<p>OK, we DO get the point … you do not do not like soccer, and clearly do not seem to understand what makes the game so attractive to millions of people. </p>
<p>However, when Moss runs by a defender who “can’t even match his speed” and catches a Brady pass, that is only due to a defensive failure. Or because it happens in our version of football, it is a great display of offensive talent? Did Nolan Ryan build his reputation on the fact that the opponents failed to connect to his pitches? Oh wait, soccer players cannot be great offensively; they only score when the opponents are pathetic! </p>
<p>Fwiw, there are plenty of goals made every week that leaves the spectator in awe and gasping for air. If you choose to only see the defensive shortcomings as the reasons for the goals, I think it is your loss. By the way, are you one of those guys who watches the swimming competitions at the Olympics hoping one might drown – a la Nascar fans?</p>
<p>Believe me, you will never convince a soccer fan that your analysis is the correct one. Again each sport does appeal to different fans. I like many sports but also find some extremely boring to watch, but I would not try to convince fans of sports “I don’t get” that their favorite sport “sucks,” especially if I do not understand the game in the first place.</p>
<p>Exactly. Again, I agree completely with Xiggi’s point. I don’t know nearly enough about soccer to make really expert comments about it, but I live with a major soccer fan, who has been eloquent in introducing it to me. </p>
<p>It’s always nice to learn appreciation of something new, even if it does not become a favorite.</p>
<p>Nowhere on here have I questioned somone else’s interest in soccer. People are free to be huge Curling fans too for all I care. Heck, I’m a track and field fan. That’s a far lonelier avocation than soccer.</p>
<p>What I dispute is the notion, repeated every four years, that pro soccer will now sweep the nation and Americans will finally see the light and become big fans. Ain’t going to happen for the reasons I’ve already listed. And those reasons are not what’s “wrong” with soccer. Soccer can be anything it wants to be, and none of it will be objectively “wrong.” It can outlaw goals completely for all I care. Those reasons are why soccer has no hope of ever joining the big three as major pro sports widely-followed in the US. It will remain at most a moderately-popular niche sport.</p>
<p>Definitely agree. I think some of those critical about the lack of spectacular offensive strikes just don’t watch much soccer. Which makes their comments pretty questionable.</p>
<p>Mexico, our soccer-fanatic neighbor joined the World Cup since 1927 but it has not been to any final game yet. And many many countries in the world have played soccer for almost a century but have not qualified for the world cup. So, 30 years for the US in the soccer game is not a long time.</p>
<p>The day Randy Moss can run past his man (let alone two men) while dribbling a ball is as far away as the day you first get a clue. </p>
<p>Futbol COULD be a far better game than what it is with some changes in the rules. I’m a futbol fan and I know other futbol fans that want changes to the game as well. This false conceit of ‘you don’t get the game yet want to criticize it’ is sophistry. People can love horse racing without having been in a horse race. I get the game. I played the game. It needs rule changes to become a great game. If you don’t like that opinion, tough.</p>
<p>I was watching ESPN. Several commentators (can’t remember who they are now) were talking about the future of the US team as far out as 2022. My son is coaching kids, 6 or 7 year olds, who will be around the age for the team in 2022. I told my son that US soccer future might be in his team :)</p>
<p>I follow soccer, tennis and football. Either myself or my family also play them. Soccer is the only one that I feel can benefit from some rule changes.</p>
<p>I think that soccer won’t be very popular in the US until the networks can figure out how to make more money from it, aka commercials.</p>
That’s what Alexi Lalas said, too (my daughter was astounded when I had her Google an image of what Lalas used to look like).</p>
<p>I do think that soccer won’t make it really big in the US unless they can figure out a way to take a lot more commercial breaks. I guess they’ll have to introduce timeouts or something.</p>
<p>My hasband is also a hockey fan. Although I am not into hockey, I watched with him sometimes at home. One time, his hockey friend can’t make it to a live game so I went with him. The players skated up and down the ice intensely then something stopped the play (I don’t know hockey rules). They stood around for a while. I asked H what is going on. He said commercial time. I LOL.</p>
<p>I am going to watching the Japan and Paraguay game tomorrow at 7am. I found the Japanese very interesting to watch. Their playing style seems quite different.</p>
<p>disagree. In football, you cannot go farther down field than where the ball is placed until it is hiked. In soccer, you can’t do it until it is “passed”… so it is actually very close to the same, just a slight variation on the timing of the call.</p>
<p>do you think that football is only exciting when someone catches the ball in the end zone?</p>
<p>do you really get excited 100 times during a basketball game? Do you get excited when your team makes a great play to go up 5-2, when you know that the teams will likely end up with 60 to 100 points (depending on college of nba)?</p>
<p>that is not how defenders play at the high levels of soccer. They join the attack all the time. There is a reason that Maicon is one of the best wing backs in the world, and it’s not for his defense.</p>