On the Brink of Football


For all of my life, it has been a privilege to watch soccer. Unlike most countries, the beautiful game has always had a tough time finding its home in the U.S.

A sport that demands as much as it gives, soccer, or football everywhere else in the world, is pure at its heart. It is simple. The game has a natural flow to itself that can only be dictated by the players themselves. It can be played anywhere by anyone. No special equipment is needed, and no specific physique is required. It is truly the world’s game, where honor, tradition, and philosophies are reflected in the style of play. So much so, that FIFA, the sport’s world-governing body acts as a paradigm for international government to ensure the sanctity and fairness of the game.

Growing up, I learned and loved to play the sport, and did not understand why the US had outright ignored the rest of the world. The U.S. always wants to be #1 in everything, and soccer would be the prime sport to show dominance, but did lackluster performances and constant failure make the country turn a blind-eye? Instead, the MLB arrogantly claims “World” Series baseball champions to support the national pastime. Is it because the sport did not originate in America, thus not good enough for the country? Of the top 4 major sports in the U.S. (baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey), only ice hockey got formalized outside the U.S. (but Canada doesn’t really count). Was it the money? All of the 4 major sports seem to have been built in conjunction with the media, the NBA being the most egregious example, by having TV timeouts. Or is the U.S. too lazy and self-centered to be inconvenienced? Why should Americans wake up at 2am to watch a game halfway across the world; if it’s not on prime time it’s not worth watching?

The little known fact is that there have always been die-hard soccer fans in the U.S. willing to wake up at crazy hours to watch a quality sport. The ground swell is changing; the number of fans continues to grow. Ever since the FIFA World Cup came to the U.S. in 1994, there have been predictions that the U.S. will become a soccer powerhouse, the MLS will become a premier league. While we’re far from that, I think we’ve reached the tipping point.



I no longer have to buy a special TV package to watch soccer games, and the entire Euro Cup is being broadcast by ESPN and streamed live on the Internet! This is the time when soccer starts to become football in the U.S., so get ready to watch the beauty unfold.

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