[Travesty]

(06-23-2014 07:33 PM)teh_skeeze Wrote:  

Another thing that I just thought about. The game will grow exponentially in the next 20 years simply on the cost of going to a game. Last season, I got 2 tickets for an MLS playoff game (Red Bulls) for $70. I'd pay that for one seat to go to another sport. If a kid already plays soccer, it would be much cheaper to get the family out to see an MLS game than of the other sports. I can't speak for other MLS venues, but Red Bull Arena doesn't have a bad seat in the house. You can't say the same about Citi Field.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the Red Bulls have more fannies in the seats than the Mets do right now.

Not in America.

The cool factor of soccer is still so far below the other sports it's not possible not even to mention X sports like skating, snowboarding, BMX etc..

No way MLS becomes bigger than the NBA in the next 20 years or NHL for that matter.

Even the Mexicans that immigrate here who would be the biggest push in this direction convert to NBA fans.

Ever seen how many Mexicans are Lakers fans?

Everyone in this thread the points out why Americans can't follow soccer are right. Not enough contact. No hands. Ties. Not enough scoring.

Americans like winners and losers, heroes and violence.

[scotian]

(06-23-2014 08:20 PM)Pepini Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 02:36 PM)scotian Wrote:  

In Canada the only boys who play soccer are the ones whose moms won't let them play hockey, pussies.

[img][/img]

You know what a football player brings to a game for protection? a pair of balls.
Hockey players? Helmets, neck guard, shoulder pads, etc, etc.

Van Basten was a great player who stopped playing because of a wrong tackle from behind (1:50) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8J4V5DHwL4

A tackle destroyed his career and since then I believe any tackle from behind is a direct red card. So you don´t want them to dive every time their being tackled??? Sure they could start using protections. But then it would not be a man game.

I couldn´t walk for 6 months because of a football injury. It was the worst time of my life.

You wanna see guts. Stand in front of a 500kg bull and dominate it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8_iDGChs8U

Hockey players wear protection because they skate on ice (hard surface) at speeds of about 50 kms/hour, they're also surrounded by hard boards and plexiglass, none of which is as forgiving as the grass on a soccer field. They also have to be careful of flying hard piece of rubber, the puck, which reaches speeds of over 150 kms/hour and sometimes hits them in the face. Hockey players often fight, bare fisted, I can't think of another pro sport where this is allowed and even encouraged.

Ryan Getzlaf gets a slap shot puck in the face (@ 0:08) and is on his feet within three seconds:

Here's a four minute video of soccer fags diving and acting like little bitches:

[YoungBlood]

(06-23-2014 02:49 PM)rangman2000 Wrote:  

What a lot of people are overlooking is that in the countries where "soccer" is popular it is more than a game.

You are born into supporting a team. Who that team is depends on your location, your economic situation, your politics, your religion, your language, your ethnicity etc.

It is a tribal identification.

It is not a hobby.

That right there is the real reason why soccer is so beloved all over the world.

My guess as to why Americans in particular don't like soccer could be because Americans in generally have short attention spans. Americans like fast scoring and instant gratification, which is something that soccer doesn't provide. Again, culture plays a huge part in this.

I, personally, like soccer since that was one of the first sports I got into as a child. It also doesn't hurt that the girl fans it attracts are bangable also:








P.S. I can't help but think that the Korean guy, in the gif above, could have easily banged that brazilian chick judging by her body language.

[MidWest]

(06-23-2014 10:02 PM)Travesty444 Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 07:33 PM)teh_skeeze Wrote:  

Another thing that I just thought about. The game will grow exponentially in the next 20 years simply on the cost of going to a game. Last season, I got 2 tickets for an MLS playoff game (Red Bulls) for $70. I'd pay that for one seat to go to another sport. If a kid already plays soccer, it would be much cheaper to get the family out to see an MLS game than of the other sports. I can't speak for other MLS venues, but Red Bull Arena doesn't have a bad seat in the house. You can't say the same about Citi Field.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the Red Bulls have more fannies in the seats than the Mets do right now.

No way MLS becomes bigger than the NBA in the next 20 years or NHL for that matter.

Even the Mexicans that immigrate here who would be the biggest push in this direction convert to NBA fans.

Ever seen how many Mexicans are Lakers fans?

.

That's not necessarily true. Sure many convert to NBA fans but they still keep their roots and are avid soccer fans. The funny thing is that many Mexican immigrants don't convert to USA fans but still keep their tradition by being Mexico fans. The Mexican national team has gone under the radar in the United States and according to many has become the most popular soccer team in the United States. The Mexican Football federation makes a huge amount of money out of their countrymen in the U.S. Stadiums all over America fill up whenever Mexico plays charging almost $200 bucks per ticket per person which is almost 5 times more than what a Mexican pays for the same seat in Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Did you guys know that the United States was the country that bought the most tickets after Brazil out of anyone in the world to go to Brazil to see the world cup???

http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/04/investin...ket-sales/

So the question is, how is it that America not being a soccer nation bought the most tickets after Brazil for the world cup?

The answer: Mexican Americans which many people speculate bought 80% of all tickets sold in the U.S. If anybody has paid attention to the World Cup, there is a lot of Mexicans in Brazil supporting Mexico and half of them come from the U.S. Many Brazilians are confused as to why they see so many Mexicans talking English to each other.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/...-not-from/

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/20...er-us.html

Soccer may not be popular with white, black, and Asian Americans, but with Mexican Americans its alive and well and as the demographic shifts to more Hispanic in the near future, I can see many Mexican Americans rooting for Mexico. I remember a while back when the U.S played Mexico in the Gold Cup final in California. The whole stadium was packed with Mexicans. Almost 90/10. Tim Howard the U.S. goalie was angry and he got very upset since he felt like he was playing an away game in U.S soil.

^^^ As you can see, its all green at Rose Bowl Stadium.

The Mexican national team is taking root in America at a way faster pace than the U.S national team.

Shoot!! even Kobe Bryant is a Mexico fan. He was at the Mexico vs. Brazil game last week in Fortaleza in the world cup.

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/06/17/...lie-ochoa/

[michaelm]

(06-23-2014 10:14 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

Soccer is the most mind-numbingly boring sport to watch second only to curling. Why is the world so silly with it?

What's really boring is watching impossibly large dudes smashing the backboard at every opportunity.

But, you tell me that that cross by Ronaldo, which ensured Portugal's survival for another day, was boring. Tell me, come on!

[michaelm]

(06-23-2014 10:23 PM)scotian Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 08:20 PM)Pepini Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 02:36 PM)scotian Wrote:  

In Canada the only boys who play soccer are the ones whose moms won't let them play hockey, pussies.

[img][/img]

You know what a football player brings to a game for protection? a pair of balls.
Hockey players? Helmets, neck guard, shoulder pads, etc, etc.

Van Basten was a great player who stopped playing because of a wrong tackle from behind (1:50) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8J4V5DHwL4

A tackle destroyed his career and since then I believe any tackle from behind is a direct red card. So you don´t want them to dive every time their being tackled??? Sure they could start using protections. But then it would not be a man game.

I couldn´t walk for 6 months because of a football injury. It was the worst time of my life.

You wanna see guts. Stand in front of a 500kg bull and dominate it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8_iDGChs8U

Hockey players wear protection because they skate on ice (hard surface) at speeds of about 50 kms/hour, they're also surrounded by hard boards and plexiglass, none of which is as forgiving as the grass on a soccer field. They also have to be careful of flying hard piece of rubber, the puck, which reaches speeds of over 150 kms/hour and sometimes hits them in the face. Hockey players often fight, bare fisted, I can't think of another pro sport where this is allowed and even encouraged.

Ryan Getzlaf gets a slap shot puck in the face (@ 0:08) and is on his feet within three seconds:

Here's a four minute video of soccer fags diving and acting like little bitches:

BTW, I must say as a fellow Canadian, the NHL is mind-numbingly boring. A bunch of atomatons, all bearded and helmeted, lacking distinctive characteristics, slamming a little black disk around the boards.

[big poppa]

You couldn't pay me enough money to sit through an NBA, MLB or NHL game.. I find those sports boring as hell, but I love the NFL.

I think it was touched on before that the reason football/soccer isn't huge in the US is because they aren't the best at it and probably won't ever be.. So you stick to what you are good at and then call yourselves 'world champions' without facing off against another country.

[Switch]

I think Americans are getting more and more into soccer. Kids my age are crazy into the world cup, moreso than everything except the superbowl. Soccer always has the most kids try out for the team. My bet is that within 30-40 years the US takes over as soccer's ultimate superpower. We already can compete with all except like the top 3-5 teams and the MLS is gaining in popularity.

Americans do get pissed off at all of the pussy shit that goes on in soccer games though. The flopping and ties are major deal breakers for many people.

I went to my first MLS game last year, and although it wasn't as interesting as a baseball game (to me, most people don't understand it), or a football game it was pretty fun.

[Pepini]

Dog celebrates second goal of Portugal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpnsjJfoa5w

[Maciano]

A huge difference is, of course, the status of the game in the home country. In European countries (or African, South American, Middle American, large parts of Asia) football is THE premier sport. That means, if you're a good athlete, you're going to try football first. If you fail, you move on to other sports. Succeeding as a football star guarantees fame, money, women, and high status, especially after winning trophies. I can understand American complaints re why they don't like football, they're more into sensational games.

But it goes two ways: I've watched American football games and I just think it's a dumb sport where bulked-up big guys get pushed to the ground, getting jumped by other big bulked-up guys. I miss the subtlety, skill & technique of football. Also, I don't get the complaint of "boring". It'd make sense compared to American football or hockey, but if your national sport is baseball, it's a bit rich. God, how boring and slow is that. To be fair, besides the last games of the Champions League and the big tournaments (world cup & Euros), I never watch football either. Too much of a time-waster, IMO.

It's a good thing the US has its own sports traditions. Why should everyone in the world need to like the same things? No reason whatsoever. That's just commerce pushing something down your throat. I say: enjoy what you like, it's win/win.

[spalex]

The short answer would be "Because people call it football"

and as we have all been told before "there is only one football! American football!!"

[It_is_my_time]

(06-24-2014 01:48 AM)Switch Wrote:  

I think Americans are getting more and more into soccer. Kids my age (17) are crazy into the world cup, moreso than everything except the superbowl. Soccer always has the most kids try out for the team. My bet is that within 30-40 years the US takes over as soccer's ultimate superpower. We already can compete with all except like the top 3-5 teams and the MLS is gaining in popularity.

Americans do get pissed off at all of the pussy shit that goes on in soccer games though. The flopping and ties are major deal breakers for many people.

I went to my first MLS game last year, and although it wasn't as interesting as a baseball game (to me, most people don't understand it), or a football game it was pretty fun.

Yea, I think in 20 years or so the USA should be consistently a top 5 team in the world, unless something changes where things are heading in the USA.

Soccer has really become popular among the younger kids. At the same time, American football is starting to lose favor because it is too brutal and too many kids are being seriously hurt or even killed while playing it.

So I can see more and more good athletes playing soccer. Kids who know they will not play in the NFL and know they will not play in the NBA might give Soccer a try if there are more opportunities to make money at it. Also the growing Hispanic population adds more soccer fans/players.

American football just eats up so many athletes. You have 130 D1 football programs, with 85 scholarship athletes at each school, and a good chunk of those kids would be better athletes than anyone on our National Team. Add to it, you have another who knows how many D1AA and D2 football teams with 65 and 45 scholarship athletes apiece. The amount of athletes and money that goes into American football is really hard to appreciate unless you live here for a while.

[big poppa]

The good thing about soccer is you don't need to be 6"3 and 220lbs to play it.

I do think that both Australia and the US would be top 10 teams if there weren't so may sports competing with it. In Australia we have Aussie Rules, Rugby League, Rugby and cricket that interest younger kids rather than Soccer.

[Kingsley Davis]

The same reason Americans love NASCAR but not Formula 1 so much.

[speakeasy]

(06-23-2014 11:20 PM)MidWest Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 10:02 PM)Travesty444 Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 07:33 PM)teh_skeeze Wrote:  

Another thing that I just thought about. The game will grow exponentially in the next 20 years simply on the cost of going to a game. Last season, I got 2 tickets for an MLS playoff game (Red Bulls) for $70. I'd pay that for one seat to go to another sport. If a kid already plays soccer, it would be much cheaper to get the family out to see an MLS game than of the other sports. I can't speak for other MLS venues, but Red Bull Arena doesn't have a bad seat in the house. You can't say the same about Citi Field.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the Red Bulls have more fannies in the seats than the Mets do right now.

No way MLS becomes bigger than the NBA in the next 20 years or NHL for that matter.

Even the Mexicans that immigrate here who would be the biggest push in this direction convert to NBA fans.

Ever seen how many Mexicans are Lakers fans?

.

That's not necessarily true. Sure many convert to NBA fans but they still keep their roots and are avid soccer fans. The funny thing is that many Mexican immigrants don't convert to USA fans but still keep their tradition by being Mexico fans. The Mexican national team has gone under the radar in the United States and according to many has become the most popular soccer team in the United States. The Mexican Football federation makes a huge amount of money out of their countrymen in the U.S. Stadiums all over America fill up whenever Mexico plays charging almost $200 bucks per ticket per person which is almost 5 times more than what a Mexican pays for the same seat in Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Did you guys know that the United States was the country that bought the most tickets after Brazil out of anyone in the world to go to Brazil to see the world cup???

http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/04/investin...ket-sales/

So the question is, how is it that America not being a soccer nation bought the most tickets after Brazil for the world cup?

The answer: Mexican Americans which many people speculate bought 80% of all tickets sold in the U.S. If anybody has paid attention to the World Cup, there is a lot of Mexicans in Brazil supporting Mexico and half of them come from the U.S. Many Brazilians are confused as to why they see so many Mexicans talking English to each other.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/...-not-from/

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/20...er-us.html

Soccer may not be popular with white, black, and Asian Americans, but with Mexican Americans its alive and well and as the demographic shifts to more Hispanic in the near future, I can see many Mexican Americans rooting for Mexico. I remember a while back when the U.S played Mexico in the Gold Cup final in California. The whole stadium was packed with Mexicans. Almost 90/10. Tim Howard the U.S. goalie was angry and he got very upset since he felt like he was playing an away game in U.S soil.

^^^ As you can see, its all green at Rose Bowl Stadium.

The Mexican national team is taking root in America at a way faster pace than the U.S national team.

Shoot!! even Kobe Bryant is a Mexico fan. He was at the Mexico vs. Brazil game last week in Fortaleza in the world cup.

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/06/17/...lie-ochoa/

This was always a big issue in Socal when there was a USA vs Mexico game. I couldn't imagine the opposite scenario where million of American were at Azteca stadium outnumbering Mexicans and booing the Mexican team on their soil.

Even many Mexicans-Americans who seem fully assimilated that I know refuse to support the USA team and support Mexico. I can see where Tim Howard was coming from. It kinda pisses me off too. It's like many immigrate here for a better life, then basically say fuck you to America at the same time by booing the home team.

[rottenapple]

Funny how some people underestimate the competitiveness of football in the world. People think the US is doing good now because they happen to have 4 points after 2 games. They forget that they were pinned to defense by Ghana for 90 min and scored out of their only chance. Germany will set that straight and if not Belgium will handle that in second round. The thing is, as has been mentioned here before, you can be nowhere near the level of the other team, but still have a chance to beat them. That is part of what is great about football, the fact that it is unpredictable. With that being said, it will take a lot of effort for the US to reach European top level within 20 years.

Imagine India saying they will kick US ass in basketball in 20 years if they would make it their national sport, since you know in 20 years their economy will be a lot bigger than it is now, they will have a population many times bigger than US. Every american would be on its feet, because they rightfully know that it takes a complete structure to build super athletes. All the top players are drilled and built from young age within a specific football minded culture, with high technology, specific knowledge and training methods, etc. The same equation goes for football US vs. Europe. US has the potential, but they wont catch up that fast even if they wanted to. Don't forget, people were saying the same thing in 1994 during the US WC, thats 20 years ago ;-). And in football specifically, the structure is even more important than in the US sports, because athleticism is less so. Thats why Russia a nation of 160 mil with football as their nr. 1 sport gets defeated by Belgium a nation with 10 mil. And why Holland with 16 mil. was finalist last WC and was able to take out Brazil.

Kids in the US all over are playing football now, but believe me they are not playing in the same way as the kids in the top academies in Europe. The base will get better in US offcourse, but you think some of these guys will be able to compete because they had some fun in the park 2 times a week. In Belgium we have an academy that selects top talents out of thousands at age 7-8, they put the very very best in an academy where they live football. They play about 6 hours a day I believe, on bare feet in small synthetic pitches, guided by topcoaches in a variety of fields. When these kids become 18, their mind is built for top football, when they receive the ball they know exactly whats going on everywhere on the pitch and they control it, position their body and release it within a fraction of a second. A topathlete physically will not have a chance, he might be the fastest on the pitch but he will mainly use that speed to chase a ball that is still a bit faster than he is.

[General Stalin]

It's interesting considering the two most popular spectator sports in America are NASCAR and Major League Baseball - arguably some of the most boring sports around to an uneducated spectator. Both of which are longer, more drawn out, and less engaging than soccer (save when someone smashes a ball, a car wrecks, or the last 5-10 laps of a race)

[Brosemite]

(06-24-2014 09:32 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

This was always a big issue in Socal when there was a USA vs Mexico game. I couldn't imagine the opposite scenario where million of American were at Azteca stadium outnumbering Mexicans and booing the Mexican team on their soil.

Even many Mexicans-Americans who seem fully assimilated that I know refuse to support the USA team and support Mexico. I can see where Tim Howard was coming from. It kinda pisses me off too. It's like many immigrate here for a better life, then basically say fuck you to America at the same time by booing the home team.

Good pts Speakeasy...but at same time I know immigrants from say Italy, Greece, or Germany that would support the national soccer teams of their "ethnicities" than say Team USA though still proud Americans too.

In terms of hockey, it'd be like a Canadian transplant in the US supporting Team Canada though grateful to be American citizens too. Just a sports thing I think.

[quino_16]

(06-24-2014 09:32 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

This was always a big issue in Socal when there was a USA vs Mexico game. I couldn't imagine the opposite scenario where million of American were at Azteca stadium outnumbering Mexicans and booing the Mexican team on their soil.

Even many Mexicans-Americans who seem fully assimilated that I know refuse to support the USA team and support Mexico. I can see where Tim Howard was coming from. It kinda pisses me off too. It's like many immigrate here for a better life, then basically say fuck you to America at the same time by booing the home team.

There has actually been a documentary about this phenomenon, i.e whenever US plays against Mexico on US soil it seems that they're actually playing in Mexico.

Here is the trailer of the documentary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k79qxqLlbdc

I haven't seen the documentary but it looks good. Anyhow, US vs Mexico rivalry is one of many examples that soccer is more than just sport. The rivalry is an extension of US-Mexico relations, a conflict of identity for Mexican-Americans, and a conflict of two different cultures.

For me, I can relate to the conflict of identity whenever the US and Mexico play against each other. Its difficult to choose, which country to support. However, if there was more passion for soccer in the US and if soccer wasn't viewed so negatively in the US, I would probably always support the US when they play against Mexico.

[berserk]

I've grown up in football crazy countries. Played myself for a good many years, was never really good. Not the right build, too slow to turn around, not good enough technique. That's the thing I both like and dislike about football as a sport. It is so heavily reliant on technical skills these days because of the international aspect of the European leagues these days. Everyone plays the same hybrid short pass, counterattack style. Back in the day, you'd have british team playing rugby with their feet basically, kicking the ball the entire field then storming forward and tackling the hell out of each other in insane tempo. You'd have Italian catenaccio(spell?), African all out attack and no defense etc. Today it's the same for everywhere country and every team and it's boring to me. It has become a game where you really have to have superb technique to participate.

I think the main reason US haven't picked it up is the lack of commercial time, as sad as it sounds. I don't understand how anyone can watch a TV stream of American sports though.

To be honest, watching these World Cups and having been away from football for a while, I can understand why Americans find it boring. It really is to some degree. A big part of why I liked it growing up was the whole culture around it, the sundays at the stadium drinking beer, cheering the team, the local pride etc.

[spook]

(06-24-2014 09:54 AM)rottenapple Wrote:  

Kids in the US all over are playing football now, but believe me they are not playing in the same way as the kids in the top academies in Europe. The base will get better in US offcourse, but you think some of these guys will be able to compete because they had some fun in the park 2 times a week. In Belgium we have an academy that selects top talents out of thousands at age 7-8, they put the very very best in an academy where they live football. They play about 6 hours a day I believe, on bare feet in small synthetic pitches, guided by topcoaches in a variety of fields. When these kids become 18, their mind is built for top football, when they receive the ball they know exactly whats going on everywhere on the pitch and they control it, position their body and release it within a fraction of a second. A topathlete physically will not have a chance, he might be the fastest on the pitch but he will mainly use that speed to chase a ball that is still a bit faster than he is.

Belgium hasn't been out of the Round of 16 since 1986 and didn't even qualify for the last two World Cups. Those academies are giving you guys the leg up on the lazy Americans for sure.

[spook]

(note: completely prepared to eat my words when Belgium wins it all this year)

[rangman2000]

(06-24-2014 12:54 PM)spook Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 09:54 AM)rottenapple Wrote:  

Kids in the US all over are playing football now, but believe me they are not playing in the same way as the kids in the top academies in Europe. The base will get better in US offcourse, but you think some of these guys will be able to compete because they had some fun in the park 2 times a week. In Belgium we have an academy that selects top talents out of thousands at age 7-8, they put the very very best in an academy where they live football. They play about 6 hours a day I believe, on bare feet in small synthetic pitches, guided by topcoaches in a variety of fields. When these kids become 18, their mind is built for top football, when they receive the ball they know exactly whats going on everywhere on the pitch and they control it, position their body and release it within a fraction of a second. A topathlete physically will not have a chance, he might be the fastest on the pitch but he will mainly use that speed to chase a ball that is still a bit faster than he is.

Belgium hasn't been out of the Round of 16 since 1986 and didn't even qualify for the last two World Cups. Those academies are giving you guys the leg up on the lazy Americans for sure.

They only implemented their new system from late 2006 onwards. So in actual fact it has borne fruit incredibly quickly.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27827569

[rottenapple]

(06-24-2014 12:54 PM)spook Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 09:54 AM)rottenapple Wrote:  

Kids in the US all over are playing football now, but believe me they are not playing in the same way as the kids in the top academies in Europe. The base will get better in US offcourse, but you think some of these guys will be able to compete because they had some fun in the park 2 times a week. In Belgium we have an academy that selects top talents out of thousands at age 7-8, they put the very very best in an academy where they live football. They play about 6 hours a day I believe, on bare feet in small synthetic pitches, guided by topcoaches in a variety of fields. When these kids become 18, their mind is built for top football, when they receive the ball they know exactly whats going on everywhere on the pitch and they control it, position their body and release it within a fraction of a second. A topathlete physically will not have a chance, he might be the fastest on the pitch but he will mainly use that speed to chase a ball that is still a bit faster than he is.

Belgium hasn't been out of the Round of 16 since 1986 and didn't even qualify for the last two World Cups. Those academies are giving you guys the leg up on the lazy Americans for sure.

We reformed our youth system after the 2000 European cup, of which we reinvested the profits. The first batch of the new system is now coming through with a first generation. We so far are the third youngest team on the WC (our 3th goalie is old, else second or youngest), we have 6/6, the youngest goalscorer since Messi in 2006 (Origi). Mind you the academy I talked about, their oldest players are now 18, so they are within the next generation.

Lets look more into the specifics. First generation who profited from reforms (now 19-23 years old): Hazard (Chelsea), Lukaku (Chelsea), Januzaj (Man.United), Courtois (Chelsea), Origi (Lille). Furthermore Carrasco (Monaco), Batshuayi (Marseille), Th. Hazard (Chelsea), Praet (Anderlecht), Lestienne (Brugge), Malanda (Wolfsburg). Thats the first batch.

Second one: Tielemans (debuted at 16 for Anderlecht in CL, on the radar of every topclub in the world, asking price above 20m at age 17), Bakkali 18 (PSV, City/Chelsea very interested), C.Musonda (17, Chelsea B team, top 2 talents in their academy), A.Perreira (17, Man United B, top 3 talents in their academy), Bosschaerts and Denayer (central defense at City B, both 18 yo). From the academy we had about 4-5 players break through at the A team of Lierse at the end of the season (1st division in Belgium at 17 years old, impressing everyone at their first games).

Ask any football expert which nation is producing the most talent now considering the size of their population and you will hear Belgium as the answer and that is not a coincidence.

So yes we are definitly ahead of the US in football ;-), we also played eachother about a year ago. It was 4-2 for Belgium, an easy win, but like I said football is unpredictable, so US def has a chance.

[MidWest]

(06-24-2014 10:43 AM)Brosemite Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 09:32 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

This was always a big issue in Socal when there was a USA vs Mexico game. I couldn't imagine the opposite scenario where million of American were at Azteca stadium outnumbering Mexicans and booing the Mexican team on their soil.

Even many Mexicans-Americans who seem fully assimilated that I know refuse to support the USA team and support Mexico. I can see where Tim Howard was coming from. It kinda pisses me off too. It's like many immigrate here for a better life, then basically say fuck you to America at the same time by booing the home team.

Good pts Speakeasy...but at same time I know immigrants from say Italy, Greece, or Germany that would support the national soccer teams of their "ethnicities" than say Team USA though still proud Americans too.

In terms of hockey, it'd be like a Canadian transplant in the US supporting Team Canada though grateful to be American citizens too. Just a sports thing I think.

I also wanted to point something out Speakeasy. When Mexican fans in America boo the U.S. national team they are booing the team, not necessarily the country. Many Mexican Americans are assimilated into American culture yes and the vast majority are proud, but that Mexican identity is there also with us and when it comes to Mexican culture, soccer is king and many Mexican Americans identify with the Mexican national team. Like I said in another post, soccer is not a part of American culture so therefore many of us Mexican Americans love the NFL, the NBA and MLB and are just as clueless as many other Americans about American soccer.

Take me for example. I was born and raised in Chicago to Mexican immigrants. I love my Chicago Bears, my Cubs, my Bulls and my Mexico team. This doesn't go for just Mexican-Americans, but can be said about any other first generation Americans of European descent or any descent for that matter. For example I went to the Mexico vs. Bosnia friendly match here in Chi-town a couple of weeks before the world cup and there were a lot of Bosnians and Bosnian-Americans supporting their team and I'm pretty sure that if there were 50 million Bosnian Americans the majority of them would go for Bosnia if they faced the U.S. in U.S soil. When the U.S. national anthem was sung before both the Mexican one and the Bosnian one, everybody cheered and clapped for it. I was surprised myself. Many Mexican immigrants have a lot of respect for America and love it as many know that America gave them a better life, a better income, a job, everything and many are grateful. Its not like they are saying fuck you to the U.S. by booing the U.S. team, they are just booing the team.