Posted on 06/24/2009 1:04:50 PM PDT by max americana
The IMPOSSIBLE is happening.
SPAIN..the leading # 1 team in the world, 35 game winning streak, they have shut out opponents in the series...and the soccer world already conceded that SPAIN is SUPPOSED TO WIN..YET HERRE THEY ARE SHOCKING THE FN SOCCER WORLD.
Kiss my ass you America hating soccer fans...
We’re # 14? We should be top 10 even if we lose in the finals. You just dont beat the #1 team and not move up at least 5 notches.
> Don’t worry the refs will fix this.<
I thought they were. There were so many hard fouls by the Spaniards that should’ve resulted in yellow cards but they let it go.
Tim Howard even had his own 60 minute segment when he was at Old Tratford. Brad Guzan won the game for us vs Egypt but Howard wasn;t Howard on the 1st 2 games.
Why do you have to denigrate one sport, especially the most popular one in the world, to boost another? I like both.
Honestly, in America, not the second tier, but third tier athletes play soccer as opposed to football, basketball and baseball. So, that’s why we lag the world in soccer as a rule.
The number of professional players in basketball, football, and baseball are few in number compared to the 306 million people in our population. And they require different skills and physiques to compete. Foreign players have made major inroads in the NBA and MLB.
MLB 2008: The percentage of major league baseball players born outside the 50 states dropped slightly this year. Of the 855 players on rosters at the start of the season, 239 were born outside the 50 states, the commissioner's office said Tuesday. The percentage dropped to 28.0 from 29.0 last year, when it was just off the record of 29.2 set in 2005.
NBA: Four of the 14 members of the championship Lakers were foreign born,
Given the huge numbers of Americans, even our third tier athletes should be able to compete. And unlike football and basketball, you can have a normal body-type and compete. Maradonna was only 5'4" and Pele 5'8". Italy, the current world champion, has a population of 58 million--one-fifth the size of ours.
Right now, one in 8 Americans are foreign born. By 2050, one in five will be foreign born. I see soccer becoming more popular and the US more competitive in the world in the sport.
I think Tim needed some time to adjust from playing with Everton, they lost the FA Cup Final, then he had the WC qualifying matches on top of that as well, so he probably just needed some time off, but he came up big today.
Nice talking points on soccer.
But no ceegar. First, my brother played soccer, so I respect the ability it takes to play it.
But, without doubt, it is a second tier sport in America...not by numbers...but by quality of athlete.
That is a reality. The best athletes in America play football, basketball, and baseball. As a rule, soccer gets the kids who aren’t physical or determined enough to play football and practice to hit a small baseball coming in at a high rate of speed.
Hahahahaha. You soccer fans and your inferiority complex. Always lecturing and scolding.
Always with the 'if you don't like soccer you're a troglodite, neanderthal, non-urbane hillbilly' BS.
Dude, like 3/4ths of the world's population are illiterate slack-jaws just waiting for death. That's not much of a recommendation.
Soccer?
Oh, you mean when grown men wearing silk shorts run and prance around kicking a round ball?
No thank you.
I’m not into that sort of thing.
With every crossing of the Rio Grande soccer gets a bit more popular.
Just wait for the Obamnesty :-P
Pity most of the will be supporting Mexico, not Team USA.
Oh, btw...I do watch WC a little and find it interesting in the final rounds.
I almost became a big fan a few WCs ago when I rooted for the US team and Team Germany. I enjoyed the efficiency and directness and tough defensive play of the Germans.
But then the analysts told me that my new fond of sport was “the beautiful game” and the Brazillians and Kenyans played it properly and the dullard Germans were just to boring and rough to be enjoyed.
That was pretty much it for me as I found the Brazillians to be ball hogs and dallying around with little production toward the goal.
Anyway I root for Team USA and Germany if they make it deep.
For what it’s worth I agree with you.
Even around the world soccer has changed. It’s more and more neccesary to be a top athlete as well. I very much doubt that even Maradona would cut it in todays game.
Look at that American stopper today. He was a monster athlete compared to most, and surely it made an impact. A striker like Torres (by many regarded as the best in the world) just bounced off him.
When you get those sort of athletes combined with technical skill. You have an unplayable athlete as we say. We can see glimpses of that in Didier Drogba on his day.
Though, soccer, in many positions really require the mental aspect as well, so the get the complete package is a bit hard. I guess you can compare the center midfield positions a bit with the quarterback in football. Director of operations :-)
Cheers.
Ironically, I think intelligence is probably quite a bit more important in soccer than in football (unless you are the coach).
Though I love both (and ice hockey).
I don’t see why I should have to choose as a sports fan.
The more the merrier :-)
Who says you do? I'm just having some fun with the soccer fans 'cuz they always get defensive and try to elevate their interest to some higher plane.
Just some harmless joshing...
I guess it’s different being a European.
I KNOW soccer is the greatest game, and Liverpool the greatest club :-P
And, so it goes. :-)
Have a good night.
Screw Liverpool, Everton all the way! ;)
Chelsea supporters can be quite rough on anyone wearing Arsenal colors, but I'd agree, it's nothing compared to Scotland.
What’s funny is that the worst violence associated with Rangers-Celtic usually occurs in Northern Ireland, even though they are Scottish teams.
I am sort of excited. Booked my first football trip to England just the other day. Liverpool Chelsea in the premier league next season.
Should be great. Hopefully we’re still in the title race then. Last home game of the season.
BTW: I hate to see the new emnity between the two liverpool clubs.
Scousers should stick together (and hate the mancunians and the southerners :-P)
It depends on what quality you are referring to as well as what sports compete against another in terms of the season. When I went to school, baseball competed against track and field for the best athletes. We didn'tg have a soccer team, but that was in the late 50's and early 60s. Today, there are boys and girls soccer teams. That was in upstate NY.
Here in the DC metro area, soccer is a big time high school sport for both boys and girls. I certainly wouldn't call the athletes second tier. The reality is that there are far more kids playing high school soccer today than ever before. And the US performance on the world stage has been improving as a result. Our women have been among or at the top of the heap for almost two decades. The men are getting there with many American players playing in Europe, including in the UK Premier league.
In 1989, the U.S. Men's National Team hadn't played in a World Cup in 40 years and the U.S. Women's program was just four years old. U.S. Soccer was playing games in small stadiums that were rarely filled to capacity. There were few games being televised (and none without commercials during play). There were no soccer-specific stadiums, and there were no high-level professional outdoor leagues of which to speak.
Since that time, things have evolved significantly. The U.S. MNT has qualified for their fifth consecutive World Cup, and advanced to the quarterfinals at the 2002 event. U.S. Soccer is a world leader in women’s soccer at every level, and the team has won two Women's World Cups, along with two Olympic Gold Medals. The United States has also hosted three World Cups with the support of its members and strong organizational abilities.
That is a reality. The best athletes in America play football, basketball, and baseball. As a rule, soccer gets the kids who aren’t physical or determined enough to play football and practice to hit a small baseball coming in at a high rate of speed.
I think you are living in the past. I played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. In football, I just wasn't big enough to be competitive, which is why I quit JV football after playing freshman football. There are plenty of good, first tier athletes playing high school soccer. And frankly, there are plenty of second and third tier athletes playing football and basketball.
Opinions are like a**holes, evryone has one. I could care less whether you like soccer or not. I get true enjoyment out of watching the Super Bowl and the World Cup.
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