Is football [soccer] too big for its boots? (soccer in Australia and the US)

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | June 3, 2006 | by John Huxley

[RayChuang88]

Actually, what will be really fun this year is how the national teams adjust to the Adidas +Teamgeist soccer ball. I had a chance to kick one yesterday in comparison to the Voit soccer ball used by the Mexican professional soccer leagues and believe me, the +Teamgeist ball gives new mean to the word juiced ball--it really FLIES when kicked hard. However, due to +Teamgeist's outer cover design it's also very susceptible to dirt and heavy moisture affect the flight of the ball, so anybody in a betting pool for the World Cup may want to watch the day's weather report because on a wet field, the +Teamgeist will veer off in strange directions when kicked.

[goldstategop]

The tournament's first games begin Friday. In Munich between host nation Germany vs. Croatia and in Gelsenkirchen between Poland vs. Ecuador.

Welttasse Deutschland 2006

[dfwgator]

What soccer needs in this country is rivalries. The US National team has a great rivalry with Mexico.

But there are no such rivalries in the MLS currently. Even the old NASL had some great rivalries, like the Strikers-Rowdies.

[dfwgator]

Actually, what will be really fun this year is how the national teams adjust to the Adidas +Teamgeist soccer ball. I had a chance to kick one yesterday in comparison to the Voit soccer ball used by the Mexican professional soccer leagues and believe me, the +Teamgeist ball gives new mean to the word juiced ball--it really FLIES when kicked hard.

Heck now even goalies can score.

Colombian goalie scores against Poland

[raccoonradio]

Just a bunch of people running up and down a field for 90 minutes or so. Once in a great great while somebody actuallys scores a goooooooooooooooooal! Goooooooooooooooooooooal!

[IslandJeff]

Hup Hup Rotterdam!

;-)

[Fair Go]

Think I'll wait for the Cricket World Cup in 2007.

[NZerFromHK]

I love soccer, but I wouldn't expect Aussies, Americans, or Kiwis will love the sport.

[Fair Go]

I'll bet the Kiwis would like nothing more that to win a final against Australia in the Cricket World Cup. I can just imagine the hysteria.

[BFPRufus]

Yeah. Especially with those blokes wearing short shorts 3 sizes too small, lots of leaping and lifting, it's like an entire all-man ballet company every game, and with none of that nasty tackling stuff from those other sports.

I think I just answered is there a gayer sport than soccer.

[Rummenigge]

Aussies are allready a victim to the real football (the one actually played with feet)...

Comes time - comes a US victory - and then noone will be claiming the USA is an ice-skating nation or what you have as an excuse for travelling.

Just look what Lance did - he made a french tournament popular.

Anything goes - and football is the only remaining super power in the world of sports.

[Rummenigge]

Welttasse - now my colleagues frown at me for laughing as a mad monkey.

Boy that hurt....

[Rummenigge]

cooooorrrrect. Here's the little girls: (note the beer consumption in open places ... us euros are surely doomed)

folks from Iran !

oops ! this aussie slipped in somehow...

And that would be your 'real men' ... :