SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums College, Pro & International Soccer Americans Not Catching World Cup Fever

I played soccer long before even box scores were in The State. In fact, I loved it just as much then as I do now. No, ... make that more. When I want soccer news, I know where to find it. If you're playing to make soccer news in our local papers, you're in it for all the wrong reasons. Let the envious sports writers simmer in their own feces. Who needs 'em.

I have always held soccer players to higher standards. It's an intelligent man's game that will forever elude the vast majority of our local sportswriters. I really won't stoop to their level to even criticize the poor b@$t@#d$ publicly.

Funny story. I played at Booker T Washington in the mid 70's. We were playing Porter Guad in Charleston (perhaps the classiest program in the state at the time, and very strong). One of our parents likened the popularity of soccer "one day challenging Roller Derby". Yessiree, we introduced them to the real world that day.

And yet, we're inundated with press stories implying that we're supposed to be on the edge of our seats watching the results of the next round of...golf?!?

Please. If sports were devalued in this country simply on the basis of "boring to watch," Tiger and Phil would be working at a car wash. Difference is, "hit the little ball into the little hole" is a lot easier for the average American to follow and understand...lots of people (read, the segment of the population that controls many things) grew up with golf, have played golf all their lives, and can continue to hit the little ball in the vicinity of the little hole well into retirement. As things progress, the more Americans who grow up with soccer as a part of their world, the more Americans there will be who watch, play, understand, and embrace soccer.

Just an opinion.

Whether other people in the United States have caught the "World Cup fever" or not, here are some stats and notes for the 2006 event through two matches of the Group Stage:

*** 75 goals have been scored for an average of 2.34 goals per match.

*** Eight teams have maximized their six possible points -- Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, England, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain -- three South American countries and five European countries.

*** Seven squads have failed to register a point thus far -- Costa Rica, Iran, Ivory Coast, Paraguay, Poland, Serbia & Montenegro, and Togo.

*** Largest goal differential is as follows: +7 Argentina (8-1); +5 Ecuador (5-0); and +5 Spain (6-1); -7 Serbia & Montenegro (0-7); -4 Iran (1-5); and -4 Saudi Arabia (2-6).

*** Group H matches have had the most goals scored with 16 in four games.

*** Group B has featured the lowest scoring totals with just four scores in four games.

Soccer is "boring", right? That one always gets me.

- 60 minutes of gridiron football takes 3 hours to play. That's 2 minutes of standing around with the clock stopped for every minute the clock is running. And there is also a lot of standing time while the clock is running.

- A baseball game also usually takes 3 hours and the ball is actually in play maybe 45 minutes.

Don't get me wrong, I grew up playing both sports and still enjoy them very much, but 90 minutes of non-stop soccer action in 1.75 hours is certainly NOT boring.

But yeah, I know, I'm preaching to the choir on this board.