Why America Sucks in Soccer: In Photographs (European, English, team)
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It's just not a cultural thing in the US. It's only a small minority of places where you see groups of kids just kicking a ball around in the street. You really don't even see that very much in New York, which you think would be a soccer haven with the country's most diverse population.
In England, you see kids leaving their house with a soccer ball and kicking it down the street to join a local pick up game around the corner. I can't say that I've ever seen that. I've seen grown men playing (usually immigrants or older guys), sure, but never a group of 11-year old boys kicking a ball around and talking trash. Soccer in the USA is still largely a suburban sport and viewed as somewhat elitist (but admittedly less so now because of greater exposure and immigration).
the usa is isolated from europe which is the centre of world football , i realise south america produce great players but they all play in europe , bar the world cup , americans will never see the top stars playing in their own country , watching it on tv is a problem due to time difference
I agree with that big time. Plus Americans play baseball, basketball, hockey and American football and then football. The league needs to adapt to the way its done in most countries in Europe I think.
the usa is isolated from europe which is the centre of world football , i realise south america produce great players but they all play in europe , bar the world cup , americans will never see the top stars playing in their own country , watching it on tv is a problem due to time difference
But the top players from the USA are not that good. This is not to say that guys such as Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan aren't good players or haven't made contributions on the international stage. It's just that we're a country of over 300 million and yet we have never produced a real, international star.
Because the most of you play baseball, basketball, hockey and American football.
That's true, but it's not like you're limited to just one sport. I played basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, boxed, and ran track. As I got older, and then learned I was better at some sports than others (basketball and track), I began to focus on those sports exclusively. However, I still had a solid foundation in baseball and boxing (and still follow those sports) because the culture for those sports is strong in my hometown. With soccer, it just wasn't the same.
I learned to play basketball in the streets. Same with baseball. Boxing is something that comes as natural to Philadelphians as walking. I don't remember too many summers where my friends and I would kick a soccer ball around in the street. I pretty much learned to play the game in a very organized, structured environment. That's very limiting to a player's development, I think.
When I look at my cousins in England and the Caribbean, soccer is as second nature to them as basketball is to me. Having grown up playing against older, tougher neighborhood kids, and having grown up in a culture where interest in the game is intense, they approach the game with a certain degree of superiority when facing Americans. I suppose it would be like me playing in a basketball league in Tokyo.
That's true, but it's not like you're limited to just one sport.
Thats not true though. Its all about dedication. Look at footballers. Look at Messi. Messi played football everyday when he was younger and he still does. The same with Ronaldo, Zidane, Pele and all the other greats. I played football everyday when I was younger. You have to have a love for the game and an interest and a commitment to it.
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Originally Posted by BajanYankee
I don't remember too many summers where my friends and I would kick a soccer ball around in the street. I pretty much learned to play the game in a very organized, structured environment. That's very limiting to a player's development, I think.
Thats my point. Its not the first sport on the a kids mind in the US is it. Here is an example. I grew up dreaming of being like Pele, Maradona, Dalglish and the likes of Ronaldo and Pele. Kids in America grow up dreaming of being like Micheal Jordan and Babe Ruth. Thats the difference the interest in the sport.
Thats not true though. Its all about dedication. Look at footballers. Look at Messi. Messi played football everyday when he was younger and he still does. The same with Ronaldo, Zidane, Pele and all the other greats. I played football everyday when I was younger. You have to have a love for the game and an interest and a commitment to it.
But my point was that playing basketball or football does not preclude you from playing other sports. Randy Moss, for example, was an All-American in baseball, football and track. Guys like Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, Roy Jones, Jr., Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzales, Charlie Ward, and Allen Iverson all excelled at multiple sports. So I don't see why the presence of other sports would detract from the quality of soccer in the U.S. when most of our best athletes grew up playing several sports.
Besides, there's no reason why you can't play several sports in one day. During summers in elementary and junior high, we'd play basketball in the morning, eat lunch, and then move on to baseball. If we had enough neighborhood kids, we would then play football. It's not like we focused on just one sport. We played whatever struck our fancy on any given day.
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Originally Posted by JD47john
Thats my point. Its not the first sport on the a kids mind in the US is it. Here is an example. I grew up dreaming of being like Pele, Maradona, Dalglish and the likes of Ronaldo and Pele. Kids in America grow up dreaming of being like Micheal Jordan and Babe Ruth. Thats the difference the interest in the sport.
Besides, there's no reason why you can't play several sports in one day. During summers in elementary and junior high, we'd play basketball in the morning, eat lunch, and then move on to baseball. If we had enough neighborhood kids, we would then play football. It's not like we focused on just one sport. We played whatever struck our fancy on any given day.
Thats fine but my mane point is that football(soccer) is probally about 4th or 5th on your list of most common sports. So therefore most kids are going to play the sports their friends are playing and the ones that are on TV all the time.
Actually, FIFA ranks US 28th in the world....I wouldn't say that makes US Soccer that bad after all, don't you think?
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Their position in the world rankings says otherwise.
Football is growing in the US, I think in years to come they will be a very good iternational side.
I,ve seen some ****e threads in my time but this one takes the absolute biscuit. The moron that started it needs his fingers removed and i would strongly advise against reproducing
Yeah, you're just gonna have to excuse my "Americanism" () but in the words of Ricky Bobby, "If you're not first, you're LAST!"
.... but in all seriousness, I know soccer is growing here and has been for a while, but this isn't Europe or Africa or Asia or South America where our sports scene is somewhat 'limited'. It's just not as big here and may never be.... and the Americans who truly embrace the sport the same way others around the world do understand that and wouldn't have it any other way. Just a different culture here and I just see and have seen more kids playing football, basketball, and even hockey (and I'm in TEXAS) than playing soccer.
I'm not disrespecting the sport in any way, just realize that there's a reason why threads like this are started.
I'm not disrespecting the sport in any way, just realize that there's a reason why threads like this are started.
Missed the World Cup in '02, eh? The match against Italy in Italy earlier this year too it would seem.
I could post pics of little kids playing every sport. They all look funny. Ever see mites skate during intermissions at NHL games?
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) but in the words of Ricky Bobby, "If you're not first, you're LAST!"