USA Men’s Soccer Gain Momentum
Every few years an event occurs which causes an increase in football chatter in the United States.
And every few years those invested in the American “soccer” community wonder if this event will be the catalyst which will finally push the sport to the forefront of the country’s attention.
In 1993, the MLS was formed, giving the US it’s own “soccer” league. In 1994, the US hosted the World Cup and coverage of the matches was extensive. In 2002, the men reached the World Cup Quarter-finals only to be knocked out in a 0-1 loss to Germany. The women’s team won the 1999 world cup in a dramatic round of penalties against China resulting in Brandi Chastain’s epic shirtless celebration. And in 2007, David Beckham arrived on American soil, causing a media circus. And for a few months following each feat, America caught soccer fever, leaving many people to believe that “soccer had finally arrived.”
And now the US Men have progressed beyond Italy and Egypt to reach the semi final of the FIFA Confederations Cup in which they defeated Spain in a 2-0 stunning upset this afternoon and again, people are starting to take notice.
My opinion is this: American interest in football will continue to climb, but only at a slow, steady pace.
1. Individual players are getting better.
The pool of raw talent in America has always been vast but experience was lacking. However, more players are opting to sign for clubs outside the US. Currently, only 5 American players are employed by clubs in the MLS while all others have gone to play in leagues recognized as being of a higher grade. Clint Dempsey is playing for Fulham, Tim Howard for Everton, Jonathan Spector for West Ham, Jozy Altidore for Villarreal, Brad Guzan for Aston Villa, and so on.
2. The Melting Pot concept.
Communities of people who have emigrated from countries where football is religion have continued to grow in population and these people are bringing their culture and their love of the beautiful game with them.
3. Access.
Until 1997, when Fox Sports World launched, Americans had very little access to actually watching matches, especially foreign league matches. Now with Fox Soccer Channel, Gol TV, ESPN 360, and satellite channels from all over the world widely available, spectatorship is fairly convenient. Just this week ESPN announced its purchase of English Premiership matches previously aired by Setanta, possibly furthering access for American viewers.
4. America has some good looking lads.
Sex sells. And although David Beckham has undoubtedly displayed footballing ability throughout the course of his career, he would never have reached his current level of popularity without his attractiveness. Asking two 13 year old girls who Franck Ribery is would most certainly yield a response of confusion; but I’m fairly positive they would be able to pick Golden Balls out of a lineup. And so it certainly doesn’t hurt to tie the faces of Benny Feilhaber, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector, Heath Pearce, Charlie Davies, or Jay DeMerit to the greater sum of the US National team. In essence, the USA is pretty stacked in the sex appeal department.
5. They come up big. And everybody loves the Underdog.
A 2-0 win over Spain is incredible. Only the truly faithful thought this lot would be able to pull anything off against the likes of Xabi Alonso, Fabregas, Xavi, Torres, Villa, Pique, Puyol, Ramos, Casillas…..Spain is a World Class side and defending European Cup champions. When the rest of the world is expecting a thrashing and the US pulls a shocking upset, they generate a lot of excitement world wide.
6. Time allows for tradition.
As pockets of Americans really have cultivated the beginnings of football related traditions domestically, these customs will continue to develop over time and football culture in the US will flourish.
Will football ever be a main-stream sport in the US? I think not for at least the next 30 years. But perhaps there will be that one event which will actually be that catalyst, that one incredible occurrence which catapults “soccer” to the foreground of American sports. Perhaps US men will go far in the World Cup in 2010. The Confederations Cup is considered a “warm up” to the tournament and the boys have made it all the way to the final.
They will play the winner of tomorrow’s semifinal between South Africa and Brazil for the Confederation Cup Championship on Sunday, June 28th at 2:25 PM Eastern Time.
