The people who like footbol will continue to watch even if their team is eliminated from the WC. I for one don't care that some people got shaken off the bandwagon.
Prop, if you watched Germany the last WC you will get an indication. The Germans were known for being less than creative in their attacks and some compared them to robots. Very methodical and defensive minded. Set pieces were lethal as they were precise and regimented. This is not a bad thing and they did well. While some of this is legend and fan talk, a lot of it was true. Jurgen shook things up and made the guys earn their spots and nobody was supposedly safe. The fans and media got on him for living in the U.S. and going back to coach but keeping his family residence here. I think it was L.A. But take a look at the movement and aggression of that German team. Miroslav Khlose, Ballack, all of them. They were fun to watch and got a decent result. Klinsmann is a fan of the U.S., friends with some or most of our players and has said in the past he wants to help develop soccer from the youth programs and up here in the States. I remember an interview of his and he said as much. I got goose bumps at this guys passion for our state of being. I think he will bring some German work ethic on the field be it practice or game. I think he won't play favorites (not that Bradley does) and make everybody earn their keep to a level not seen. I think the team will be more aggressive on offense yet still be stout in defending. Our set pieces will improve dramatically and we will make use of the size of Gooch for sure. It may all be fantasy and supposition but this is what I would expect from him. It would at least be new blood from another part of the world. That sits well with me. Again, I could be way off but that's my two pesos.
For the soccer fans out there you'll always like soccer. And I don't have anything against soccer. But if you want to look at whether soccer will be a 1st tier popular sport here in the US, it just won't happen. Our best young athletes will always ultimately choose to play football, baseball, basketball, and in the northern states hockey, heck even maybe golf and tennis before considering a professional career in soccer. Heck, figure skating and the Tour De France get much more annual television exposure here in the US than soccer does. When the US women won their World Cup in 1999, that was also suppose to boost soccer to the forefront here in the US. Soccer is a cross training youth sport in the US.
The suggestion to pick US players and follow them is a good idea for choosing a Euro team. As a kid I grew up on a British military base (my dad was a US officer who was liason to Britsh army) and I became a Tottenham fan. Then when my favorite player Kasey Keller went there it just further sealed my loyalty to White Hart Lane.
Interesting words from Klinsmann just now about the state of soccer in the US. He says US is the only country in the world where it's not the sport of choice for the inner city and poor areas. Once we draw the interest of the poor, then we can compete for championships. He says basketball in the US is the complete opposite of soccer basically.
Klinsmann had another great soapbox speech this morning after the match. I'm hoping his passion about the state of the game here would lead to him accepting the job if offered a second time. The advice about picking a team is spot-on, also. When I was a kid I used to inhale the sports results/transactions page and always noticed Ajax and Bayern's name, though that was the only soccer info my hometown paper printed. My first trip to Munich seven years ago sealed the deal for me (shame about the Dutch league's decline). I then started following Liverpool a few years ago after first following Gerrard. I also follow SC Freiburg due to loving the city and the Portuguese due to having an awesome country to visit.
this is something that Klinsmann, the US Soccer Federation and MLS have been addressing. Now to get things done about it.
I would venture a guess and maybe wild assertion but I think more kids play soccer in Austin than Football. In fact, I would venture more people in general play soccer than football. How many adult rec leagues are there for football? For adults?
I am wondering what can be done to stop the errant "uncool" status it gets all of a sudden. There are many more opportunities globally to make money in soccer than any other sport. If and once this fact is digested by people hopefully things change.
Is the cup over already? Really? I could have sworn Germany and Argentina won today and there are more games this week......
I watch it mainly in the World Cup, I admit. I wouldn't say "never" about anything, though. Soccer is more and more popular in the U.S. But when there is a LeBron James in some U.S. high school that turns pro in soccer, then you can say it is equal or superior to other sports in the U.S. I don't see that happening anytime soon. Good point about asking the channel in a sports bar to be changed to soccer in the fall-in Texas? Teeth, hair, and eyeballs would be all over the place. It just wasn't part of our sporting culture growing up. Now, it is popular with so many kids playing. They will watch it more as time goes on, I would think.
