Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My friend - it is like that every weekend in Europe!
Football (sock'er) is a religion, a way of life that some, although this appears to be changing, Americans don't seem to be able to understand.
If you don't like it, see if I care - I'll still be there every week doing this like last month.
Friend, I've so been told how moments like this are common across Europe. It's a life some of us can only read about and imagine.
Truth be told, life could not be more different for some of us on this side of the pond. Within my short list of friends, not a one of us can set time aside for such wholesome leisure on a regular basis. Work consumes much of daily life, leaving little time for the occasional fraternization. Our humble get-togethers are few and infrequent. C'est la vie.
All that aside, I personally look forward to watching the UEFA matches be it alone or with friends. And nothing compares to the thrill of the World Cup.
Hoping 2022's World Cup is held here in the USA [vs Qatar] as has been recently rumorred.
If soccer was going to blow up in the U.S., the perfect time for that to happen would have been after hosting the World Cup in 1994. I'm not sure much has really changed in the American sports landscape between then and now.
Are you serious? Soccer is immensely more popular in this country than it was two decades ago. People who couldn't be bothered the sport back then are now following the World Cup and talking about it at water coolers, with their friends, and on social media. While very few people in this country care about MLS, there is a good amount of interest in other professional leagues like the BPL, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. This, I expect, will only increase in the future.
I don't recall this level of interest for past World Cups. Not even for the 1994 WC which we hosted... or for the 2002 WC when we advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Mexico. Back then, thousands of people weren't gathering in public squares for group stage matches. Sports bars weren't overflowing with patrons for weekday afternoon games. Television ratings weren't even a fraction of what they are now.
Soccer is at a tipping point in this country. It is gradually losing its "niche sport" status and is moving into mainstream consciousness. Bashing it is no longer in vogue. Although there are still a few holdouts like Ann Coulter, she does not represent the majority anymore.
Last edited by Earn Your Own Keep; 06-27-2014 at 11:21 AM..
I know how you feel Chacho! It sucks not being in a soccer loving country when your Euro friends get to experience their nations take off from work and everything literally halts when their team plays.
That will come for to the US soon. Its already happening. If we hosted the cup instead if Qatar then that would cement soccer in the US. '94 couldn't do it but I think '22 could.
Are you serious? Soccer is immensely more popular in this country than it was two decades ago. People who couldn't be bothered the sport back then are now following the World Cup and talking about it at water coolers, with their friends, and on social media. While very few people in this country care about MLS, there is a good amount of interest in other professional leagues like the BPL, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. This, I expect, will only increase in the future.
I don't recall this level of interest for past World Cups. Not even for the 1994 WC which we hosted... or for the 2002 WC when we advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Mexico. Back then, thousands of people weren't gathering in public squares for group stage matches. Sports bars weren't overflowing with patrons for weekday afternoon games. Television ratings for USMNT games, Premier League games, and the UEFA Champions League weren't even a fraction of what they are now.
Soccer is at a tipping point in this country. It is gradually losing its "niche sport" status and is moving into mainstream consciousness. Bashing it is no longer in vogue. Although there are still a few holdouts like Ann Coulter, she does not represent the majority anymore.
Are you serious? Soccer is immensely more popular in this country than it was two decades ago. People who couldn't be bothered the sport back then are now following the World Cup and talking about it at water coolers, with their friends, and on social media. While very few people in this country care about MLS, there is a good amount of interest in other professional leagues like the BPL, La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. This, I expect, will only increase in the future.
I don't recall this level of interest for past World Cups. Not even for the 1994 WC which we hosted... or for the 2002 WC when we advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Mexico. Back then, thousands of people weren't gathering in public squares for group stage matches. Sports bars weren't overflowing with patrons for weekday afternoon games. Television ratings for USMNT games, Premier League games, and the UEFA Champions League weren't even a fraction of what they are now.
Soccer is at a tipping point in this country. It is gradually losing its "niche sport" status and is moving into mainstream consciousness. Bashing it is no longer in vogue. Although there are still a few holdouts like Ann Coulter, she does not represent the majority anymore.
As someone recently mention in a radio talkshow, the current and ever increasing Soccer fanbase in the US are the children of Soccer Parents from a decade ago.
I personally began taking interest in the game after watching two of my children play for 9 consecutive seasons as of the mid 90's.
BTW, this is a nice exchange of positive posts which I greatly appreciate. It's nice departure from the vitriol expressed in other threads.
I don't know if its soccer spawns. Imagine growing up in a largely baseball/football family like I did in small town Texas. Basketball was too "urban" if you could believe that! So now imagine telling your dad you're going into soccer? LOL. You might as well come out of the closet, people like him would prefer it. This was late 90s, early 2000s
I don't know if its soccer spawns. Imagine growing up in a largely baseball/football family like I did in small town Texas. Basketball was too "urban" if you could believe that! So now imagine telling your dad you're going into soccer? LOL. You might as well come out of the closet, people like him would prefer it. This was late 90s, early 2000s
Like you, many of us were not raised with soccer. My siblings and I grew up on a steady diet of baseball, more baseball, a sprinkling of basketball, and the occasional boxing match. Our father [still to this day] disparagingly and dismissively refers to soccer as "that game."
Regardless, this is the sport which affirmed the principles of being team players or team leaders as/when required into my children. This is where I witnessed my kids willingly get the wind knocked out of them while taking a shot in the gut for the team, and on, and on.
Now a days, I get to harken back and reminisce to those days with my children. Thus the reason why they and I have a deep appreciation for The Beautiful Game, the . . . Jogo Bonito.
Double wrong
In the US you call it whatever you want, especially since there's millions of people that speak Spanish.
In Mexico, people call it "futból" which pisses me off everytime they say it.... but that's how they say it.
In most of Latinamerica people call it "fútbol"
Back to the subject,
I've watched every World Cup ever since I was born (1 month after a WC)
My interest for the World Cup is declining due to age.... but I'm amazed and happy that Americans are enjoying the World Cup.
Who gives a c... what sport they are playing, enjoy it and cheer for the American team.
wow, sounds like someone has an anger issue. The game is fútbol in spanish. You can just deal with it. Either way, I like soccer/fútbol more than I like the NFL. Their games are too long, they have too many commericals and the stop the clock for everything.
I think when soccer players stop falling on the ground and being in tears Americans would jump on a little more. It's pathetic to see 5 minutes to go in a game and people laying on the ground trying to draw a card when they should get up like men and play.
I'm sorry, but there's no way around how pathetic it looks. It's really hard for Americans to go from watching something like Hockey or Football and then see these soccer players on the ground.
I like watching soccer for the World Cup, but I can't stand to watch sissies for a full year. I just like cheering on my country.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
