

these guys stink

[Obstructed_View]

I couldn't care less if the US is legit at soccer or not. That's the point.

You don't care about the subject yet you're posting in the thread. You just like shitting on things. We get it.

[monosylab1k]

:cry :cry :cry

[iggypop123]

good old jynx

[monosylab1k]

Imagine if Kobe played soccer for Team USA. They'd be #1 in the universe.

[MannyIsGod]

Not a terrible result. The US team against Brazil the first time and had a rough break against Italy but otherwise looked very good in this tournament.

[MannyIsGod]

I think the US was ranked 14th in the world prior to this tournament. They'll undoubtedly go up after this.

Just because most mainstream sports fans don't care about a team doesn't mean they aren't good. Seems like a Spurs fan of all people would be aware of that.

FIFA rankings are never accurate.

[Obstructed_View]

FIFA rankings are never accurate.

Obviously, since the US beat Spain.

[sonic21]

I think the US was ranked 14th in the world prior to this tournament. They'll undoubtedly go up after this.

Just because most mainstream sports fans don't care about a team doesn't mean they aren't good. Seems like a Spurs fan of all people would be aware of that.


hey i'm just talking shit to mono and mookie :toast

imo they're definitely top 15-20

[MannyIsGod]

Obviously, since the US beat Spain.

Man, when you get butt hurt you get butt hurt.

[resistanze]

I wouldn't say they're actually in the top 15, top 30 more likely. They've been improving with every tournament for the past decade though.

[MannyIsGod]

I wouldn't say they're actually in the top 15, top 30 more likely. They've been improving with every tournament for the past decade though.

Not really - the last WC was a step back from 2002. 2002 was incredible but 2006 was fairly horrible overall. They haven't looked that great in qualifying either but this tournament was very good.

Damarcus Beasly needs to stay out of games and they need to keep playign Altadore. I really liked what I saw from him in this tourney.

[resistanze]

Not really - the last WC was a step back from 2002. 2002 was incredible but 2006 was fairly horrible overall. They haven't looked that great in qualifying either but this tournament was very good.

Damarcus Beasly needs to stay out of games and they need to keep playign Altadore. I really liked what I saw from him in this tourney.

To be fair, they were in the Group of Death in 2006 with Italy, Ghana, Czech - I wasn't realistically expecting them to advance. Either way, this tourney is a great confidence boost.

[BlackSwordsMan]

choked in the finals like dallas

[BlackSwordsMan]

for a twist of irony the game should end at 4-2

[jack sommerset]

Oh well. They gave it a nice shot.

[ginobili's bald spot]

:depressed





Good effort though.

[Das Texan]

Not really - the last WC was a step back from 2002. 2002 was incredible but 2006 was fairly horrible overall. They haven't looked that great in qualifying either but this tournament was very good.

Damarcus Beasly needs to stay out of games and they need to keep playign Altadore. I really liked what I saw from him in this tourney.



man when i read this the first time i read it as need to not play Altadore. :lol


Ya Beasley not playing is what I enjoy seeing. That asshole sucks.


All in all, I'll take it. Its a good opportunity to test your mettle against national powers. Hopefully it springs us to good things next summer.

I really dont think the USA cares how they do in qualifying cause they are gonna get in without playing their best.

[lefty]

This thread FAILS :lmao



http://kevinrobinson.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/epic_fail.jpg

[Spurs Brazil]

:depressed

I shouldn't have opened this thread.... I fucking jinxed them :depressed

:lol

This thread remind me those games when the Grizzilies are up 15 against Mavs or Lakers and someone start a thread and in the end LA or Mavs win.

This was a big jinx urunobili. :)

I don't like Brazil coach and some players. I'd rather lose to see some changes.

[baseline bum]

I'd rather watch a rerun of all seven games of the Lakers-Rockets series than a half of soccer.

[Frenzy]

I'd rather watch a rerun of all seven games of the Lakers-Rockets series than a half of soccer.


:tu

[Thunder Dan]

soccer is what our 4 year olds play to teach them what a whistle, coach, and uniform is

no soccer is the sport parents make their kids play when they are younger because they want them to be active and make them feel good about themselves but they want to protect their kids from failure. If their kids play baseball they stand the chance of striking out 4 times a game or missing a catch. If they play football they might break bones, if they play basketball they might miss free throws and feel bad about themselves. Soccer is the sport you can play without ever touching the ball. It's a sport for people with loser mentality. This is why so many kids play but stop once they get older when it becomes acceptable to be a kid who does something besides playing sports. When you are under 13 just about every kid plays some sport, and the ones that play soccer are the ones who aren't good at anything else. Soccer is the sport where everyone appears to be on the same level, and as a kid you can't suck at soccer. That's loser mentality

[IronMexican]

Lol, USA soccer

[resistanze]

lol, people saying soccer is boring then mentioning baseball

[Ariel]

I never thought I´d say this, but after reading some of the comments in this thread, I´m almost glad Brazil won the game. And trust me, coming from an Argentine, that´s saying something.

:depressed

I shouldn't have opened this thread.... I fucking jinxed them :depressed
No shit! :lol

[Bukefal]

no soccer is the sport parents make their kids play when they are younger because they want them to be active and make them feel good about themselves but they want to protect their kids from failure. If their kids play baseball they stand the chance of striking out 4 times a game or missing a catch. If they play football they might break bones, if they play basketball they might miss free throws and feel bad about themselves. Soccer is the sport you can play without ever touching the ball. It's a sport for people with loser mentality. This is why so many kids play but stop once they get older when it becomes acceptable to be a kid who does something besides playing sports. When you are under 13 just about every kid plays some sport, and the ones that play soccer are the ones who aren't good at anything else. Soccer is the sport where everyone appears to be on the same level, and as a kid you can't suck at soccer. That's loser mentality

:lol:lol:lol:lol
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5562/failr.jpg

A sport for people with loser mentality?! :lol :lol Your post fails big time

[resistanze]

Soccer is the sport you can play without ever touching the ball. It's a sport for people with loser mentality.
Aren't you from CLE? You should be all up in this shit.

[Thunder Dan]

Soccer is for losers. Its the only sport I know of that can end in a 0-0 tie. Its the only sport where you can play and not touch the ball all game. You can't fail at soccer like you can all the other major sports.

And I mentioned baseball because a kid can play baseball and strike out 4 times in a game, or blow the game and feel bad about himself, and the other kids might make fun of him. Soccer on the other hand, he could have the worst game ever, but as long as he is out running about, nobody will ever notice. That's why its for losers.

[Johnny RIngo]

The Conferations Cup is mostly meaningless. The World Cup and Euro are all a much higher priority for the top national teams. Even the fledgling football nations tend to send their B-teams to the Confederations Cup in order to try out the youngsters and prepare their squads for upcoming qualifiers to legit competetions. It's a fun little tournament but nothing to get worked up over.

[sook]

no soccer is the sport parents make their kids play when they are younger because they want them to be active and make them feel good about themselves but they want to protect their kids from failure. If their kids play baseball they stand the chance of striking out 4 times a game or missing a catch. If they play football they might break bones, if they play basketball they might miss free throws and feel bad about themselves. Soccer is the sport you can play without ever touching the ball. It's a sport for people with loser mentality. This is why so many kids play but stop once they get older when it becomes acceptable to be a kid who does something besides playing sports. When you are under 13 just about every kid plays some sport, and the ones that play soccer are the ones who aren't good at anything else. Soccer is the sport where everyone appears to be on the same level, and as a kid you can't suck at soccer. That's loser mentality

This has to be your greatest post ever :lol

I agree 100%

[Bukefal]

Soccer is for losers. Its the only sport I know of that can end in a 0-0 tie. Its the only sport where you can play and not touch the ball all game. You can't fail at soccer like you can all the other major sports.

And I mentioned baseball because a kid can play baseball and strike out 4 times in a game, or blow the game and feel bad about himself, and the other kids might make fun of him. Soccer on the other hand, he could have the worst game ever, but as long as he is out running about, nobody will ever notice. That's why its for losers.

i actually like most of your posts but what youre saying now is total BS.

[dirk4mvp]

i actually like most of your posts but what youre saying now is total BS.

What's BS about it?

[Thunder Dan]

i actually like most of your posts but what youre saying now is total BS.

explain to me then why, in the United States, Soccer is the most participated sport by kids out of all the major sports. Yet in high school there isn't tryouts for the team, and soccer is maybe the 4th or 5th most popular sport in America.

It's because parents force their kids into activity and when they get older they quit and join the band,become book worms, play video games, or just smoke weed all day. The non athletic kids play soccer because their parents can't accept the fact that their kid can't hit a baseball or hit a jumpshot. I'm not saying all soccer players in the US are unathletic, I'm just saying the majority of the youth that play it play it because their parents make them. Soccer is like a day care, or a place where parents drop their introverted, unathletic kids off in hopes of them making some friends.

[Bukefal]

If you think you can play it without touching the ball, then its the same with american football. Isnt that bullshit? If you as a kid dont touch the ball in football, then you suck , but that goes for every other ballsport. Has nothing to do with football.

[Thunder Dan]

If you think you can play it without touching the ball, then its the same with american football. Isnt that bullshit? If you as a kid dont touch the ball in football, then you suck , but that goes for every other ballsport. Has nothing to do with football.

yeah but in soccer you can not touch the ball and still walk home in one piece. In American football, you can not touch the ball and still go home on a stretcher. Soccer is the safest environment parents can put their kids in both emotionally and physically, that is why it's so big among the youth here in the States. 80% of the kids don't want to play, they are just doing it because their parents are making them play a sport and it's a better option than failing in one of the ones where you the skilled, athletics kids play.

[Bukefal]

explain to me then why, in the United States, Soccer is the most participated sport by kids out of all the major sports. Yet in high school there isn't tryouts for the team, and soccer is maybe the 4th or 5th most popular sport in America.

It's because parents force their kids into activity and when they get older they quit and join the band,become book worms, play video games, or just smoke weed all day. The non athletic kids play soccer because their parents can't accept the fact that their kid can't hit a baseball or hit a jumpshot. I'm not saying all soccer players in the US are unathletic, I'm just saying the majority of the youth that play it play it because their parents make them. Soccer is like a day care, or a place where parents drop their introverted, unathletic kids off in hopes of them making some friends.

Well thats what i dont get, football is a tough hard sport, very technical and you need to be very athletic. Why dont they send their kids to play ping pong, dodgeball or mini golf or something. So that means theres somethig wrong with the parents, not the sport

[Thunder Dan]

Well thats what i dont get, football is a tough hard sport, very technical and you need to be very athletic. Why dont they send their kids to play ping pong, dodgeball or mini golf or something. So that means theres somethig wrong with the parents, not the sport

because there aren't youth pingpong, mini golf, or dodge ball leagues for kids. And dodge ball is the worst example you can use. Dodgeball is the one sport/game where the unathletic kids are singled out and beat down the most. It's a game where the bigger and stronger kid's goal is to beam the weak kids with a ball.

[MannyIsGod]

Thunder Dan makes some of the most idiotic posts I've ever seen on this board in this thread. Football can end in a 0-0 tie too, Mr. McNab. I've seen some horrific soccer injuries but in any event I don't understand where the concept of how bad injuries can be has anything to do with the value of a sport.

Your points are utter shit. A kid can strike out four times in a game so that somehow makes baseball better? Are you saying that you can do no wrong in soccer? The simple fact is that your ignorance on what happens in soccer and where the mistakes are makes you believe that striking out is somehow worse than misplaying a ball that leads to a goal.

I don't for the life of me understand where you come up with the idea that you can't suck at soccer. Its simply so moronic I'm amazed you've come to that conclusion. As kids, all sports are tailored to make it so you don't "fail".

Basically you're entire argument boils down to kids can't get really hurt playing soccer (which is bullshit) and they make it so kids can't fail (which is also bullshit) so soccer is a loser sport. I'm pretty sure that the best soccer players in the world would kick your ass in any sport you wanted to challenge them to.

[MannyIsGod]

Its not even about liking soccer. If you don't enjoy it, then all the power to you. But the points made in this thread are completely fucking retarded.

[Thunder Dan]

Thunder Dan makes some of the most idiotic posts I've ever seen on this board in this thread. Football can end in a 0-0 tie too, Mr. McNab. I've seen some horrific soccer injuries but in any event I don't understand where the concept of how bad injuries can be has anything to do with the value of a sport.

Your points are utter shit. A kid can strike out four times in a game so that somehow makes baseball better? Are you saying that you can do no wrong in soccer? The simple fact is that your ignorance on what happens in soccer and where the mistakes are makes you believe that striking out is somehow worse than misplaying a ball that leads to a goal.

I don't for the life of me understand where you come up with the idea that you can't suck at soccer. Its simply so moronic I'm amazed you've come to that conclusion. As kids, all sports are tailored to make it so you don't "fail".

Basically you're entire argument boils down to kids can't get really hurt playing soccer (which is bullshit) and they make it so kids can't fail (which is also bullshit) so soccer is a loser sport. I'm pretty sure that the best soccer players in the world would kick your ass in any sport you wanted to challenge them to.

so you are telling me that there are alot of injuries in pee wee soccer? more than there is in baseball or football? Soccer is for the kids who's parents complain to the baseball coach about their son not getting playing time, or for the kids who don't go to football practice because it is too hot out. That is why soccer is for everyone. Soccer is for kids whose parents can't accept that their kids suck at everything else. It's the reason youth soccer is so big, but soccer from ages 16-20 isn't- everyone quits once they realize they suck as sports and they might be better off doing something else.

There are no injuries in pee wee soccer either.

[resistanze]

so you are telling me that there are alot of injuries in pee wee soccer? more than there is in baseball or football? Soccer is for the kids who's parents complain to the baseball coach about their son not getting playing time, or for the kids who don't go to football practice because it is too hot out. That is why soccer is for everyone. Soccer is for kids whose parents can't accept that their kids suck at everything else. It's the reason youth soccer is so big, but soccer from ages 16-20 isn't- everyone quits once they realize they suck as sports and they might be better off doing something else.

There are no injuries in pee wee soccer either.

No, your argument is retarded because you're judging sports in your inaccurate account on how you perceive they are in the peewee level. That alone makes you look retarded. your entire argument in negated by the fact that PROFESSIONAL soccer is the biggest sport in the world.

I don't know why you keep bringing up this "loser mentality" and "everyone's a winner" from. You must have been living in Cleveland too long.

[monosylab1k]

I don't know that I agree with Thunder Dan, all I know is that soccer is boring as shit. And it's not that I didn't grow up with soccer, because I didn't grow up with rugby but a few years back I got hooked on rugby and now it's my 3rd favorite sport behind basketball and football. I even find cricket fun to watch.

Soccer is just a boring, caveman sport that might have been fun 100 years ago. Hey let's just kick a ball around for a long ass time!

[Spurtacus]

I watched some of the second half.

Damn, we fucking choked.

[sabar]

Kids don't play soccer because they wont get injured, what a dumb point. How many 8 year old kids get injured playing softball or football or basketball? They're weak runts, they don't have the power to injure someone anyways.

Kids play soccer for the exact same reason 3rd world youth do - it is cheap as dirt to play in small games or upscaled. All you need is a ball and some sticks in the dirt to mark off the goal. Why do you think street hockey is popular with youth? Not because it's fun, because all you need is a soda can to beat around and some trash cans to mark the goal. Same deal.

Children lack the upper arm strength to play footbal/basketball/tennis/golf in any way that could be fun.

[bdictjames]

imo, baseball's the most boring sports out of the four.

At least soccer's fast. You see fat people play in baseball.

[SonOfAGun]

Soccer is lame.

Team USA could beat a Martian Alien Squad who just discovered Planet Earth and challenged the U.S.A. to a friendly game and I still would not care.

[Obstructed_View]

Man, when you get butt hurt you get butt hurt.

:lol at the idea that I'm going to get my feelings hurt in a soccer thread.

If you don't like having your statements refuted, try not making such stupid ones.

[MannyIsGod]

:lol at the idea that I'm going to get my feelings hurt in a soccer thread.

If you don't like having your statements refuted, try not making such stupid ones.

What stupid statement did I make? That the FIFA ranks are not accurate? And how did you refute that?

You were butt hurt you missed the game and just became an all around moron.

But yeah dude, I'll avoid the stupid statements. I'd hate to end up sounding like you.

[MannyIsGod]

I'll explain to you how bad these rankings are since you obviously fail to understand it. As recently as four years ago, the US was ranked fourth in the world. Do you really think the US has ever had a team that was the fourth best in the world through modern history?

So explain to me, what exactly did you refute.

[Bukefal]

thunder dan makes some of the most idiotic posts i've ever seen on this board in this thread. Football can end in a 0-0 tie too, mr. Mcnab. I've seen some horrific soccer injuries but in any event i don't understand where the concept of how bad injuries can be has anything to do with the value of a sport.

Your points are utter shit. A kid can strike out four times in a game so that somehow makes baseball better? Are you saying that you can do no wrong in soccer? The simple fact is that your ignorance on what happens in soccer and where the mistakes are makes you believe that striking out is somehow worse than misplaying a ball that leads to a goal.

I don't for the life of me understand where you come up with the idea that you can't suck at soccer. Its simply so moronic i'm amazed you've come to that conclusion. As kids, all sports are tailored to make it so you don't "fail".

Basically you're entire argument boils down to kids can't get really hurt playing soccer (which is bullshit) and they make it so kids can't fail (which is also bullshit) so soccer is a loser sport. I'm pretty sure that the best soccer players in the world would kick your ass in any sport you wanted to challenge them to.

+1

[Bukefal]

I'll explain to you how bad these rankings are since you obviously fail to understand it. As recently as four years ago, the US was ranked fourth in the world. Do you really think the US has ever had a team that was the fourth best in the world through modern history?

So explain to me, what exactly did you refute.

Yeah the rankings are not very accurate. They've changed the system of ranking I think 2 years ago, now its more accurate, but still. There is another ranking on some website, they have their own system, that one is pretty good. I forgot how its called.

[Bukefal]

I don't know that I agree with Thunder Dan, all I know is that soccer is boring as shit. And it's not that I didn't grow up with soccer, because I didn't grow up with rugby but a few years back I got hooked on rugby and now it's my 3rd favorite sport behind basketball and football. I even find cricket fun to watch.

Soccer is just a boring, caveman sport that might have been fun 100 years ago. Hey let's just kick a ball around for a long ass time!

Its not boring, its just because you dont like it. If you did not like baseball, you were saying that you find baseball boring. People who do not like american football, the first thing they say is its boring. Its just a matter of taste en interest, dont hate on a sport.

[Bukefal]

so you are telling me that there are alot of injuries in pee wee soccer? more than there is in baseball or football? Soccer is for the kids who's parents complain to the baseball coach about their son not getting playing time, or for the kids who don't go to football practice because it is too hot out. That is why soccer is for everyone. Soccer is for kids whose parents can't accept that their kids suck at everything else. It's the reason youth soccer is so big, but soccer from ages 16-20 isn't- everyone quits once they realize they suck as sports and they might be better off doing something else.

There are no injuries in pee wee soccer either.

So they suck in football too. Your point you try to make that football is not really a sport, or loser sport, or retarded sport is lame and unbiased. Look, I dont know about the mothers and their loser children, since I do not live in the States. But I do know that your image of football is very weak, and you make it look like a loser sport, that's just BS. Everywhere there are injuries, football has one ofthe most terrible injuries ever, more than baseball, basketball, american football. But why adding injuries into the argument?

[Thunder Dan]

everyone seems to be missing my point.

My point isn't about whether baseball is less boring than soccer.

Parents are protective of their kids when they are younger, they like to shelter them and control them. They force their kids into playing soccer because if they play baseball they might ride the bench, or stick out as the worst kid on the team. Sometimes parents can't accept when their kid sucks at sports, so soccer is the safest. They can buy their kid some shin guards, he can run around with the other kids and never appear to suck at soccer. If little Johnny played football he would never make it through the first tackling practice, if he played basketball he wouldn't ever get on the court. Soccer offer the safest environment so little Johnny can feel good about himself and the parents can feel good about themselves. Thats why it's a loser mentality sport. Loser mentality is like communism, expecting everyone to be the same; expecting the highly athletic kids to sit on the bench so the ones that suck get a chance to play. That is soccer in a nutshell here in the states. Soccer only exists in the states in pee wee levels, and by the time most players reach the point to play at it's highest levels they are so turned off to it that's the reason it's so unpopular.

[Thunder Dan]

actually, my viewpoints on soccer were inspired by an essay I read as part of a book..



Like many U.S. citizens, I spend much of my free time thinking about the future of sports and the future of our children. This is because I care deeply about sports.

In the spirit of both, I've spent the last fifteen years of my life railing against the game of soccer, and exercise that has been lauded as "the sport of the future" since 1977. Thankfully, the future dystopia has never come. But people continue to tell me that soccer will soon become part of the fabric of this country, and that eventually be as popular as football, basketball, karate, pinball, smoking, glue sniffing, menstruation, animal cruelty, photocopying, and everything else that fuels the eroticized, hyper kinetic zeitgeist of Americana. After America placed eighth in the 2002 World Cup tournament, team forward Clint Mathis said, "If we can turn one more person who wasn't a soccer fan into a soccer fan, we've accomplished something." Apparently, that's all that matters to these idiots. They won't be satisfied until we are all systematically brainwashed into thinking soccer is cool and that placing eighth is somehow noble. However, I know this will never happen. Not really. Dumb bunnies like Clint Mathis will be wrong forever, and that might be the only thing saving us from ourselves.

My personal war against the so-called "soccer menace" probably reached it's peak in 1993, when I was nearly fired from a college newspaper for suggesting that soccer was the reason thousands of Brazilians are annually killed at Quiet Riot concerts in Rio de Janeiro, a statement that is-admittedly-half true. A few weeks after the publication of said piece, a petition to have me removed as the newspapers' sports editor was circulated by a ridiculously vocal campus organization called the Hispanic American Council, prompting an "academic hearing" where I was accused (with absolute seriousness) of libeling Pele. If memory serves, I think my criticism of soccer and Quiet Riot was somehow taken as racist., although-admittedly- I'm not completely positive, as I was intoxicated for most of the monthlong episode. But the bottom line is I'm still willing to die a painful public death, assuming my execution destroys the game of soccer (or--at the very least--convinces people to shut the hell up about it).

According to the Soccer Industry Council of America, soccer is the No. 1 youth participation sport in the U.S. There are more than 3.6 million players under the age of 19 registered to play, and that number has been expanding 8% every year since 1990. There has also been a substantial increase in the number of kids who play past the age of 12, a statistic that soccer proponents are especially thrilled about. "These are the players that will go on to be fans, referees, coaches, and players in the future," observed Virgil Lewis, chairman of the United States Youth Soccer Association.

Certainly, I can't argue with Virgil's math: I have no doubt that battalions of Gatorade-stained children are running around the green wastelands of suburbia, randomly kicking a black and white ball in the general direction of tuna netting. However, Lewis's larger logic is profoundly flawed. There continues to be this blindly optimistic belief that all of the brats playing soccer in 2003 are going to be crazed MLS fans in 2023, just as it was assumed that 11 year old players in 1983 would be watching Bob Costas provide play-by-play for soccer games right now. That will never happen. We will never care about soccer in this country. And it's not just because soccer is inherently un-American, which is what most soccer haters tend to insinuate. It's mostly because soccer is geared towards Outcast Culture.

On the surface, one might assume that would actually play to soccer's advantage, as America has plenty of outcasts. Some American outcasts are very popular, such as OutKast. But Outcast culture does not meld with Intimidation Culture, and the latter aesthetic has always been the cornerstone of team sports. An outcast can be intimidating in an individual event-Mike Tyson and John McEnroe are proof-but they rarely thrive in the social environment of a team organism (e.g. Albert Belle, Pete Maravich). Unless your Barry Bonds, being an outcast is antithetical to the group concept. But soccer is the one sport that is the one exception to that reality: Soccer contentiously rewards the outcast, which is was so many adults are fooled into thinking kids love it. The truth is that most kids do not love soccer, they simply hate the alternatives more. For 60% of adolescents in any 4th grade classroom, sports are a humiliation waiting to happen. These are the kids who play baseball and strike out 4 times a game. These are the kids who are afraid to get fouled in basketball, because it only means they're now required to shoot two free throws, which equates to two air-balls. Basketball games actually stops to recognize their failure. And football is nothing more than a ironical death sentence; somehow, outcasts find themselves in a situation where the people normally penalized for teasing them are suddenly urged to annihilate them.

This is why soccer seems like such a respite from all that mortification; it's the one aerobic activity where nothingness is expected. Even at the highest levels, every soccer match seems to end 1-0 or 2-1. A normal 11 year old can play an entire season without placing a toe to a ball and nobody would even notice, assuming he or she does a proper job of running about and avoiding major collisions. Soccer feels "fun" because it's not terrifying- its the only sport where you can't fuck up. An outcast can succeed simply by not failing, and public failure is every outcast's deepest fear. For society's prepubescent pariahs, soccer represents safety.

However, the demand for such an oasis disappears once an outcast escapes from the imposed slavery of youth athletics; by the time they reach the 9th grade, it's perfectly acceptable to quit the team and shop at Hot Topic. Most youth soccer players end up joining the debate team before they turn 15. Meanwhile, the kind of person who truly loves the notion of sports (and perhaps, sadly, unconsciously needs to have sports in their life) doesn't want to watch or play a game designed for losers. They're never going to care about a sport where announcers inexplicably celebrate the beauty of missed shots and the strategic glory or repetitive stalemate. We want to see domination. We want to see athletes who don't look like us, and who we could never be. We want to see people who could destroy us, and we want to feel like that desire is normal. But those people don't exist in soccer; their game is dominated by mono-monikered clones obsessed with falling to their knees and ripping off their clothes.

Soccer fanatics love to tell you that soccer is the most popular game on earth and that it's played by 500 million people every day, as if that somehow proves it's value. Actually, the opposite is true. Why should I care that every single citizen of Chile and Iran and Gibraltar thoughtlessly adore "futball"? Do people making this argument also assume Coca-Cola is ambrosia? Real sports arn't for everyone. And don't accuse me of being the ugly American for degrading soccer. That has nothing to do with it. It's not xenophobic to hate soccer, it's socially reprehensible to support it. To say you love soccer is to say you believe in enforced equality more than you believe in the value of competition and the capacity of human spirit. It should surprise no one that Benito Mussolini loved being photographed with Italian soccer stars during the 1930's; they were undoubtedly kindred spirits. I would sooner have my kid deal crystal meth than play soccer.

That said, I don't think my thoughts on soccer are radical. If push come to shove, I would be more than willing to compromise: It's not necessary to wholly outlaw soccer as a living entity. I concede that it has the right to exist. All I ask is that I never have to see it on T.V., that it's not played in public, and that nobody-and I mean nobody-ever utters the phrase "soccer is the sport of the future"

[Bukefal]

everyone seems to be missing my point.

My point isn't about whether baseball is less boring than soccer.

Parents are protective of their kids when they are younger, they like to shelter them and control them. They force their kids into playing soccer because if they play baseball they might ride the bench, or stick out as the worst kid on the team. Sometimes parents can't accept when their kid sucks at sports, so soccer is the safest. They can buy their kid some shin guards, he can run around with the other kids and never appear to suck at soccer. If little Johnny played football he would never make it through the first tackling practice, if he played basketball he wouldn't ever get on the court. Soccer offer the safest environment so little Johnny can feel good about himself and the parents can feel good about themselves. Thats why it's a loser mentality sport. Loser mentality is like communism, expecting everyone to be the same; expecting the highly athletic kids to sit on the bench so the ones that suck get a chance to play. That is soccer in a nutshell here in the states. Soccer only exists in the states in pee wee levels, and by the time most players reach the point to play at it's highest levels they are so turned off to it that's the reason it's so unpopular.

That could be true, about the parents, i dont know since i dont live in usa. But that has nothing to do with football, nor the quality of the game. It's just about what those parents think.

[Extra Stout]

While I quite enjoy soccer when it is played by people who know what they're doing, Thunder Dan is approximately 1000% correct when it comes to identifying soccer's place in Anglo-white American culture.

As an added piece of evidence, I present Houston's own "Fun Fair Positive Soccer." To wit:
1) FFPS plays 5 on a side
2) FFPS mandates equal ball-possession time for each player
3) FFPS rotates the positions each player plays
4) FFPS has highly simplified rules that 5-year-olds can understand
5) FFPS does not keep score
6) FFPS includes special-needs players on their teams
7) FFPS is available to "children" up to the age of 22
8) FFPS awards a trophy to each player for participation

Now, clearly the point of this exercise is not to play soccer or anything like it. The point is for young people who don't have a lot going for them to get some exercise outside without having to feel like losers. That is the role soccer plays for non-Hispanic white suburban people in the United States.

Now, for Latinos it's a whole other matter entirely. They actually like soccer, and many young Latinos who are actually good at sports play it. This is part of the reason a league like FFPS has to exist -- Latino families in Houston keep working their way up to the middle class, and getting their kids into youth soccer leagues, where they immediately start humiliating the kids whose only reason for playing soccer was to avoid getting humiliated.

I don't understand the need to avoid humiliation. I sucked at every kind of sport that required hand-eye coordination. I couldn't hit, field, throw, or catch anything. I was always the last guy picked. The only exception was basketball, and that was only because I was a relatively tall white kid in a city with lots of short Mexicans. If I wandered in among people my size, I was immediately exposed as an uncoordinated goof, but on the Southside, I might as well have been Shaq, and in instances when I went to Mexico, I was a breathtaking, once-in-a-lifetime freak of nature to the people there.

Other nerds taller than 5'10" I knew had the same experience.

Now my inability to play any kind of competitive sport has negatively affected my life basically not at all. It tempers my arrogance somewhat, since despite being good at the book-learnin' stuff, I know there are plenty of things at which I suck. The root word of "humiliation" is "humility" which is a good thing. Also, if people get gratified with self-esteem just for showing up, then they never learn the value of working for anything or getting better at it. And having a nation full of people who are full of self-esteem despite sucking at pretty much every endeavor and never exerting meaningful effort is a recipe for getting its collective ass kicked by China eight ways from Sunday, since unfortunately God/the universe/cold cruel fate doesn't seem to view FFPS as the paradigm for reality.

So to summarize:
1) Soccer for white suburbanites is an exercise in avoiding humiliation.
2) Going through life trying to avoid humiliation results in not accomplishing anything.
3) This is why the Chinese are kicking our asses
4) If you really need to feel better about your nerdy self, challenge the short Mexican kids who just beat you 9-0 on the pitch to a game of basketball.

[Thunder Dan]

Extra Stout is right. Those are the reasons the top athletes will never play soccer, which in turn is the reason nobody in America gives a shit about soccer

[JoeChalupa]

I've got two nieces who play soccer in HS and they love it. I only played kick ball.

[Extra Stout]

Furthermore, the biggest reason soccer is so popular around the world is that all the kids in some shockingly poor town need to play soccer is 1) a ball, and 2) an empty patch of dirt, whereas for American football or baseball a whole lot of expensive gear is necessary.

I would predict that the USA one day would be a soccer power if I thought the country were going to remain intact, simply because eventually central North America will have enough of a critical mass of Latinos who care about the sport.

[JoeChalupa]

Me gusta el soccer!!!

[tp2021]

Me gusta el soccer!!!

Futbol

[Bukefal]

Futbol

Exactly, all of you stop referring to the game with Soccer. It's FOOTBALL! You have Football and American Football. :toast

eeeh it's an endless debate :wakeup

[rascal]

To be fair, they were in the Group of Death in 2006 with Italy, Ghana, Czech - I wasn't realistically expecting them to advance. Either way, this tourney is a great confidence boost.

That was not the group of Death.
Argentina,Netherlands, Ivory Coast and Serbia was the Group of Death.

[resistanze]

That was not the group of Death.
Argentina,Netherlands, Ivory Coast and Serbia was the Group of Death.

Meh, most people agreed it was a toss-up between that group and the Ivory Coast, Holland, Argentina and Serbia group. Serbia was total doo-doo though.

[Bukefal]

That was not the group of Death.
Argentina,Netherlands, Ivory Coast and Serbia was the Group of Death.

Exactly, this was the group of death, group C. Group E wasnt really. If E was, then F should have been a group of death also :lol

[Thunder Dan]

Exactly, all of you stop referring to the game with Soccer. It's FOOTBALL! You have Football and American Football. :toast

eeeh it's an endless debate :wakeup

Soccer
http://d.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com/ng/sp/empics/20081021/23/2945547027-soccer-uefa-champions-league-group-e-manchester-united-v-celtic.jpg


Football
http://www.owensworld.com/funnyimages/files/football1_big.jpg

Soccer
http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2005/12/10/sp_aloisi_1012_wideweb__470x305,0.jpg


Football
http://jbeaniesports.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/moss-moon.jpg

Soccer
http://www.dailyhaha.com/_pics/gay_soccer_players.jpg
http://life4hire.berceloteh.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/gay-kissing-4.jpg

Football
http://bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0098/5049/ducks-football-celebration_feature.jpg

[Thunder Dan]

Soccer
http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2009/4/90%20Soccer%20Looks%20Gay.jpg

Football
http://images.smarter.com/blogs/sheldonreggie1.jpg

[rascal]

I root against the USA. Most people in the USA don't care at all about scoccer so I want them out as soon as possible in the World Cup. Let the World Cup be won by countries that have a passion for the game. Also if the USA wins then all they show and talk about is the USA games. I'd rather watch games that the USA is not playing in.

[rascal]

Meh, most people agreed it was a toss-up between that group and the Ivory Coast, Holland, Argentina and Serbia group. Serbia was total doo-doo though.

I think it was the Americans who overrated their crappy team that insisted they were in the Group of Death.

[Bukefal]

:lol there we go again. For one last time: :lmao -------->



Left: Football Right: handegg Rugby - American football
http://thumb.visualizeus.com/thumbs/09/01/04/american,football,soccer-9b5aaecffa6756597c30bc334faa126e_m.jpg

[tp2021]

Exactly, all of you stop referring to the game with Soccer. It's FOOTBALL! You have Football and American Football. :toast

eeeh it's an endless debate :wakeup

I was actually making fun of his spanglish. Soccer sucks. Basketball is better.

[Thunder Dan]

I root for the US to lose every game too so I don't have to see them cover that shit on ESPN, when they bring in that Irish guy. I don't think there would be any complaints if USA Soccer just folded all together. Their whole purpose is to try and get people to like soccer, you can't make people like stuff, and even if you win people won't like it.

[Bukefal]

I was actually making fun of his spanglish. Soccer sucks. Basketball is better.

Basketball is indeed better. But, football is nice too! (F-O-O-T-B-A-L-L-!-!)

[rascal]

Soccer is a cool sport because of the international play and the passion behind the games.

They need to make some rule changes to open up some more scoring. That will increase the excitement of the game. They need to drop the offsides penalty where play stops on a breakaway because the offensive player was ahead of a defender.

[Bukefal]

Soccer
http://media1.break.com/dnet/media/2009/4/90%20Soccer%20Looks%20Gay.jpg


http://www.pattayadailynews.com/forum/pic/0000002378/com0000015560.jpg

[Bukefal]

Soccer is a cool sport because of the international play and the passion behind the games.

They need to make some rule changes to open up some more scoring. That will increase the excitement of the game. They need to drop the offsides penalty where play stops on a breakaway because the offensive player was ahead of a defender.

Football is wonderful, the only thing I don't like and would rather see dropped is indeed the offside rule. Without that, there would be way more interesting games and scoring.

[rascal]

Agree it is hard enough to score a goal as it is without that rule making it even harder.

Your watching a long lull in the action with the ball going back and forth at midfield then a breakaway on a long pass and it just gets called back and back to the boring midfield play. They need to change that rule. I know there are purists that are against any rule changes but how can anyone argue against changing that rule and opening up more scoring opportunites.

[JoeChalupa]

Futbol

Perdoname. :tu

[MB20]

Football is wonderful, the only thing I don't like and would rather see dropped is indeed the offside rule. Without that, there would be way more interesting games and scoring.

Football is great as it is.
If Americans don´t like it, fine.
I still consider it the best sport in the world.
It´s a cultural thing. I grew up playing and consuming football (soccer). Americans grew up thinking that soccer sucks. You won´t change their minds.

:toast

[Extra Stout]

Some caller on a sports radio morning show in Houston this morning basically repeated Thunder Dan's and my posts. This forum has become a veritable think tank, an artesian spring of the zeitgeist.

[E20]

This reminds me of the time in sixth grade. My PE teacher, always red in complexion and who seemed to down a few in his office every day, took a class poll to see what we would play that day. Two options: Basketball/other sports outside or indoor soccer. The first option won in a landslide, but to quote him: "Indoor soccer it is".

Just thought I'd like to share. lol

[resistanze]

Furthermore, the biggest reason soccer is so popular around the world is that all the kids in some shockingly poor town need to play soccer is 1) a ball, and 2) an empty patch of dirt, whereas for American football or baseball a whole lot of expensive gear is necessary.

I would predict that the USA one day would be a soccer power if I thought the country were going to remain intact, simply because eventually central North America will have enough of a critical mass of Latinos who care about the sport.

While that may explain some of its popularity, it doesn't explain why soccer is the most popular (or at least among the most popular) for many countries in the G8 (e.g. England, Germany, France, Japan, Italy). Countries like England/Spain have a very vigorous youth soccer program - you can't play for long unless you're really good at it. And if you're phenomenal, you stand out and are often given contracts to play for professional youth academies.

I don't think this argument follows as well if you look at the state of basketball in America. It's not an expensive sport -all you need a ball and a hoop, which can be found in every neighborhood, every ghetto in America. I'm not sure if you would argue that soccer promotes mediocrity as opposed to basketball, which is ironic because the majority of elite basketball players in the US do not represent the middle-class white majority of the country. I fail to see how a 5 v 5 game of basketball would look any different than a game of soccer, with the same youths you are discussing.

Even with all this in mind, the argument that soccer is an exercise for white suburnanites to avoid humiliation has nothing to do with the enjoyability of watching professional soccer, played by athletes that know what they're doing. I don't dislike watching the NBA because I had to play basketball with girls or white guys growing up, considering these two groups obviously don't make up any sizable proportion of the elite basketball players in America.

[Extra Stout]

While that may explain some of its popularity, it doesn't explain why soccer is the most popular (or at least among the most popular) for many countries in the G8 (e.g. England, Germany, France, Japan, Italy). Countries like England/Spain have a very vigorous youth soccer program - you can't play for long unless you're really good at it. And if you're phenomenal, you stand out and are often given contracts to play for professional youth academies.
You're right that soccer's popularity in western Europe has nothing to do with poverty. Maybe it did in 1875.


I don't think this argument follows as well if you look at the state of basketball in America. It's not an expensive sport -all you need a ball and a hoop, which can be found in every neighborhood, every ghetto in America. I'm not sure if you would argue that soccer promotes mediocrity as opposed to basketball, which is ironic because the majority of elite basketball players in the US do not represent the middle-class white majority of the country. I fail to see how a 5 v 5 game of basketball would look any different than a game of soccer, with the same youths you are discussing.
The reason the point does not follow is because you mixed up the points. There are two points:
1) Soccer is popular in the third world because it is cheap to play.

2) Soccer is a popular choice for American white suburban youth sports because athetically mediocre children can play it without embarrassing themselves.

It is not to say that soccer promotes mediocrity everywhere that it is played. That clearly is not true. It is simply in the context of middle-class suburban white Americans that soccer is the sport of kids who can't play sports.

Basketball in the American ghetto I think parallels the role soccer plays in the third-world slum. Why in America basketball plays that role while soccer fills the role most other places is because some things in the world are just random. Basketball was invented in America and gained a following here; soccer spread around the rest of the world.


Even with all this in mind, the argument that soccer is an exercise for white suburnanites to avoid humiliation has nothing to do with the enjoyability of watching professional soccer, played by athletes that know what they're doing.
They might know what they're doing, but most Americans have no idea, so they can't appreciate it. It's why unathletic kids who have no idea what they're doing can run around aimlessly for 90 minutes without embarrassing themselves -- nobody watching has any idea what they're watching. The U.S. has its sports which are popular here, and they have a certain degree of inertia, and people just aren't going to put a whole lot of effort into learning an unfamiliar sport. Now, if those kids were dropped into a Brazilian youth league, they would be humiliated because the Brazilians would understand exactly how much they suck. The low level of appreciation and understanding of the sport ironically has something to do with its "popularity." But I think it also makes it clear why that "popularity" doesn't translate into any kind of rooting interest for the game as a spectator sport.

There is nothing intrinsically "interesting" or "boring" about a particular sport. It has to do with tastes, and tastes are conditioned, partially in random ways. Lots of Europeans think American sports are just as boring as many of us find soccer to be. Look at baseball. A game consists of large stretches of standing around, where the pitcher and the catcher throw back and forth, punctuated by little bits of action where a ball is put in play and people run around. In American football, people stand around for 45 seconds, then engage in 10 seconds of action, then stand around for 45 more seconds. We find it interesting partly because we were brought up on it and people around us find it interesting.


I don't dislike watching the NBA because I had to play basketball with girls or white guys growing up, considering these two groups obviously don't make up any sizable proportion of the elite basketball players in America.
I think previous points reasonably explain this.

[Muser]

You all do Know that nobody in the "soccer" world gives a shit about the confederations cup, right?

[DarkReign]

You all do Know that nobody in the "soccer" world gives a shit about the confederations cup, right?

The funny part is neither do we.

ES did a good job of explaining it. Its appreciated at youth ages here because a vast majority of parents and random spectators have no idea what theyre looking at or what theyre looking for.

All we see is little Johnny running around real hard and not falling flat on his face. Looks like he might be having fun or at least, not embarassing himself.

Because the last time we took Little Johnny to the batting cages, he embarassed himself. In basketball with the black kids...we're still forgetting that experience. He tried out for peewee football, but he cried a lot because getting hit "hurt real bad".

Soccer, in America's version of it, is the safe sport for the youth of this country. I realize that isnt the same case across the globe, to be clear, its probably the exact opposite.

But soccer always has and always will be a youth sport in America. Kids will then quit or play football. Some of the better football players in high school were former soccer players. They could run...fast and for an inordinate amount of time in comparison to their peers. Soccer players were also really good at hackey-sack (obvious reasons). Alarmingly, the most skilled hockey players are mostly European and their skills are off the charts with their ability to take bad passes of their back skate, redirect it in full stride right to their stick. All former soccer players, all kicking a ball around before games to get warmed up. Even the North American players get in on the "game", but the Euros laugh at them and theyre out in the first 30 secs.

Just the way it is. Some of the best athletes in the world play soccer. They run the farthest, they run the fastest, they run the longest. If youre playing pro soccer, youre a finely conditioned athlete of the highest order, period. But it doesnt change the fact that 1-0 games with 70 mins played at midfield is incredibly boring to me.

Im with a couple other guys in this thread...I constantly cheer against the US. The earlier theyre out, the better. Less I have to hear about it.

[Extra Stout]

But soccer always has and always will be a youth sport in America.
As I addressed earlier, the influx of large numbers of Latin children who are good enough at soccer to humiliate the Anglos may endanger the primacy of youth soccer in states closer to the border.

[E20]

Did not know there could be anymore humiliation done. lol

[resistanze]

The reason the point does not follow is because you mixed up the points. There are two points:
1) Soccer is popular in the third world because it is cheap to play.

2) Soccer is a popular choice for American white suburban youth sports because athetically mediocre children can play it without embarrassing themselves.

It is not to say that soccer promotes mediocrity everywhere that it is played. That clearly is not true. It is simply in the context of middle-class suburban white Americans that soccer is the sport of kids who can't play sports.

Basketball in the American ghetto I think parallels the role soccer plays in the third-world slum. Why in America basketball plays that role while soccer fills the role most other places is because some things in the world are just random. Basketball was invented in America and gained a following here; soccer spread around the rest of the world.
I agree entirely, and agree partially with 2).



They might know what they're doing, but most Americans have no idea, so they can't appreciate it. It's why unathletic kids who have no idea what they're doing can run around aimlessly for 90 minutes without embarrassing themselves -- nobody watching has any idea what they're watching. The U.S. has its sports which are popular here, and they have a certain degree of inertia, and people just aren't going to put a whole lot of effort into learning an unfamiliar sport. Now, if those kids were dropped into a Brazilian youth league, they would be humiliated because the Brazilians would understand exactly how much they suck. The low level of appreciation and understanding of the sport ironically has something to do with its "popularity." But I think it also makes it clear why that "popularity" doesn't translate into any kind of rooting interest for the game as a spectator sport.

I can agree to an extent that the ignorance/unfamiliarity about soccer in American culture may be a reason it is used for this demographic you speak of in order to "boost confidence." That being said, it's not like these unathletic suburban kids are any better at other sports.What would be the difference between these kids playing soccer or playing basketball? Drop these kids in the middle of Rucker Park and they'll get killed. But in reality, who would challenge the level of competition amongst these subruban youth such that would make soccer a safer alternative? It's not as if middle-class white America is churning out NBA superstars.

The argument seems to assume that these kids would be any better at excelling in basketball amongst their peers as opposed to soccer - which I don't believe. I think you may be underselling the genuine growth of soccer among all demographics in America. Professional leagues do exist, and there is a legitimate interest outside of Latinos. But maybe that's just my skewed perspective from being in Canada.



There is nothing intrinsically "interesting" or "boring" about a particular sport. It has to do with tastes, and tastes are conditioned, partially in random ways. Lots of Europeans think American sports are just as boring as many of us find soccer to be. Look at baseball. A game consists of large stretches of standing around, where the pitcher and the catcher throw back and forth, punctuated by little bits of action where a ball is put in play and people run around. In American football, people stand around for 45 seconds, then engage in 10 seconds of action, then stand around for 45 more seconds. We find it interesting partly because we were brought up on it and people around us find it interesting.

I agree.

I agree with most of your points. But what you and Thunder Dan are arguing are not the same (that or he can't write for shit). You're not saying "soccer sucks" at all, or trying to denigrate soccer by misrepresenting certain aspects of the sport. To claim "It's the only sport where you can play and not touch the ball all game" is indicative of the level of competition, not of the sport itself. I've never seen a real game of soccer where someone doesn't touch the ball. Most arguments in this thread are about the supposed flaws in soccer, not about how the lack of appreciation for a sport that hasn't been fully embraced by a society has affected their interest.

[DarkReign]

As I addressed earlier, the influx of large numbers of Latin children who are good enough at soccer to humiliate the Anglos may endanger the primacy of youth soccer in states closer to the border.

Im the northern Anglo who sees exactly zero Mexicans per day who arent operating lawn equipment. If it werent for their prowess in landscaping, I'd never see them or their influence on American society, be it youth soccer or Latin music.

I believe you, obviously. You grew up in Texas and know your shit. But I would have never known this to be true if you hadnt said it.

[Extra Stout]

What would be the difference between these kids playing soccer or playing basketball?
In basketball, if your child gets fouled, he has to shoot free throws. Everybody in the stands is watching him as he shoots two airballs, neither of which comes within two feet of the rim.

In baseball, when he bats, everybody is watching him as he falls down while striking out. The coach might stick him in left field, but if a ball happens to head his way, everybody is watching as he falls down three times trying to run after it, and is watching him as it takes him six throws to get the ball back into the infield since he can't throw further than ten feet, with a highly effeminate throwing motion to boot.

In football, everybody is watching as he drops easy passes or fumbles repeatedly. Or, if he is stuck on the line, the larger kids who would get in trouble if they bullied him in the schoolyard have free reign to beat him to a pulp.

In soccer, he can run around aimlessly all game long and sort of blend in.

[resistanze]

In basketball, if your child gets fouled, he has to shoot free throws. Everybody in the stands is watching him as he shoots two airballs, neither of which comes within two feet of the rim.

In baseball, when he bats, everybody is watching him as he falls down while striking out. The coach might stick him in left field, but if a ball happens to head his way, everybody is watching as he falls down three times trying to run after it, and is watching him as it takes him six throws to get the ball back into the infield since he can't throw further than ten feet, with a highly effeminate throwing motion to boot.

In football, everybody is watching as he drops easy passes or fumbles repeatedly. Or, if he is stuck on the line, the larger kids who would get in trouble if they bullied him in the schoolyard have free reign to beat him to a pulp.

In soccer, he can run around aimlessly all game long and sort of blend in.
What if the kid playing soccer is the goalkeeper? And he allows a basket full of goals? Or the kid whiffs at an attempt to kick the ball? Or kicks the ball into the stratosphere?

[ginobili's bald spot]

You all do Know that nobody in the "soccer" world gives a shit about the confederations cup, right?


And in America nobody gives a shit about "soccer" period.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

I don't understand the argument. Kids can't stick out like sore thumbs when they suck at soccer like they can at other sports? My ass they can't.

[Extra Stout]

What if the kid playing soccer is the goalkeeper? And he allows a basket full of goals? Or the kid whiffs at an attempt to kick the ball? Or kicks the ball into the stratosphere?
There are 11 players on a soccer team. OK, so you need one who isn't a total goof. And the nerds need come nowhere near the ball. It takes some ability to get into a position to receive a pass anyway.

[Extra Stout]

I don't understand the argument. Kids can't stick out like sore thumbs when they suck at soccer like they can at other sports? My ass they can't.

The general level of play is sufficiently low that they can blend in, yes.

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

The general level of play is sufficiently low that they can blend in, yes.

Yeah, at the U6 level. Anything above that is flat out wrong. You'd be surprised at the level of play from 8 year olds.

And an uncoordinated kid who can't hit the rim is also capable of tripping over the ball on a PK/direct kick.

[Extra Stout]

Yeah, at the U6 level. Anything above that is flat out wrong. You'd be surprised at the level of play from 8 year olds.

And an uncoordinated kid who can't hit the rim is also capable of tripping over the ball on a PK/direct kick.
Maybe your league is the exception.

[resistanze]

There are 11 players on a soccer team. OK, so you need one who isn't a total goof. And the nerds need come nowhere near the ball. It takes some ability to get into a position to receive a pass anyway.

The nerds come nowhere near the ball? That sounds like many sports growing up.


In basketball, if you suck, they will never pass you the ball. No one at the youth level cares if you get torched on the defensive end.

In football, if you suck, the QB will ever throw the ball to you.

In baseball, if you suck, you only need to worry about batting (and honestly, only in clutch situations, no different from a penalty kick in soccer). You are rarely involved on the defensive end in baseball.

[Phenomanul]

Thunder Dan makes some of the most idiotic posts I've ever seen on this board in this thread. Football can end in a 0-0 tie too, Mr. McNab. I've seen some horrific soccer injuries but in any event I don't understand where the concept of how bad injuries can be has anything to do with the value of a sport.

Your points are utter shit. A kid can strike out four times in a game so that somehow makes baseball better? Are you saying that you can do no wrong in soccer? The simple fact is that your ignorance on what happens in soccer and where the mistakes are makes you believe that striking out is somehow worse than misplaying a ball that leads to a goal.

I don't for the life of me understand where you come up with the idea that you can't suck at soccer. Its simply so moronic I'm amazed you've come to that conclusion. As kids, all sports are tailored to make it so you don't "fail".

Basically you're entire argument boils down to kids can't get really hurt playing soccer (which is bullshit) and they make it so kids can't fail (which is also bullshit) so soccer is a loser sport. I'm pretty sure that the best soccer players in the world would kick your ass in any sport you wanted to challenge them to.


:tu +10

[Phenomanul]

Extra Stout is right. Those are the reasons the top athletes will never play soccer, which in turn is the reason nobody in America gives a shit about soccer

It has more to do with the fact that big time sponsors can't push their commercials on us during soccer matches... If the money isn't there, neither is the interest from our countries top athletes (emerging or otherwise)... hence they refine their skills for other sports where they can be compelled by the allure of a big payday... it's a snowball effect.

Basketball, football, tennis, boxing, and baseball all pause repeatedly during the course of the game/match; a fact which allows the broadcasters multiple windows of opportunity for them to make their money...

Soccer doesn't grant but a 15 minute half-time period - which isn't nearly enough... U.S. media giants should take more of the blame on why the sport never took off in popularity in this country... more so than the latest 'societal trend' to use the sport as a means of 'hiding' childrens' athletic defficiencies... or to boost their self-esteems...

I've never played in a league where that agenda was blatantly obvious... But I understand ES's argument... In the leagues I've played in, if you didn't know how to play, you wouldn't even see the pitch... you would ride the bench... or get stuck playing goalie... Either way, people who play, KNOW when someone sucks... and those people aren't offered any handicap. They simply don't get to play...