Posted on 06/11/2006 7:33:41 PM PDT by Atlantic Bridge
Long unknown at home and ridiculed abroad, the United States isn't being written off in the soccer world anymore. But the Americans will need to pull together as team to get past their tough World Cup group.
A motorcade of police cars with flashing blue lights and a massive, unmarked FIFA bus has announced the arrival and often rapid departure of the US soccer team in Hamburg over the past week. But when the American players are on their own, it's a different story.
On Friday, star midfielder DaMarcus Beasley sat, blissfully anonymous, at a sidewalk café outside the Americans' well-guarded hotel in downtown Hamburg. A group night out by some of the team early in the week warranted only brief mention in the local paper.
The contrast is typical of the US soccer story. Individually, the players are unknowns, their limited impact on the top European leagues ensuring them the sort of privacy their opponents in their World Cup group matches can only dream of. But as a team, the US is slowly making the rest of the world sit up and take notice.
Their impressive showing at the last tournament in 2002, which began with a 3-2 win over Portugal and only ended with a defeat against Germany in the quarter-finals, raised eyebrows abroad. At home, it added to the profile of a sport that has struggled mightily for attention in a crowded field of spectator sports.
"We've gained some fans that didn't have anything to do with soccer and that's, obviously the hardest person to get," said Eddie Pope, one of the team's central defenders and a veteran of two World Cup campaigns. "I think before we weren't getting those guys at all."
(Excerpt) Read more at service.spiegel.de ...
(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")
Well I grew up playing and watching most sports you refer to ...except soccer. My first experience was watching it played by ethnic teams in my hometown...I wasn't bored because several of my boyfriends played at one time or another.
The game itself---ho-hum.
Nothing gets me more pumped than UNC in the finals in Basketball though or Duke vs UNC
They have experience in European leagues. Some of our best talents play abroad so they should be comfortable in Germany. We can do worse in our first game tomorrow than Trinidad and Tobago. A tie would be an accomplishment. A victory would be stunning.
Some members of the US team play in Europe, but those that do are usually second-string. Tim Howard is a bench-warmer after a few fairly poor perfomances a Man Utd. Donovan was a failure at Leverkusen. I think the star of the team is definately Beasley, since he's had Champions League experience with PSV. McBride's at Fullham, but then I could walk into Fullham's starting XI LOL.
Like I said, they may indeed surprise, though I personally hope not since as I said I'm an Azzurri supporter. I would love to somehow see you guys go up against Iran though :)
The rest of the world should be thankful for that. Otherwise, the US team would dominate men's soccer just as much as we dominate women's soccer. The US simply has too much money and too many people not to dominate soccer if any significant amount of attention was placed on it. I think that is going to change within the next 10-20 years.
It would be better to split with Italy and the Czech Republic, than tie both, there are more points for winning one game than getting two ties. US needs to go for broke in those games.
Agreed, we got a tough group. We feel somewhat aggrieved that Mexico (who we beat for the CONCACAF Cup) got a seeding ahead of us and seems to have gotten a quite easy group by comparison.
I don't think they will embarass themselves, they are a good team and therefore I don't think it will set back US soccer at all if we don't make it out of the Group.
I am hoping the Ghanaians run the Italians ragged and we get lucky against the Czechs.
Oops forgot about Reyna being at City - I didn't know he was still on your team! He must be 36 by now!
Indeed.
For those of you who aren't patriotic and who hate the United States, try dailykos.com
If they have success I do not see any reason why they should not become popular. The American lack of interest in soccer is in close relation to the permanent failure of its teams. If this depression could be overcomed this wonderful sport will conquer the hearts of the American sportsmen.
BTW - it is the same thing with baseball on our side of the Atlantic. This is something most Germans smile about since they think it is girlish, unsportive and American BS. A sport for elderly men with beerbellies. A dumb prejudice of (in this case European) dumbheads.
We all should be more open since then we will have more fun. :-)
Same thing in '94 with Brazil lost 0-1, but in the 2nd round.
Don't be foolish. But the fact remains that the FIFA rankings are a joke. You guys did quite well in 2002, all things considered. But you also lost to Iran in 98. Don't forget that.
What does Canada have to do with it? I mentioned several times on this thread that I'm an Italy supporter, since I am in fact Italian.
Too bad, football/soccer is a zillion times more physically demanding and visually appealing than never-ending basketball. (Flame suit at hand).
I would think though, that the farther you lot progress the better it would be for the sport's exposure, no? If you go out in the group stages, the WC would become a footnote on the news (if it isn't already in some markets).
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