why the sudden surge of futbol in the u.s.? - Page 4

Originally Posted by ANIKETOS

The sport is growing in the US,while some old pharts thinks its not as exciting as baseball(yawn) or American Football(a stop in play every 5 seconds,and a need by the ref to explain things lol),that opinion is slowly but surely changing especially with the new generation.

Things that will make it big is the coverage of the game,especially from good leagues like the Italian,Spanish and English.The CL and the world Cup will help as well especially if the US does well there,which in 2002 they did..Maybe more American players will go play outside and get some recognition.Right now its mostly American goalies that are up to the standards of those leagues,but that will surely change with the emergence of this new generation.I believe America will bring in even more physicality / speed combo to the game...

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

Soccer was big in the late seventies.

I was actually named for the Tampa Bay Rowdies player/coach.

Originally Posted by Tangfastic

In my brought up on 'soccer' opinion, the only American sport that compete with soccer for excitement is ice hockey, but because of the nature of ice skates you don't get to see the sort of fancy footwork that makes football fascinating. The use of a stick and puck also limits the player's control in comparison to what a football player can do with a ball.

When watching soccer there is so much to appreciate:

The fluidity of the team playing - the way players move and work as a team is great to watch. it's free flowing and allows for both general tactics and individual brilliance. Also a team's collective hunger, motivation and character when leading or behind in the score affect this flow.

The skill of the players. Anyone who's kicked a ball can appreciate the skill involved in picking out an inch perfect 50 yard pass, made while running at full speed a split second before someone comes diving in at the ball. Then there is the ability to trick and fool opposition players by hiding the ball or cleverly passing it, all while running at full speed. Also, the control over the ball when shooting on goal or kicking from a dead ball situation - the speed and amount of curl put on the ball is a beautiful thing to watch.

The athleticism - seeing a player find the pace to beat people in the 90th minute, or seeing a player 'covering every blade of grass' during a match'.

Originally Posted by Misanthrope

95% of American sports fans don't give a shit about soccer.

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Just speaking regionally, I know the Sounders were selling out the Kingdome in the 70's and 80's. I don't know what the tv coverage was like, but from the clips I've seen - it wasn't really a sport that was television-friendly until they started adopting NFL cameras, angles, and broadcasting tricks sometime in the late 90's/ 00's.

I think the advent of the chase cam, better zoom shots and different angles has made soccer 100% more watchable on tv.

Originally Posted by romafan

Who dat? I remember QPR/ManC stalwart Rodney Marsh, and future Cosmos coach Eddie Firmani.

Originally Posted by FLMountainMan

Rodney freaking Marsh. There's even a picture of him holding me as a baby, while I'm dressed in a Rowdies jersey. And that's how a 33 year old white boy came to have the name "Rodney"

Originally Posted by zillka

gays are more accepted in today's society which is cool and all, hence not having to hide your true feelings of soccer as a real sport.

Originally Posted by akatsuki

I always figured it was SUV-driving football fans that were overcompensating, trying to hide their real feelings.

Originally Posted by zillka

gays are more accepted in today's society which is cool and all, hence not having to hide your true feelings of soccer as a real sport.

Originally Posted by akatsuki

I always figured it was SUV-driving football fans that were overcompensating, trying to hide their real feelings.