World Cup 2014

[ABQCOWBOY]

Hope Solo ‏@hopesolo 7m
BIG day!!! Let's gooooooo #USMNT!!!! #IBelieve #USA #USA #USA

Let
Let me
Let me out
Let me out of jail!
Let me out of jail!
Let me out of jail!

 

[Future]

Cool vid.

It got a lot less cool after I saw the video it ripped off...

 

[Phoenix]

Let
Let me
Let me out
Let me out of jail!
Let me out of jail!
Let me out of jail!

lolol

 

[daschoo]

Good luck tonight

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Good luck tonight

Thank you Daschoo. We will need it.

 

[burmafrd]

Many won´t like this article, but facts are facts, although we all know NFL is King, soccer is gaining on the other 3 major sports in America.

Soccer is now part of the New America

CNN) -- Well, so much for the idea that Americans don't care about soccer.
The U.S. National team made it out of the so-called "group of death" Thursday to advance to the knockout round of competition at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

Regardless of how much further the Stars and Stripes advance in the biggest sporting event on the planet, they already have revealed something that even casual observers can see.

Soccer is now woven inextricably into the fabric of American life.

Television viewership numbers continue to set new highs with each U.S. game The proverbial office water cooler has been abuzz with chatter about the U.S. team's dramatic 2-1 win over Ghana and its heartbreaking, last second 2-2 tie with Portugal. "Where are you watching the game" has become the question of the day. Thousands filled the streets for viewing parties in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Seattle and Washington -- in the middle of the workday.

Soccer used to be their game -- the Europeans, the South Americans, the Africans. Today it is our game too, bringing the nation together in a passionate embrace of its athleticism, its skill and, yes, its excitement.
Why? A changing America has become younger and more diverse, and those two demographics simply love soccer more than their parents.

Increased immigration from regions where you learn how to kick a soccer ball as soon as you learn how to walk -- Latin America, Africa, Europe -- and particularly, our growing Hispanic population, is only deepening the nation's relationship with soccer.

In the U.S., the Latino population has soared to 17%, according to the U.S. Census. And that number is only growing.
Today, soccer is the second favorite sport for those 12 to 24 years old. It's the third largest participation sport in the country. Soccer is the team sport with the highest growth rate over the past decade. That 41% of players are women only broadens its appeal.

U.S teams performing increasingly well on the international stage hasn't hurt either. The U.S. Men's National team has qualified for seven consecutive World Cups. Our Women's National team is ranked No. 1 in the world.

While interest naturally peaks among aficionados and novices alike during a mega event like the World Cup, and subsides afterward, this is not a passing fad.

Total attendance at soccer matches in the U.S. in 2013 exceeded 10 million, according to attendance figures compiled by U.S. Soccer. Our country has become the largest market in the world for international matches, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for the game in the United States.

Continue Reading...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/opinion/foster-simeon-soccer-new-america/

typical. 10 million means NOTHING in a country of 315 million. Virtually all that watch soccer- probably 80% or more- are from countries that soccer is big. Mainly South America, Mexico, etc. You notice he does not give ratings for those BIG audiences he claims. Mainly because they are a joke compared to the Big 3. NBA Championships, World Series DWARF those numbers. And guess what- they come EVERY YEAR. Not ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS.

SOccer is just like sports like Figure Skating and Gymnastics, Track and Field, etc in the Olympics. Every 4 years they make noise then they go away.

 

[WoodysGirl]

 

[joseephuss]

typical. 10 million means NOTHING in a country of 315 million. Virtually all that watch soccer- probably 80% or more- are from countries that soccer is big. Mainly South America, Mexico, etc. You notice he does not give ratings for those BIG audiences he claims. Mainly because they are a joke compared to the Big 3. NBA Championships, World Series DWARF those numbers. And guess what- they come EVERY YEAR. Not ONCE EVERY FOUR YEARS.

SOccer is just like sports like Figure Skating and Gymnastics, Track and Field, etc in the Olympics. Every 4 years they make noise then they go away.

The TV ratings have been pretty good. There were $25 million viewers for the U.S./Portugal match. The last World Series(2013) had an average viewership of 15 million. This 2014 NBA finals averaged 15.5 million viewers.

Soccer is growing in the U.S.. It is a very slow growth. It hasn't caught up with the other established American sports, but it isn't going away, either.

The NFL is on another plane. It continues to grow as well. None of the other U.S. sports can touch it. The last Superbowl had over 110 million viewers.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Yeah, I agree Josee. Soccer is here to stay in the U.S. It will taper off after the world cup but it's grass roots is just getting stronger and stronger every year. More and more kids playing soccer. Little League is dropping, youth Basketball is almost none existent, the thing that saves Basketball is that you can have pickup games anywhere and you don't really need a formal team. Youth Football is still strong but it's in danger of hurting itself by going to more and more club Leagues.

I think Soccer is here to stay. That Football may never replace our Football but it's going to create problems for the other major sports before too long IMO.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Yeah, I agree Josee. Soccer is here to stay in the U.S. It will taper off after the world cup but it's grass roots is just getting stronger and stronger every year. More and more kids playing soccer. Little League is dropping, youth Basketball is almost none existent, the thing that saves Basketball is that you can have pickup games anywhere and you don't really need a formal team. Youth Football is still strong but it's in danger of hurting itself by going to more and more club Leagues.

I think Soccer is here to stay. That Football may never replace our Football but it's going to create problems for the other major sports before too long IMO.

You also have to consider this whole concussion thing with American football. More and more parents are refusing to let their kids play tackle football because of the associated brain injuries. And as you mentioned, the other sports are becoming less popular with youth. Major League Baseball is pretty much owned by the Central and South Americans. And it's pretty much non-existent with African Americans. The NHL is all Canadians are Europeans. Not a lot of Americans play hockey outside of the far northern states. Basketball is pretty popular still but it's shifting away from a "poor kid's" game. A journalist mentioned in the most recent NBA draft that "most of these kids are already one-percenters." Meaning, most kids getting drafted are rich kids with parents who play ball. Teams are shying away from the kid from the streets with an attitude problem. I'm not saying I agree with it, but that's what a lot of teams prefer.

 

[joseephuss]

You also have to consider this whole concussion thing with American football. More and more parents are refusing to let their kids play tackle football because of the associated brain injuries. And as you mentioned, the other sports are becoming less popular with youth. Major League Baseball is pretty much owned by the Central and South Americans. And it's pretty much non-existent with African Americans. The NHL is all Canadians are Europeans. Not a lot of Americans play hockey outside of the far northern states. Basketball is pretty popular still but it's shifting away from a "poor kid's" game. A journalist mentioned in the most recent NBA draft that "most of these kids are already one-percenters." Meaning, most kids getting drafted are rich kids with parents who play ball. Teams are shying away from the kid from the streets with an attitude problem. I'm not saying I agree with it, but that's what a lot of teams prefer.

Concussions are a big issue in soccer as well. And for the women's side, ACL injuries a big and too common of an injury.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You also have to consider this whole concussion thing with American football. More and more parents are refusing to let their kids play tackle football because of the associated brain injuries. And as you mentioned, the other sports are becoming less popular with youth. Major League Baseball is pretty much owned by the Central and South Americans. And it's pretty much non-existent with African Americans. The NHL is all Canadians are Europeans. Not a lot of Americans play hockey outside of the far northern states. Basketball is pretty popular still but it's shifting away from a "poor kid's" game. A journalist mentioned in the most recent NBA draft that "most of these kids are already one-percenters." Meaning, most kids getting drafted are rich kids with parents who play ball. Teams are shying away from the kid from the streets with an attitude problem. I'm not saying I agree with it, but that's what a lot of teams prefer.

I think the physical style of play does play a role but not concussions. There are as many, if not more, concussions in soccer, at a young age, as there are in Football. The problem with concussions, in Football, come when you start getting into College and Professional IMO. HS, you get them and it's a problem but honestly, it's not a big difference in Soccer at the same age IMO.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

MY God - how could anyone think we have skill on the ball.... we are still way behind most other nations.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

Has anyone told these guys to clear the ball TO A MAN

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I think the physical style of play does play a role but not concussions. There are as many, if not more, concussions in soccer, at a young age, as there are in Football. The problem with concussions, in Football, come when you start getting into College and Professional IMO. HS, you get them and it's a problem but honestly, it's not a big difference in Soccer at the same age IMO.

I honestly don't follow soccer much so I didn't know about the concussion issues. But I do know a lot of parents who don't allow their kids to play football because of all the big publicity concussion issues. I think the publicity alone is enough to scare off a lot of parents.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

I'm not at a TV so I'm just reading the updates. How do they have 7 shots on goal but Tim Howard only has 3 saves? Did 4 shots hit the post or something? Usually, according to the site I check for stats, saves = shots on goal - goals.

 

[Ren]

Good so far

 

[daschoo]

Where the hell are you getting your right backs? Johnson has been the best at the tournament in my book and when he goes off you bring on a guy who looks at least as good so far

 

[Jammer]

They need to change the time to 90+ or go straight to extra time. It seems that's when most of the goals are scored.

 

[LatinMind]

Its infuriating how bad USA is in the midfield