Soccer Gold Cup - USA vs Mexico

[ABQCOWBOY]

I think we should be at a point in this country where we should be seeing better results. These countries do not have better athletes then we do. We have more kids playing organized soccer in this country then in any other country in the world. It's not a matter of not enough exposure or not enough kids playing. We should be seeing better results. Soccer is never going to be more popular then Football or Basketball in this country but even if it's third, it still means that more money is being put into the sport then any other sport, outside of American Football and Basketball, in the world. We need to see better results or Soccer's popularity is going to start deteriorating IMO.

 

[DFWJC]

I think we should be at a point in this country where we should be seeing better results. These countries do not have better athletes then we do. We have more kids playing organized soccer in this country then in any other country in the world. It's not a matter of not enough exposure or not enough kids playing. We should be seeing better results. Soccer is never going to be more popular then Football or Basketball in this country but even if it's third, it still means that more money is being put into the sport then any other sport, outside of American Football and Basketball, in the world. We need to see better results or Soccer's popularity is going to start deteriorating IMO.

Soccer is still mostly a "kids" sport in the USA. A huge number of kids play the game but there are so many other games and interests here that they usually drop it after middle school.

Soccer is SO far down the list in popularity here. Depending on the list, it comes in as high as 5th or 6th and as low as about 12-13....when you are measuring public interest and TV ratings.
It's a shame, but that's how it it.

With people from south of the border continuing to pour across the border, interest here is rising though.

LOL...the problem is, the country to our south really has not had much success on the big stage either. ZERO top 4 finishes in the World Cup by Mexico...ever. wow.

 

[tomson75]

In brighter news for American soccer and it's fans.....the women's team is pretty good...and they're about to take the pitch against everyone's favorite country: North Korea

I'll be ignoring my work for an hour or two today to watch this one.

 

[tomson75]

Soccer is still mostly a "kids" sport in the USA. A huge number of kids play the game but there are so many other games and interests here that they usually drop it after middle school.

Soccer is SO far down the list in popularity here. Depending on the list, it comes in as high as 5th or 6th and as low as about 12-13....when you are measuring public interest and TV ratings.
It's a shame, but that's how it it.

With people from south of the border continuing to pour across the border, interest here is rising though.

LOL...the problem is, the country to our south really has not had much success on the big stage either. ZERO top 4 finishes in the World Cup by Mexico...ever. wow.

There is a lot of truth to this.

I started playing soccer when I was 4....taught by my father, who was a co-captain of Navy's '64 National Championship Soccer team. I played soccer, football, baseball, tennis, golf, and wrestled in high school...lettered in all of them. I held the World Cup in my hands in '94 as a part of the Ambassador program for local soccer talent in DC. I was good enough to play at some Division I schools...but opted to go a smaller school with a good DII program. I stopped playing after one year. I went on to play Rugby instead....I just lost the love for the sport, like so many other young americans. For me, it was the worsening practice of diving and flailing about....I played the way my father did...Full contact...you knock the other guy over (legally) and keep possession. I found myself being flagged constantly for some dip**** that was rolling around on the ground holding his ankle after I bumped him with my shoulder. Screw that. So, Rugby was the natural evolution.

17 years later....I have two (going on three) kids, both of which play soccer. Naturally, I want to be a part of it so I've helped with coaching. They want me to play again so I've looked into a local men's club. I played my first scrimmage in 17 years last week with a bunch of high school, ex-college, and latino guys, and let me tell you....the level of play by latinos was FAR better than the play of anyone else out there...especially me.

Why? Because they never stopped playing. They started when they were 4, didn't play anything else, and are still playing at 34.

Until that becomes true for american soccer players, we'll always be lagging IMO. There just aren't enough guys that love the sport....and as a result, we have a shallower talent pool than our population would suggest.

 

[Doomsday101]

Soccer is still mostly a "kids" sport in the USA. A huge number of kids play the game but there are so many other games and interests here that they usually drop it after middle school.

Soccer is SO far down the list in popularity here. Depending on the list, it comes in as high as 5th or 6th and as low as about 12-13....when you are measuring public interest and TV ratings.
It's a shame, but that's how it it.

With people from south of the border continuing to pour across the border, interest here is rising though.

LOL...the problem is, the country to our south really has not had much success on the big stage either. ZERO top 4 finishes in the World Cup by Mexico...ever. wow.

I would also say there are more options for kids here in the US, a kid may play soccer and find other passions in other sports that are available to them.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Soccer is still mostly a "kids" sport in the USA. A huge number of kids play the game but there are so many other games and interests here that they usually drop it after middle school.

Soccer is SO far down the list in popularity here. Depending on the list, it comes in as high as 5th or 6th and as low as about 12-13....when you are measuring public interest and TV ratings.
It's a shame, but that's how it it.

With people from south of the border continuing to pour across the border, interest here is rising though.

LOL...the problem is, the country to our south really has not had much success on the big stage either. ZERO top 4 finishes in the World Cup by Mexico...ever. wow.

I don't agree with this at all. I would say it's Basketball, Football and then Soccer in this country, right now. What sport is more popular then those three in this country? No, I don't agree.

I know several kids who have played soccer from the time they were 5 to the time they went to college. Not like 5 or 6, I mean lots of kids. I don't believe it's a weak little sister sport in this country any longer. I believe we have conditioned ourselves into believing that the U.S. is not very good at soccer because we started much later the the rest of the world or whatever the excuse. Nope. Not valid any longer IMO.

 

[ethiostar]

I think we should be at a point in this country where we should be seeing better results. These countries do not have better athletes then we do. We have more kids playing organized soccer in this country then in any other country in the world. It's not a matter of not enough exposure or not enough kids playing. We should be seeing better results. Soccer is never going to be more popular then Football or Basketball in this country but even if it's third, it still means that more money is being put into the sport then any other sport, outside of American Football and Basketball, in the world. We need to see better results or Soccer's popularity is going to start deteriorating IMO.

I believe they are getting better, perhaps not as fast as people like them to. It is also not fair to compare the US with other countries in most cases. The rest of the world (at least most of it) lives, eats and breathes soccer and has been for many decades. The pool of potential future soccer players/stars are far greater outside of the US. If soccer in the US continues to gain momentum and more kids start playing it and more importantly stick with it as they get older we will gradually see an increase in the number of quality players.

That was the main point of my post and i think what matters most in the long term.

 

[Doomsday101]

That was the main point of my post and i think what matters most in the long term.

No doubt that Soccer is bigger today in the US than 20 years ago and I expect it will continue to grow. I do think because there are so many different sports available to kids that soccer many never reach the level as we see in Europe and South America

 

[ethiostar]

No doubt that Soccer is bigger today in the US than 20 years ago and I expect it will continue to grow. I do think because there are so many different sports available to kids that soccer many never reach the level as we see in Europe and South America

I agree with that and that is the rub in a way. The lack of popularity will discourage a lot of kids from pursuing the sport. It just doesn't have the status, prestige, etc... that comes from playing the other sports in the US. Likewise, there are other sports available in most other countries as well, however, like soccer in the US they don't have the same status as soccer (in most cases), therefore they tend to be less sought after by young people.

 

[Doomsday101]

I agree with that and that is the rub in a way. The lack of popularity will discourage a lot of kids from pursuing the sport. It just doesn't have the status, prestige, etc... that comes from playing the other sports in the US. Likewise, there are other sports available in most other countries as well, however, like soccer in the US they don't have the same status as soccer (in most cases), therefore they tend to be less sought after by young people.

True, American Football may never have the same popularity in other parts of the world as it does here but then football has grown in other parts of the world from where it was 20 or 30 years ago. There is youth football in Europe and in Japan as well as pro football in different parts of Europe. Will it ever reach our level?

I have nothing against soccer, it is not my sport and do not find it overly entertaining but I would encourage any kid to follow their own passion in sports whatever that sport may be

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

That was the main point of my post and i think what matters most in the long term.

I understand the point you were making. I just don't agree with it.

 

[DFWJC]

I don't agree with this at all. I would say it's Basketball, Football and then Soccer in this country, right now. What sport is more popular then those three in this country? No, I don't agree.

I know several kids who have played soccer from the time they were 5 to the time they went to college. Not like 5 or 6, I mean lots of kids. I don't believe it's a weak little sister sport in this country any longer. I believe we have conditioned ourselves into believing that the U.S. is not very good at soccer because we started much later the the rest of the world or whatever the excuse. Nope. Not valid any longer IMO.

No it's not ABQ. Look it up.
I see our possible disconnect. You may be measuring total number of kids that play certain sports while I am measuring popularity based on both participation and fan interest. Soccer lags FAR back in fan interest.

I do think it's far more popular than it was 20 years ago. And youth leagues are HUGE in this country. But as far as fan appeal, TV, revenue, etc--what is generally considered a measurement of popularity (right or wrong)--it is way behind many "sports".
Surely NFL, College football, MLB, NBA, College basketball, Golf, NASCAR, NHL, ...maybe even MMA and others.

I'm not saying that's a good thing, I'm just going by how "popularity" is measured generally. But this is measured as spectator sports, so it is different. It just seems that if a kid is a star basketabll guard or RB, DB, or WR (or even baseball player) AND they play soccer, the kids still choose the big three.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

No it's not ABQ. Look it up.

Look what up?

 

[DFWJC]

No it's not ABQ. Look it up.
I see our possible disconnect. You may be measuring total number of kids that play certain sports while I am measuring popularity based on both participation and fan interest. Soccer lags FAR back in fan interest.

I do think it's far more popular than it was 20 years ago. And youth leagues are HUGE in this country. But as far as fan appeal, TV, revenue, etc--what is generally considered a measurement of popularity (right or wrong)--it is way behind many "sports".
Surely NFL, College football, MLB, NBA, College basketball, Golf, NASCAR, NHL, ...maybe even MMA and others.

I'm not saying that's a good thing, I'm just going by how "popularity" is measured generally. But this is measured as spectator sports, so it is different. It just seems that if a kid is a star basketabll guard or RB, DB, or WR (or even baseball player) AND they play soccer, the kids still choose the big three.

TV rating ranks:

NFL (National Football League)

NBA (National Basketball Association)

MLB (Major League Baseball)

NCAA football (college football)

NCAA basketball (college basketball)

NASCAR (stock car racing)

WWE (professional wrestling)

NHL (National Hockey League)

AFL (Arena Football League)

WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)

MLS (Major League Soccer)

IRL (Indy Racing League)

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Soccer is played by many because it is the cheapest of the sports. Compared to hockey up here, it is cheaper. In the states, it is probably cheaper than football.

It is also a sport both sexes can play.

 

[MC KAos]

TV rating ranks:

NFL (National Football League)

NBA (National Basketball Association)

MLB (Major League Baseball)

NCAA football (college football)

NCAA basketball (college basketball)

NASCAR (stock car racing)

WWE (professional wrestling)

NHL (National Hockey League)

AFL (Arena Football League)

WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association)

MLS (Major League Soccer)

IRL (Indy Racing League)

This would be like saying football is not popular in Mexico and using Mexican league ratings instead of NFL ratings. The EPL and champions league gets good ratings here despite the times it's on at. The world cup gets better ratings than everything outside of football.

 

[ethiostar]

This would be like saying football is not popular in Mexico and using Mexican league ratings instead of NFL ratings. The EPL and champions league gets good ratings here despite the times it's on at. The world cup gets better ratings than everything outside of football.

 

[Doomsday101]

This would be like saying football is not popular in Mexico and using Mexican league ratings instead of NFL ratings. The EPL and champions league gets good ratings here despite the times it's on at. The world cup gets better ratings than everything outside of football.

Not surprised that the world cup much like olympics draw very good rating. It happens every 4 years so it is a bigger deal even to those who are not big time soccer fans

However MLS have seen their ratings continue to drop even the championship


The TV ratings are in for the 2010 MLS Cup. And according to Sports Media Watch, the overnight TV rating was 0.5, the lowest overnight rating since at least the late 1990's.

The 0.5 TV rating was down 44% from last year's MLS Cup between Real Salt Lake and L.A. Galaxy. In the 2010 MLS Cup, Colorado Rapids defeated FC Dallas 2-1 in extra time in front of a not even sold-out crowd at Toronto's BMO Field. The 0.5 TV rating was down 28% from the 2008 MLS Cup between Columbus and New York.

According to Sports Media Watch, this is the fifth straight year, and the seventh time in eight years, that the MLS Cup has failed to draw at least a 1.0 overnight rating

http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/mls-cup-overnight-tv-ratings-decline-44-from-last-year/10891

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

No it's not ABQ. Look it up.
I see our possible disconnect. You may be measuring total number of kids that play certain sports while I am measuring popularity based on both participation and fan interest. Soccer lags FAR back in fan interest.

I do think it's far more popular than it was 20 years ago. And youth leagues are HUGE in this country. But as far as fan appeal, TV, revenue, etc--what is generally considered a measurement of popularity (right or wrong)--it is way behind many "sports".
Surely NFL, College football, MLB, NBA, College basketball, Golf, NASCAR, NHL, ...maybe even MMA and others.

I'm not saying that's a good thing, I'm just going by how "popularity" is measured generally. But this is measured as spectator sports, so it is different. It just seems that if a kid is a star basketabll guard or RB, DB, or WR (or even baseball player) AND they play soccer, the kids still choose the big three.

To me, fan appeal has nothing at all to do with it. My original statement was, "The U.S. has more kids playing organized soccer then any other country in the world." That's true. If we are going to say that we are not good because we don't have the same level of interest or participation, then I think something has to give here. At some point, we have to stop leaning on the whole, "We're behind the curve" crutch. We have more then enough youth participation in the sport. We have more then enough facilities and access to facilities. We have more then enough coaching available. At some point, you have to look to the coaching and the desire of the players. Brazil has won more World Cups then any other country with 5. Italy has won 4.

Neither of those countries combined have as many children playing organized soccer as we do. We have somewhere between 8 and 10 million kids playing organized soccer annually. We have access to better everything so why the lack of success? We have thrown more money at Soccer in this country (excluding professional) then all other sports over the last 20 years. Why do countries like Brazil and Mexico have better teams? Could it be because they don't teach it in an organized manner, as we do? Could it be that they learn it as a game and are allowed to simply play it, which is much more fun then practicing it?

We're doing something wrong here. It's not that we don't have enough kids or enough players. It's not that we don't have the athletes. It's not that we don't have the facilities or even the coaching. We have more of all of those things. We're doing something wrong here and the longer we sell the myth that it's because Europe has more people or better players, the longer we are going to get are butts kicked.

If this were Football or Basketball and we had thrown this many resources at the team without winning, the coach and all of it's management staff would have been shipped out on a rail. We don't accept failure in these other sports with far less resources. Why should we accept it in Soccer?

 

[Doomsday101]

To me, fan appeal has nothing at all to do with it. My original statement was, "The U.S. has more kids playing organized soccer then any other country in the world." That's true. If we are going to say that we are not good because we don't have the same level of interest or participation, then I think something has to give here. At some point, we have to stop leaning on the whole, "We're behind the curve" crutch. We have more then enough youth participation in the sport. We have more then enough facilities and access to facilities. We have more then enough coaching available. At some point, you have to look to the coaching and the desire of the players. Brazil has won more World Cups then any other country with 5. Italy has won 4.

Neither of those countries combined have as many children playing organized soccer as we do. We have somewhere between 8 and 10 million kids playing organized soccer annually. We have access to better everything so why the lack of success? We have thrown more money at Soccer in this country (excluding professional) then all other sports over the last 20 years. Why do countries like Brazil and Mexico have better teams? Could it be because they don't teach it in an organized manner, as we do? Could it be that they learn it as a game and are allowed to simply play it, which is much more fun then practicing it?

We're doing something wrong here. It's not that we don't have enough kids or enough players. It's not that we don't have the athletes. It's not that we don't have the facilities or even the coaching. We have more of all of those things. We're doing something wrong here and the longer we sell the myth that it's because Europe has more people or better players, the longer we are going to get are butts kicked.

If this were Football or Basketball and we had thrown this many resources at the team without winning, the coach and all of it's management staff would have been shipped out on a rail. We don't accept failure in these other sports with far less resources. Why should we accept it in Soccer?

could be as simple as their best athletes play soccer ours don't.