Before I start, thanks to you all for reading this my 20th post. The past two months have been very fun and I will continue this without any question. Now, to business.
Many ordinary fans this weekend began predicting the futility of U.S. soccer after the American team failed to qualify for the London Olympics, losing to El Salvador to be knocked out of Olympic qualifying. This comes one year after the U.S. team failed to qualify for the U-21 World Cup last year. Amid all the chaos of previous World Cup nail-biters and high expectations, it would appear organized soccer in the U.S. will lag far behind the competition for years to come.
And guess what? I’m okay with that. The term American exceptionalism rarely comes into play during sports discussions, but here the term is quite apt. What many hardcore critics might see as inconsistency and poor performance looks to me like a soccer federation still finding its legs in a globalized sports world. And, in truth, we as Americans must understand the origins of our comparative soccer deficiency. The soccer system in the United States combined with unique elements of sports culture explains why we shouldn’t expect greatness immediately.
The biggest difference between international and American soccer stems around the professional game. Every soccer powerhouse has a domestic league, often of multiple tiers. In addition, these leagues have been around a long time. Ardent readers of this blog will remember my sports history Bit about the first FA cup match in 1872. One hundred and forty years of English soccer. Anyone know how long MLS has been around? Sixteen years. That fact matters for three reasons.
First, the lack of professional leagues in the U.S. does not provide American players the same kind of development they could find internationally. Until MLS, any professional soccer league hasn’t lasted in the U.S. despite bringing in good international players, often at the end of their careers (Pele, Beckenbauer, and Giorgio in the old North American Soccer League). But international leagues continue to attract top talent due to increased prestige. Sure there is more money in the U.S., as seen by the huge paydays for someone like David Beckham, but why play for DC United when you can play for Benfica in Portugal? Playing internationally allows greater opportunity to motivate a player, whether it be the Champions League or the Bundesliga. In addition, the training staffs and coaching talent in Europe dwarfs anything to be found in the U.S. This might have unexpected circumstances. For American players that go abroad, they are immersed in a foreign culture, with some (like Kevin Prince Boateng of Germany) applying for dual citizenship so they can play for national squads of powerhouse countries. Thus, the U.S. suffers from a dispersion of talent not seen in many other countries, often because our top flight talent would rather be developed in a foreign league.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, the presence of a domestic league increases viewership among potential young players. A huge complaint from U.S. soccer fans is that our best athletes do not pursue soccer, instead choosing football or basketball. Those folks can complain all they want, but at least three generations of young athletes have grown up watching football in America with no equivalent league on the soccer side. The same holds for basketball. Young Americans in the 70s and 80s idolized people like Montana and Magic and channeled their efforts into becoming the next great superstar in those football and basketball molds. This seems the only plausible reason why 14 million Americans under 18 play soccer but so few try to play past that age. Compare that with Argentine, German, and Brazilian kids who watched only soccer growing up. Certainly helps to explain why we are not up to par when it comes to raw skills.
Third, soccer is a recent phenomenon in the United States. The 1994 World Cup started increased viewership across the country, so much so that the Seattle Sounders consistently sell out every home game. Recently, the 2009 Confederations Cup Final drew 4 million viewers to ESPN, and the Gold Cup final in Dallas played before 82,000 fans. We as Americans have not been exposed to the wide world of soccer until now. Increased interest in the game can only lift U.S. soccer further, as U.S. Soccer officials learn to strive beyond mediocrity because fans expect that of them.
I will point out, as well, that American soccer isn’t nearly as bad as many want to pronounce. Lest we forget, the American team consistently comes out of CONCACAF for the World Cup, winning the league four times and reaching the championship eight times out of a possible 11 tourneys since 1990. The U.S. also has qualified for the World Cup every year since 1994. In addition, our women’s team is ranked one of the best in the world. We do still suffer from being behind the rest of the world in men’s play, but don’t pretend like we are the worst soccer program in the world.
I want to see U.S. soccer do better. Nothing comes close to beating the best teams on the biggest stage as far as excitement, especially when the stakes are national pride. But, we should be realistic in our expectations. American players are choosing more and more to stay at home, increasing camaraderie on the national team and providing consistent development plans to make American players play American-style soccer. Also, the first generation to grow up with professional U.S. soccer will come of age soon so I think the future looks paved with gold for younger talent. The hiring of Jurgen Klinsmann last year as U.S. national coach looked strange but points to a new intention of soccer officials to push the U.S. to new heights whereas before they might have been content with a lower level of competition. As long as we continue to qualify for the World Cup, the rest will come eventually.
Bit #1: Smell that bad blood? It’s playoff hockey around the corner
I greeted the news that NBC would show each playoff game with unbridled glee. That happiness grew after watching the end of the Penguins-Flyers game yesterday (link). A game like that displays what makes this time of year so great in the NHL. Players care about each other, teams want to send messages for the next month, and coaches prove they use profanity behind the bench rather than sprinkle their sparing speech with Canadian epithets no one understands.
As I said a few posts ago, the 4v5 series featuring these two squads will be brutal this year, full of nastiness and general fisticuffs. The best part for DC fans is that one of the most hated franchises, either Pittsburgh or Philly, will lose. Did I mention the Caps are very close to clinching a playoff spot? Seriously, the NBA playoffs don’t get good until the conference finals, and they presume to think a day of rest isn’t enough. Pssh…series in the NHL play every other night so you can bet on daily excitement until May.
Bit #2: Calipari must be tired of Bill Self
Tonight Kentucky and Kansas will play for the national championship, ending one of the best three weeks in sports. I have to wonder how Kentucky coach John Calipari will approach the Jayhawks, a team he lost to in the 2008 final while with Memphis. I find coaching rivalries to be very entertaining, especially since two contestants don’t match athleticism but intellect. Rivalries like Coach K and Dean Smith, or Joe Gibbs and Tom Landry, do not come around very often. Both Calipari and Self bring totally different styles (and histories) to the game tonight, but I would not be surprised if we see them match up again on a big stage. As for the game, I think Calipari squeaks by, 65-60.
Bit #3: Kansas State sets program back years
I will preface by saying I love former K-State and current South Carolina coach Frank Martin. His style, while indicative of his military background, might ruffle some feathers, but it pleases me to see a coach that will not coddle his team while instilling discipline. He regrettably left K-State last week after feuding with the AD for a long time. In his place, K-State hired Bruce Weber, a coach who has fallen off the map for the past five years at Illinois, eventually losing his job. I understand K-State wanted to make a splash hiring, but plenty of better coaches abound. Perhaps make a play for New Mexico coach Steve Alford? Or Larry Eustachy of Southern Miss? Both are better coaches and would continue Martin’s trajectory of leading the program to relevance for the long run.
Bit #4: April 1, 1985 – Villanova beats Georgetown
In 1985 the Georgetown Hoyas met the lowest seeded team ever to reach a Final, eight-seeded Villanova. As befitting the day of the month, Villanova fooled viewers into thinking it could beat the Hoyas. This game bears remarks for several reasons. First, this was the last college game to be played without the needed benefit of the shot clock, and yet the teams still scored 110 points. Most amazingly, Villanova missed two shot the entire second half, propelling a 66-64 upset of by far the best team in the land. Finally, I would classify this as the greatest college basketball upset of all time. I understand 2 v. 15 upsets are big, but being able to win on the largest stage possible truly deserves a higher pedestal than any first round game.
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