The U.S. Soccer Respect Debate – USA! USA! USA! USA!

June 30, 2009

Read the debate intro and Sports Geek’s opinion.



There are a lot of soccer haters out there… apparently Sports Geek is one of them!

For the first time in history, a United States Men’s Soccer team reached the final game of a major international event. That was not by accident.

Last week, the U.S. Men’s team defeated #1 ranked Spain by a score of 2-0 in the FIFA Confederations Cup Semi-Final match. A Spanish team, by the way, which was coming off of a 2008 UEFA Euro Cup Championship, and came into the semis riding both a 35-game undefeated streak and a win streak of their past 15 international games. Once again, it was no accident that the United States won.

In no way is the U.S. Men’s team considered a top-tier program. In fact, they came into the FIFA Confederation Cup as the 14th ranked club in the world. What Loyal Homer is asking, though, is whether or not their performance at the FIFA Confederation Cup was enough to build momentum for men’s soccer. I think the very clear answer to that question is – YES!

Soccer has never been mistaken as America’s national pastime. That does not, though, mean it is destined to an eternity of obscurity. You see, American sports fans are a relatively easy-to-please group, especially when it comes to international competition. All we ask for is drama and an opportunity to tell the rest of the world that we have maybe found something else we are better than you at. You may call it arrogance, I call it national pride.

Loyal Homer noted the fact that 2.1 million viewers watched the FIFA Championship. I am happy to say that I was a part of that group, sitting on my living room floor with about 20 other people, all cheering for the Red, White, and Blue!

What the U.S. Men’s team proved by reaching the FIFA Championship was that the nation they proudly represent DOES care about them, and WAS proud of what they accomplished. Moreso, the nation whose colors they wear was eager to cheer them on to even greater heights. They proved that American sports fans only need a reason to watch.

Does that mean that the troubles of poor viewership and support for US soccer are gone? No. The U.S. team will still be considered an underdog in many of their matches, but they have proven they deserve to compete on the same field as the international best.

Consider their recent results internationally:

  • They reach the 2009 FIFA Confederation Championship by defeating #1 Spain 2-0, and playing a VERY close Final against a Brazilian team which, on paper, was far superior.
  • They are two-time defending CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions.
  • In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they defeated Japan and played the Netherlands (ranked #2 in the world) to a draw, before losing to the eventual silver medalist Nigerian team 2-1.

That’s not the resume of an overrated team.

The critics, like Sports Geek, will argue that the CONCACAF is a second-rate league, lacking of any serious competition. I wonder if Sports Geek would also argue that the Memphis Tigers college basketball team is overrated because they play out of Mid-Major Conference USA, or the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who plays out of the West-Coast Conference? Just because you play in a weak division/league does not mean you are a weak team. The CONCACAF is an international league, and the United States dominates it… that is a fact.

The nay-sayers, like Sports Geek, will argue that luck, not talent, brought the U.S. team to the FIFA Championships, and that they are overrated because of American hype. I wonder, though, if Sports Geek would argue that the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants got lucky in their game against the then undefeated New England Patriots, since they were only a wild card team, and that they, too, were overrated. Or the Orlando Magic, a lowly three-seed, who SCHOOLED the #1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 NBA Eastern Conference Finals… are they overrated, too?

The evidence shows that the United States is demonstrating a legitimate ability to successfully compete on an international stage against the best competition the world has to offer. American sports fans are responding in kind, showing that they are ready to get behind a U.S. team, and cheer them on as they try to slay the international goliaths of the game.

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Posted by Bleacher Fan

The U.S. Soccer Respect Debate – Talent Gap is Still Substantial, U.S. Soccer Overrated

June 30, 2009

Read the debate intro and Bleacher Fan’s opinion.



Okay, before folks kill our comments with hateful diatribes directed at me, allow me to preface the following piece with a simple statement: I’m a big fan of the United States Soccer team.

For me and all the Sports Geeks I represent, being a big fan means understanding the context – and realities – that are a part of U.S. Soccer.

Soccer is still a sports afterthought in the U.S. It’s a fun recreational pastime for kids (it must be, or those soccer ball car magnets wouldn’t be EVERYWHERE), and an enjoyable game to play in high school, too. Two main factors contribute to the gap in talent between the U.S. team and other international clubs.

First, soccer is played in the majority of playgrounds in virtually every other country in the world. This is no small fact. Instead of pick up games of soccer, our version of football, baseball, basketball, softball, etc. trample the grass in American parks. Soccer just doesn’t have much of a draw from fans here, despite the fact that the U.S. plays a distinctive style built on power and strength.

Second, it’s the feeder system. Because the U.S. has so many popular sports for kids to play, the talent pool gets diluted, something that doesn’t happen to the same degree in other countries. In Brazil, Italy, and Spain, for example, all of the best athletes want to be soccer players. In the U.S., the best athletes may want to play baseball, football, basketball, hockey, etc. The lack of attention soccer receives in the U.S. also contributes to a passion vacuum – something other countries have in spades.

One more point on the feeder system – the only real chance a talented, soccer-loving youth has to learn soccer and become great in the U.S. is at the collegiate level. U.S. colleges and coaches are great for teaching some technique, but the style they teach emphasizes physical strength and discipline. Brazil, for example, has a style distinct for creativity and technique. That creativity (and the aforementioned passion) is a missing piece for the U.S., as the discipline of the Europeans and the creativity of the South Americans (Brazil, Argentina) leaves the U.S. in the dust. That style difference is keeping talented up and coming U.S. players squarely on the bench at their club teams, furthering the development gap when the players return to home to don their country’s colors.

Now, the Fifa Confederations Cup final was a very nice outcome for a hard working U.S. team. But, their flaws were exposed in the tournament, too. Let’s not forget this is the same team that allowed a goal in the first 10 minutes of three of their first four matches. The U.S. is not an explosive side, so playing from behind doesn’t favor their style. Granted the U.S. suffered some injury-related setbacks, but they barely squeaked out of round play losing to Italy 3-1, and 3-0 to Brazil before soundly beating Egypt and the miracle victory against Spain.

Any modicum of success on an international stage – like, say, being the runner up in the Confederations Cup – will start a massive piling on of expectations from an undereducated U.S. soccer fan base. It isn’t realistic right now to assume that the U.S. will make the final four at the World Cup next year. But, that won’t stop the expectations train from leaving the station. And, when the U.S. plays well – but not at an elite level (yet) – any momentum the train had will be gone. It’s those massive expectations that come in the blink of an eye to perpetually leave U.S. soccer overrated.

Now, I’m not saying U.S. soccer is terrible. Far from it. They are one of the best 20 sides in the world, no doubt about it. But the gap between the elite teams and everyone else is still significant, and the US is still rightly lumped in with “everyone else” – a place they’ll remain until they can find the discipline, creativity, and passion their elite competition has.

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