[Peter ODonnell]

I think all of these comments about soccer being a girlie-man sport would end if the commenters were somehow induced to play one game, both the fitness level required and the level of rough body contact would quickly change your minds. That is not to say however that a certain amount of over-dramatized rolling around (it seems to increase as one gets closer to the Mediterranean for some unknown reason) gives the sport a bad name. But that is similar to the long-standing bad name of “Latin soccer” or Latin football in places like the UK. Things were like that half a century back and probably even longer, and it will only disappear with stronger sanctions (the refs can already dismiss players who over-embellish). Nothing funnier than to see a guy go down, look around and hop up quickly when there’s no call and a new chance to score, but such a person should be automatically on the way to the dressing room.

Funny tweet making the rounds: The England soccer team visited an orphanage in Brazil. “It is so sad to see the forlorn look on their little faces,” said Jose, 6.

Good luck later today, USA. Vee haff vays of letting you stay.

[driftless2]

I don't think soccer is a girlie sport. I think it's a sport that played at elite levels involves a lot of excellent athletes and demands high levels of skill, athleticism, and stamina. I joke about the floppers but obviously at times the players get legitimately hurt. And I don't knock it because it's not an indigenous American sport. I love to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs. And I agree with many foreigners that American sports can be very tedious.

My beef, like most soccer knockers, is that it is simply too low scoring. Not enough shots on goal. But that's the way billions of soccer fans like it, and nothing I say will change that fact. Nevertheless, I doubt many American anti-soccer people care much about that aspect.

[Tallguy]

“I think all of these comments about soccer being a girlie-man sport would end if the commenters were somehow induced to play one game, both the fitness level required and the level of rough body contact would quickly change your minds.”

Soccer is a little bit like ice hockey in that regard. Fun game to play, tedious to watch (on TV). I do like going to live Hockey games and have enjoyed going to Scholastic Soccer Games. Most of the action, however, is bitching about the refs and their enforcement of arcane rules (why did he blow the last play ‘dead’ for a free kick and then let this play go? Oh? The player had “the advantage”? What’s that & how did the Ref make that judgment in less than the blink of an eye from his angle?)

Us older Americans are demanding “instant replay” be grafted into the fabric of all of our games. If we do that with our brand of soccer then it won’t be the same game that they play everywhere else.