Posted on 07/20/2008 8:56:54 PM PDT by buccaneer81
In what?
Spanish speaking fans?
Low TV ratings?
Sheer boredom?
Oh please. I just pointed out that fan violence at sporting events is not unheard of here at all. It happens everywhere and that includes the US. However it certainly isn’t widespread to the point that it happens all the time as some people here claim.
It really is pathetic how some people get all upset and defensive whenever it is mentioned that soccer is gaining popularity in the US. If you ask me, the fact that they find it necessary to come onto a thread that is obviously about soccer for no other reason than to proclaim how stupid soccer is says more about their state of mind than anything else.
I hear you. I must admit over the past year or so, I’ve gotten really into soccer, especially the EPL and the Champions League and Euro 2008. Especially when the games are in High-Def, it really does make a difference.
There is an investment a fan here in the US has to make to learn about all of the teams and the players. But it’s a heck of a soap opera, especially in the off-season when you wonder who is going to transfer where. I’ve totally gotten caught up in it.
The MLS still has a ways to go. I envision the day when the MLS can incorporate into UEFA, so that MLS teams could compete in the Champions League. I think that really is the only way the MLS will take hold with the non-Hispanic crowd here in the US, and allow the MLS to compete with the other big world leagues for top-notch talent, other than people past their prime, like Beckham. Also for the US players, they are much better off playing in Europe than here to develop their talent, and make the US National team better. The MLS is banking too much on Hispanics with the “Super Liga”. But for the big money, they need to look to Europe.
The Heysel Stadium disaster occurred due to football hooliganism in which a retaining wall of the Heysel Stadium in Brussels collapsed on May 29, 1985 before a football match between Liverpool F.C. from England and Juventus F.C. from Italy. 39 people were killed, mostly Italian Juventus fans.
18 stabbed at Colombian soccer riot March 10, 2008 More than 80 injured. Video of the riot available. No word yet on whether or not the ghost of Andres Escobar was involved. Escobar was the player who was assassinated after accidentally scoring an own-goal in the 1994 World Cup.
1964:Lima, Peru: riot and panic following unpopular ruling by referee in Peru vs. Argentina soccer game. It is worst soccer disaster on record. Over 300 dead.
Ellis Park, South Africa 2001 The Premier Soccer League last night came under attack after 43 people were reported dead at the overcrowded Ellis Park Stadium after watching a game between soccer arch-rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.
1989: BRITAIN is still the sick man of Europe in soccer violence, for which it has, as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says, ''the worst record in the developed world.'' It set another one last weekend when 95 people, most of them youths from Liverpool, died pushing and squeezing their way into a soccer stadium in the northern city of Sheffield.
I could go on, but it's not worth the bandwidth.
Why would MLS play UFEA in league matches? UFEA is another continent.
MLS is now playing Super Liga matches, and plays Premier and Budesliga teams all the time in friendly matches.
Fact is, soccer is doing well in the USA, its growing, and the MLS keeps getting better.
Reading the immature reactions here is baffling. Just ignorant.
What’d they hit each other with - hand bags and parasols?
I take it you've never actually been to a soccer game in the US? The crowd isn't much different from the crowd at any other sporting event. It runs the gamut from working-class people, to suits in the good seats.
When I move to DC, friends got me into DC United. I've been going to games on and off over the last 5 years. I grew up watching and playing hockey, so soccer was really easy to pick up. It's got the same fast, fluid drynamics that you don't really get in Football or Baseball.
Not sure why so many Americans feel the need to insult soccer. I'm not into basketball or football, but I don't begrudge fans of those sports their interests. People who think soccer is a wimpy sport haven't ever really watched it.
Now if we can only get our own stadium in DC.
MLS has a salary cap chief
If MLS is sustained, it will be b/c of the large hispanic and latino population. Chivas, LA, Dallas, and Houston have a large hispanic fan-base.
Premier League and even the Bundesliga are exciting to watch. MLS reminds me of high school or college matches.
Perhaps if you had read my post you would see that I was referring to soccer leagues in other countries as compared to the professional sports leagues we have in the US.
Different region, no chance. UEFA is specifically for the European region (as defined by FIFA). However, there is launching, this year, a new CONCACAF Champions League (replacing the former CONCACAF Champions cup single-elimination tournament) that will use the same basic format as the UEFA Champions League.
(For those not in the know, CONCACAF is the region for North America and the Caribbean -- the dominant clubs in the competition will likely come from the MLS and the Mexican league.)
MLS automatically qualifies two teams to the final 16: for this year, those teams are Houston (MLS Cup Champions) and DC (President's Shield winners [regular season title]). Two other MLS clubs (New England and Chivas USA) can qualify for the final 16 in the preliminary round.
Sorry about that - I misread your post. And yes, one of the problems with MLS is the money factor. I heard Ronaldinho was offered millions by the Galaxy. Although he turned it down, I wondered how they planned to work the salary cap issue.
I am not too familiar with how the salary cap in MLS works, but it is my limited understanding that each team is allowed to have one player whose salary doesn’t apply to the cap. Like I said, I’m not completely sure about this.
With MLS, this is a case where having a salary cap right now is the best thing since it is a relatively very young league that is just now trying to compete for the best talent with other, much more established and richer leagues. If I remember correctly one of the reasons why the NASL folded was because there were only a couple of teams that could afford to pay the leagues top stars while the others went nearly bankrupt trying to keep up.
Here’s my point, who can name the top Mexican clubs? Yet, most any casual soccer fan will know about Arsenal, Manchester United or Real Madrid, etc.
Who can name the top MLS clubs? ;)
It's a long way to go before MLS gains the level of play necessary to be talked about in direct comparison to the perennial European favorites.
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