Soccer in America, a Doubletake

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Blake’s take:

The United States of America is seems to be on the fast track to regaining its title as a world superpower. The election of a interracial president, who most would simply categorize as black and a gold medal in basketball at the Summer Olympics has somewhat recemented ourposition at the place only we are truly capable of being – the top of the moutain.  If you feel that the US never lost its stronghold on world supremacy then at least you can agree that where we had fallen off or been knocked down a notch we are beginning to regain the luster of our tarnished aura.

The only thing we truly are not the one of the best at is Soccer.

Millions of American kids grow up playing the world’s sport but somewhere between childhood and adolescence it becomes damnable to be involved in futebol.  So, the US makes their way to the finals of the Confederations Cup but only true sports fans, uber patriots, and soccer fanatics care.  I’d imagine if the tournament was the World Cup there would be more to do about a trip to the finals but the “Hey we’re the best at everything else, so we’ll let the world have soccer,” is the rationale of many Americans.

But I ask why? We’re the most diverse nation in the world. Why then can we not utilize those cultural advantages? Are those of Hispanic and Latino heritage not going to make up the majority of our country soon? If soccer supremacy and ultimately world domination isn’t a glaring reason to naturalize illegals then I don’t know what is.

Seriously though, when you watch the US team we see too many Donovan’s, Lewis’s, and Gibbs’s and not enough Torres’s, Santana’s, and Rodriguez’s. Not to say that American players aren’t good but let’s be honest Landon Donovan is not the best we have to offer. The guy is 5′8 and 150 pounds soaking wet. He’s skilled but I bet you I could go to somewhere in Texas or CA and find someone bigger, stronger, faster and as skilled as him languishing in a job that pays under the table. We know our best athletes don’t play soccer and we’re over it. But I really don’t even think we have our best soccer players playing soccer. Nonetheless, on the strength of heart and patriotism our boys almost won a (meaningless) tournament by beating the best teams in the world. To that I say bravo and to the U.S. soccer executives I say it might be time for a grassroots movement to find talent. Most countries who aren’t bathed in excess see their athletes fiending for a way out of misery and soccer is that route. So they practice all day and everyday; I don’t think KaKa grew up with a silverspoon. Well, we have those athletes too. The kids who are athletic and love soccer and are looking for a way out but we just have to find them. We know we’re not getting Lebron James or Larry Fitzgerald types to come out b/c football and basketball pay too much but I think we can find more Onyewu’s and Altidores.

S-Dott’s Take:

I think the rise of American prominence in the football (as the world knows it) is due to one key support group: Soccer Moms.

In the world of American athleticism, soccer has gone from merely being a byproduct of an internationally diverse society to a prominent cornerstone of our very own culture. Why is that? Because it has almost become fashionable for mothers, with swarms of offspring, to sign their kids up in local junior soccer leagues. If you don’t believe me, go to any public park on a Saturday morning and you’ll see what I’m talking about. The exposure to the sport is allowing more and more young kids to experience competition and teamwork for the first time, and although I don’t have any statistics readily available in support of this, I think people are much more likely to stick to sports they played as kids as they grow older. Somebody who grew up playing basketball, for instance, might not have much interest in swimming or wrestling during the winter season mainly because they’re naturally inclined to play hoops. This new natural disposition to soccer is indebted to the very parents who brought soccer into the next generation in the first place.

As is anything else in this great land of ours, these junior leagues are often times great exhibitions in diversity. I think this helps allow kids from backgrounds where soccer isn’t normally played to benefit from the skills and talents of some of the more skilled players from all over the world. This is where our brand soccer begins to take its own unique form in what is almost an intrinsically American manner; out of a pot of different skills and strengths coming from a diverse group of people, comes an amalgam that will ultimately brand itself as American soccer.

The great thing about soccer is that you can’t simply dominate the game by just being big, strong, or fast like you can in football or basketball, soccer is a game entirely committed to the skill-set. If you want to be good, you have to work. And being the best doesn’t necessarily mean being the best striker on the team (see David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo). Rather the best players, at least in my opinion, are those who set their teammates up to be the best strikers on the team (see Langdon Donovan, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, and Lionel Messi).

So all and all, I think there is a great future ahead for soccer in America. So long as those moms keep driving their vans full of kids to soccer practice, I wouldn’t be surprised to see team USA in a World Cup final within the next decade.

What do you think? Have a take and don’t suck, u do the dishes . . .