[RbN]

1. No Hands
The most popular American sports – basketball, baseball, American football, ice hockey, golf – primarily involve the use of hands / upper body to compete in. In fact, you could argue that feet are only for mobility (only American football allows for kicking, and that too is best done long-range).
Now if you drop a sport like soccer – all feet, some head and no hands – it’s like asking someone to walk on their hands instead of their feet. It’s not easy to switch around to compeletely different way of playing a sport.
This is the primary reason why when you see the MLS, the terms ‘long-ball’ and ‘headless chicken’ come to mind.
2. Ridiculous Name
Soccer? Seriously? The biggest obstacle to soccer’s popularity in the US may well be its name. You can’t have two sports by the same name, unless you want to see Eddie Johnson pick up the ball and then do his customary dash up the pitch and then look around all confused as opposition defenders pile up on him.
Soccer. Sawker. I feel dumber just saying it. It’s called football, and unless the American people learn to call it by it’s real name (come to think of it, Australians have their Australian Rules footy and they still call the beautiful game football), it’s not going to be successful.
3. No Breaks
Who in the world thought of a 90-minute game that only took one break, and that too after 45 minutes? The American public is used to a quick break every 5 minutes, if not sooner. Basketball has its quarters. Baseball has its regular breaks with batters coming in and going out. American football is a stop-start game. In golf you hit a ball a couple of hundred yards and then you walk towards it (the game is a candidate for the most retarded sport ever award).
On the other hand, soccer has a natural ebb and flow to it that no American sport can match.
Americans have been bred on small, easily digestible segments of everything – sport, news, knowledge, etc. It’s a cultural effort to make low concentration levels a standard across the country. It’s also why the typical American watching soccer feels the inevitable urge to flip to another channel and watch commercials every 5 minutes.
This is why you see US goalkeepers do so well – they thrive in the stop-start nature of a goalie’s involvement in the game.
4. They Hate It
They didn’t create it, and they’re not very good at it. Either one would have been enough to foster some passion for the sport, but since there are so many countries in the world that are better than the US at soccer, the American people have little interest.
And it makes sense too – why follow something in which your side keeps losing? After being subjected to a lifetime of doctored news and world views, this sudden brush with reality is overwhelming for the average American psyche and they do what any American would do when faced with something they don’t know – they turn their back to it.
Ironically this disdain for soccer makes it more difficult for the sport to take off in the country – a vicious cycle.
5. No One Likes The Americans
Usually, when there’s someone in your family who’s not as good at a sport as you are, you tend to try and help them out so that they can get better and (hopefully) provide more of a challenge to you later on.
At least that’s what I’ve seen.
With the US though, the rest of the world isn’t so kind. We’ve made it acceptable to make fun of US soccer instead of going there and investing in the sport in America. We’ve made it acceptable to mock them instead of training them and coaching them.
That’s why when someone like David Beckham – an excellent businessman – goes to the US to invest in soccer, the world laughs at him. Would you laugh at Bill Gates if he invested in a new technology startup? People would scramble to get involved. The world doesn’t take Americans seriously, and soccer is worse off as a result.
6. It’s Illegal To Cheat
Did you know that American sports in general do not follow WADA rules? That the use of performance-enhancing drugs is not strictly regulated in US sports? The World Anti-Doping Agency has strict regulations that almost all sports adhere to, especially soccer with it’s spot drug testing and what not. American sports, on the other hand, play by their own rules, which is a nice way to say that American sports feature more drug abuse than more global sports.
In some cases, having a global authority making sure that you follow certain standards is a good thing.
But hey, what’s the point of playing a sport when you can’t pump yourself with drugs to make you faster / stronger? If you can’t cheat, why play?
7. No Cheerleaders
In all honesty this is where I agree with the Americans. Soccer needs cheerleaders like one needs a glass of cold water on a hot day. As we’ve discussed before on Soccerlens, cheerleaders can stop hooliganism, provide suitable pitch-side (or on-TV) distractions when the game itself gets a little tedious and once you give each club their own cheerleading squad, there’s a whole new set of rivalries to play upon for the advertisers.
Plus if there’s no porn, how can a genuine American sports fan enjoy the game? Without cheerleaders soccer just isn’t manly enough. It’s blasphemous.

[colchonero10]

what country are you from, has the USA beat you before, and are you scared they will eventually become the best at this too?

[RbN]

I'm so scared they will have players like Sneijder, van der vaart, van persie, robben etc. Soon hahah.

Read the article before responding u fcuknut

[Supamanu]

Honestly one of the main reasons we aren't that great at soccer is because like kids growing up in Europe like to play soccer, American kids prefer football or basketball and those are the sports most of our better athletes play. I hope soccer continues to grow here and some more of our better kids play soccer because i think we could be very competitive on the national level.

[colchonero10]

I'm so scared they will have players like Sneijder, van der vaart, van persie, robben etc. Soon hahah.

Read the article before responding u fcuknut

if the netherlands is so superior why are you so worried about us

i'm an american who grew up with soccer that loves mls, you are so silly

[fury]

Most American youth is too fat to run around for 45 minutes without a break.

[GOB]

I read your slop "article" and have a few comments about it.

Americans suck at soccer? Relative to what? Relative to the Dutch, yes. Relative to the rest of the world as a whole, I'd say probably not. The United States are ranked 18th out of more than 200 in the world by FIFA, and finished in the final 16 in South Africa last summer. They're an above average footballing nation, and to think otherwise is ridiculous.

You can't cheat in soccer? I would argue that there are more fixed matches in soccer than in any other sport. On top of that, didn't everybody call Suarez a cheater last summer? What about Henry against the Irish. Why would the US follow some international rules with their professional sports? They created the sports, they have the right to maintain their own rules. The internationals are the ones that skewed a sport like basketball in order to be more competitive with the Americans (shorter 3 point line, stupid trapezoid lane, changed goaltending rules).

Don't worry though bud, us Americans and you Dutch have something in common. Neither of us has ever won a World Cup!

[TR88]

if the netherlands is so superior why are you so worried about us

i'm an american who grew up with soccer that loves mls, you are so silly

watched in once....OMFG this shit was more boring that the Australian a league.....the worst league in the world- mls

[face]

a thread all about hating american soccer? what a waste of time, no ones gonna write a thread about dutch stuff, fuk off

[mihaita666]

you make some good points here, but hey...you can't change a country's ideas over the concept of sport over night. If Americans will love football (soccer), it will be in 20-30 years now (altough I just hope they won't I couldn;t stand to have the game made by their rules, including time-outs are comercials breaks)

[GOB]

you make some good points here, but hey...you can't change a country's ideas over the concept of sport over night. If Americans will love football (soccer), it will be in 20-30 years now (altough I just hope they won't I couldn;t stand to have the game made by their rules, including time-outs are comercials breaks)

I don't think that if football becomes popular over here that there will ever be stoppages in play in order for commercial breaks, so I wouldn't worry about that. I think the main thing that football needs in this country is exposure. Most of my friends watched the world cup, and not only the US games, but also as a neutral. The problem is that there is one or two matches on ESPN each week max, and those are during the late afternoons. If you don't get Fox Soccer Channel, then you probably aren't going to watch too many football matches. ESPN over here has started to show some of the bigger clubs (mostly ManU, Barca, and Real) highlights on Sports Center as well, and I have noticed that EPL/La Liga scores have made the ticker at the bottom of the screen. Its a slow process, but football seems to be gaining exposure here in the states.

Plus, the FIFA video games are becoming more and more popular over here, and while that sounds pretty trivial, its a great way to start following football. I think a lot of the problem Americans have with following the sport at the club level is that many of them don't know where the great players play their club football, which makes it even more difficult to follow.

[smitch124]

I'm not sure Americans have the attention span to every truly adopt soccer as a top sport here (not saying this is a good trait on their part by the way). We, as Americans, don't have an appreciation for nuance and subtlety in sports that we once had. Gotta be big hits, slam dunks and home runs or it is "boring." Whenever I hear someone say something is "boring" it usually means they have the attention span of a hummingbird.

[Willie Bee]

Ah yes, another thread wrapping oneself in their silly flag and spewing hate. Oh well, kids will be kids.

[Sawyer]

Most American youth is too fat to run around for 45 minutes without a break.

[Sawyer]

Seriously, I don't think Americans suck in soccer. Maybe they're not a top team like Brazil or Argentina but still they're not so bad.

Why soccer is not popular in America? It has many reasons, not only one reason..but let me tell you the most important reason. Why soccer is not popular in USA? Because Americans love action! A NBA game or a soccer match? Which one is more exciting, thrilling? NBA Game of course. Comebacks, slam dunks, crazy 3-pointers..you name it!

When you turn on football (soccer) game, your chance to watch a good game is very low. Today's football (soccer) is too defensive! No enjoyment in a 0-0, 1-0 score game.

[Sawyer]

This is why you see US goalkeepers do so well – they thrive in the stop-start nature of a goalie’s involvement in the game.

Good point here. US Goalies are usually good.
Agreed about cheerleaders also.

[Phillth]

Americans are for the most part good at every sport we compete in. Are we the best at everything, no. But look at all the olympic medals we bring home every four years. Within a 100 mile radius from my house i can attend over 20 different sporting events. Where else but america can you say that? So the Dutch are great at soccer. well you better be when thats the only thing you got.

[gryfyn1]

The primary reason is the the best athletes don't play soccer, they are playing baseball, football or basketball ---

if athletes like Darrel Revus ,Micheal Vick Jason Kidd, Rajon Rondo, or Carl Crawford, Had spent thier youth developing soccer skills instead of thier chosen sport thier freakish athletic ability would have made them successful/

[RbN]

Americans are for the most part good at every sport we compete in. Are we the best at everything, no. But look at all the olympic medals we bring home every four years. Within a 100 mile radius from my house i can attend over 20 different sporting events. Where else but america can you say that? So the Dutch are great at soccer. well you better be when thats the only thing you got.

Only sport we got? Pal, who has won several hockey world championships? What about swimming? Ice skating Sven Kramer? What about honkball where we beat top teams as Cuba before....and so on....

Some peoples world is too small. You should look how much Olympic medals we get each 4-years.

Btw. Dutch football has had huge (the most) impact on football history and nowadays. What about "Total football"?

Not bad eh for a country with 17 million people, this is where people are wrong also when looking at things.

Furthermore I havent seen anyone really made serious comments about this article.

[GOB]

Only sport we got? Pal, who has won several hockey world championships? What about swimming? Ice skating Sven Kramer? What about honkball where we beat top teams as Cuba before....and so on....

Some peoples world is too small. You should look how much Olympic medals we get each 4-years.

Btw. Dutch football has had huge (the most) impact on football history and nowadays. What about "Total football"?

Not bad eh for a country with 17 million people, this is where people are wrong also when looking at things.

Furthermore I havent seen anyone really made serious comments about this article.

For what its worth, if your basing your country's ability in baseball based on one win against Cuba, then the US is equally good at soccer after beating Spain in the Confed Cup. Fact is, relative to the rest of the nations that actually compete in baseball, the Netherlands is very poor, more than likely worse than the US relative to the world in football. Rather convenient that your opinion of "sucking" differs to better suit your argument. Also funny that you make fun of Americans for calling football "soccer" when the Dutch refer to baseball as an equally stupid term "honkball."

For the record, these nations are significantly better than the Dutch at baseball, IMO: USA, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Panama, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. Australia is also probably a better team. The only teams in the WBC that the Netherlands could possibly claim to be better than is Italy, mostly comprised of terrible MLB players with an Italian background (see Nick Punto, .230ish hitter in the bigs as Captain), and South Africa, which is mostly comprised of low level minor leaguers. Plus at least a few of the major contributors on the Dutch team weren't born in Holland, but rather the Netherland Antilles.

As for an honest critique of your argument, I think the only real point you make is the lack of hands, but I'd argue that football may be the only sport where hands aren't used, but whatever. I think your comments about cheating and cheerleaders is just a pot shot at Americans in general, whom you don't seem to like. The comment about it being called soccer holds little to no relevance about whether or not Americans are good or will be good at the sport, much like my earlier comment about "honkball." The no breaks thing is a fair comment, though I think it has more to do with Americans not necessarily wanting to watch the sport rather than them not wanting to play it. I understand that football takes a lot of physical endurance, but popular American sports do too.

About Americans hating it. I'm not sure why you say that Americans have doctored news and world views, especially because I'd wager to guess that you don't live in America, and you don't watch American news. If you're talking about many Americans being ignorant to what is going on around the world, then you'd probably be correct, though I think you can say that about citizens of every country.

Lastly about everybody hating Americans. You're probably right, and you're certainly a part of that. Your anti-American prose is laughable. However that has little to nothing to do with Americans being "bad" at the sport. I don't think that Americans were helping the Spanish or the Argentines with basketball, though those nations seem to be doing alright with it.

My overlying thesis I suppose would be that I would be more inclined to take your "article" more seriously if you weren't taking irrelevant pot shots at my country. I guess you may have simply wanted to point out that the Dutch are better than the Americans at football, which isn't really earth-shattering.

Are those comments serious enough for you?

[RbN]

Well you should read the whole topic before placing a reaction.

I've responded on the following "So the Dutch are great at soccer. Well you better be when thats the only thing you got."

This is basically not true.

Sven Kramer wins each gold medal after eachother with Ice-skating. Also another guy won gold on last Olympics besides Sven Kramer at Ice-Skating. We have been dominant in this sport for ages and still are. Ireen Wust? Just won World Champs.

What about our male and female hockey team? Several gold Olympic medals and World Championships?

What about Darts, Raymond van Barneveld? He won loads of tournaments.

Our volleyball team competing with worlds best teams?

We also have a decent baseball team which from 1996 ended in the top 7 at each Olympics. Last world championship we ended, 6th, 4th, 4th, 7th, 6th.

Water polo team olympic gold medal?

Our swimmers who won several golden medals?

It's the thing that Americans thinks they are better at everything, which is basically not true. They try to talk other countries down to make them feel better.

Have you forgotten to take in account that America has 300 million citizens and for example Holland has 17 million, and still they are so dominant in couple of sports. In fact if you take these figures in account you can't say America is better then countries like Holland/England/Germany etc.

Finally the discussion is about Americans that suck at football, not about Netherlands. Some fellow needed to drag my country with some "easy shots" in this discussion.

Now, to give a comment about the rest of your post.....

You clearly can't see the irony in the cheerleading and cheating part of the article.

I don't hate Americans, I hate citizens of America which think their country is the best and the rest of the world is shit. Laughable........

[RedDevil11]

In terms of football as a 'first choice' spectator sport, one point yet to be mentioned is the geographical size of the U.S. Unfortunately, it can never truly match the 'atmosphere' at football stadiums in Europe because of the distance for most travelling teams and their fans. In Europe, there are designated sections for away fans as you can expect upwards of several thousand each match and it's just way cheaper to travel (by rail/plane) within Europe. Rivalries build history, help develop fan interest, media coverage, etc, and I'm not sure that can happen in North America, plus it's considered a seasonal sport there. Football is still the people's game in Europe so ticket prices are more accessible to the average, even lower income households as they are not so tied to corporate sponsorship, stadium commissions, etc.

In terms of footballers themselves, there will always be a gap in skill level unless the U.S. develop the type of academies found in Europe which equates to $$$ and attracting coaches abroad. Even then, it comes down to drawing the interest of youths to want to choose football over those other sports which goes back to whether football/soccer can be a top draw as a spectator sport (which in turn, reflect salaries). Anyhow, there are certainly many more variables others have mentioned.

[Vinnybagadonuts]

Gee, another pretentious thread about how Europeans are so much more wonderful than Americans.

As an American who grew up playing soccer (1976-1986; 1993-1998), I think that your post is short-sighted, and inaccurate.

However, I'm not going to debate, because you're closed-minded, and other posts you've made in other threads support that statement.

I leave you with only two things to consider:

1. Progression of prowess in a sport is measured over time. Is US soccer the best in the world? Of course not. Every country has certain sports that they're better at than other countries. It doesn't matter whether you like or dislike those other sports, it's a fact. There isn't a single country that is better than every other country in every sport. Does that mean they suck? Of course not. However, take a look at the progress that US soccer has made over the last 20 years. I would dare say that we've progressed more during that time span than almost every major soccer power. And yes, that's because we had more room for improvement than most European or South American countries. It also goes to show that the more money is pumped into a team or sport for development, then quicker the results will come.

Now, do I think that we'll continue to grow and improve in the coming years as we have over the last 20? No, that's unrealistic. At some point, the growth can only come in small increases.

2. Why do you care whether the US is good at soccer or not? It doesn't affect you at all, and it certainly made no difference when you lost the World Cup this year. If we're good, or not good, it makes no difference to anyone from a different country, so why comment? (This is a rhetorical question, by the way - the answer should be obvious. You just like starting crap to get reactions from people.)

Despite what many of you think, there is a huge population within the country that loves soccer - and are quite educated on the sport and it's history. Europeans don't corner the market on this.

I don't know why you sit around thinking about all the reasons we suck. I can promise you, we don't sit around doing the same.

Now, I'll get back to my boring life with my fat kids...both of whom play soccer, by the way.

[chilidog]

1. No Hands
The most popular American sports – basketball, baseball, American football, ice hockey, golf – primarily involve the use of hands / upper body to compete in. In fact, you could argue that feet are only for mobility (only American football allows for kicking, and that too is best done long-range).
Now if you drop a sport like soccer – all feet, some head and no hands – it’s like asking someone to walk on their hands instead of their feet. It’s not easy to switch around to compeletely different way of playing a sport.
This is the primary reason why when you see the MLS, the terms ‘long-ball’ and ‘headless chicken’ come to mind.
2. Ridiculous Name
Soccer? Seriously? The biggest obstacle to soccer’s popularity in the US may well be its name. You can’t have two sports by the same name, unless you want to see Eddie Johnson pick up the ball and then do his customary dash up the pitch and then look around all confused as opposition defenders pile up on him.
Soccer. Sawker. I feel dumber just saying it. It’s called football, and unless the American people learn to call it by it’s real name (come to think of it, Australians have their Australian Rules footy and they still call the beautiful game football), it’s not going to be successful.
3. No Breaks
Who in the world thought of a 90-minute game that only took one break, and that too after 45 minutes? The American public is used to a quick break every 5 minutes, if not sooner. Basketball has its quarters. Baseball has its regular breaks with batters coming in and going out. American football is a stop-start game. In golf you hit a ball a couple of hundred yards and then you walk towards it (the game is a candidate for the most retarded sport ever award).
On the other hand, soccer has a natural ebb and flow to it that no American sport can match.
Americans have been bred on small, easily digestible segments of everything – sport, news, knowledge, etc. It’s a cultural effort to make low concentration levels a standard across the country. It’s also why the typical American watching soccer feels the inevitable urge to flip to another channel and watch commercials every 5 minutes.
This is why you see US goalkeepers do so well – they thrive in the stop-start nature of a goalie’s involvement in the game.
4. They Hate It
They didn’t create it, and they’re not very good at it. Either one would have been enough to foster some passion for the sport, but since there are so many countries in the world that are better than the US at soccer, the American people have little interest.
And it makes sense too – why follow something in which your side keeps losing? After being subjected to a lifetime of doctored news and world views, this sudden brush with reality is overwhelming for the average American psyche and they do what any American would do when faced with something they don’t know – they turn their back to it.
Ironically this disdain for soccer makes it more difficult for the sport to take off in the country – a vicious cycle.
5. No One Likes The Americans
Usually, when there’s someone in your family who’s not as good at a sport as you are, you tend to try and help them out so that they can get better and (hopefully) provide more of a challenge to you later on.
At least that’s what I’ve seen.
With the US though, the rest of the world isn’t so kind. We’ve made it acceptable to make fun of US soccer instead of going there and investing in the sport in America. We’ve made it acceptable to mock them instead of training them and coaching them.
That’s why when someone like David Beckham – an excellent businessman – goes to the US to invest in soccer, the world laughs at him. Would you laugh at Bill Gates if he invested in a new technology startup? People would scramble to get involved. The world doesn’t take Americans seriously, and soccer is worse off as a result.
6. It’s Illegal To Cheat
Did you know that American sports in general do not follow WADA rules? That the use of performance-enhancing drugs is not strictly regulated in US sports? The World Anti-Doping Agency has strict regulations that almost all sports adhere to, especially soccer with it’s spot drug testing and what not. American sports, on the other hand, play by their own rules, which is a nice way to say that American sports feature more drug abuse than more global sports.
In some cases, having a global authority making sure that you follow certain standards is a good thing.
But hey, what’s the point of playing a sport when you can’t pump yourself with drugs to make you faster / stronger? If you can’t cheat, why play?
7. No Cheerleaders
In all honesty this is where I agree with the Americans. Soccer needs cheerleaders like one needs a glass of cold water on a hot day. As we’ve discussed before on Soccerlens, cheerleaders can stop hooliganism, provide suitable pitch-side (or on-TV) distractions when the game itself gets a little tedious and once you give each club their own cheerleading squad, there’s a whole new set of rivalries to play upon for the advertisers.
Plus if there’s no porn, how can a genuine American sports fan enjoy the game? Without cheerleaders soccer just isn’t manly enough. It’s blasphemous.

A couple is two. Learn our language before you start bashing us.

[RbN]

A couple is two. Learn our language before you start bashing us.

[JOHON8]

America will be good at soccer once their culture changes dramatically. It's a culture of impatience and intolerance. But they have the potential to be the best footballing nation. They don't have the talent because talent grows through culture.

[GOB]

Well you should read the whole topic before placing a reaction.

I've responded on the following "So the Dutch are great at soccer. Well you better be when thats the only thing you got."

This is basically not true.

Sven Kramer wins each gold medal after eachother with Ice-skating. Also another guy won gold on last Olympics besides Sven Kramer at Ice-Skating. We have been dominant in this sport for ages and still are. Ireen Wust? Just won World Champs.

What about our male and female hockey team? Several gold Olympic medals and World Championships?

What about Darts, Raymond van Barneveld? He won loads of tournaments.

Our volleyball team competing with worlds best teams?

We also have a decent baseball team which from 1996 ended in the top 7 at each Olympics. Last world championship we ended, 6th, 4th, 4th, 7th, 6th.

Water polo team olympic gold medal?

Our swimmers who won several golden medals?

It's the thing that Americans thinks they are better at everything, which is basically not true. They try to talk other countries down to make them feel better.

Have you forgotten to take in account that America has 300 million citizens and for example Holland has 17 million, and still they are so dominant in couple of sports. In fact if you take these figures in account you can't say America is better then countries like Holland/England/Germany etc.

Finally the discussion is about Americans that suck at football, not about Netherlands. Some fellow needed to drag my country with some "easy shots" in this discussion.

Now, to give a comment about the rest of your post.....

You clearly can't see the irony in the cheerleading and cheating part of the article.

I don't hate Americans, I hate citizens of America which think their country is the best and the rest of the world is shit. Laughable........

I assume you were responding to me, though you didn't quote my post.

I did read the whole thread, and I responded to your talking about the Dutch baseball team, because as a baseball fanatic I am well aware that the Dutch simply aren't terribly impressive in it. I understand the World Championship places don't necessarily agree with my opinion, but I think that is mostly due to the fact that many countries don't send their best to the World Championships, and that there simply aren't very many baseball playing nations. The reason I brought this up is because you are saying that Americans suck at football/soccer/sockball, but the Dutch don't in baseball, though the Americans are probably better at football relative the rest of the world than the Dutch are at baseball. I think you're changing your definition of the word "suck" to be more convenient to your argument. I'm well aware that Americans have an inherent advantage in sports over the Dutch because of the drastic population difference, but I was simply pointing out your inconsistencies with the term "suck."

I do understand the "irony," though I'm not entirely sure that its ironic (but that's neither her nor there), of the cheating and cheerleaders comment, but it really is a stereotyped jab at the US, and I took exception to that.

You say that you hate Americans that think they're better than everybody else at everything, and I completely understand that. Blind jingoism is pretty ridiculous, however you made this thread out of the blue with nobody saying that Americans are great at football. Nobody on this forum is claiming Americans are as good or better than the major football powers, though I'm not sure its fair to say that the US will never be good at something.

[Vinnybagadonuts]

America will be good at soccer once their culture changes dramatically. It's a culture of impatience and intolerance. But they have the potential to be the best footballing nation. They don't have the talent because talent grows through culture.

I always love how outsiders tell those who live someplace how little culture they have.

For starters, talent is fostered through practice. It has nothing to do with culture.

Second, you're implying that soccer is a "cultured" sport. While I love the sport, it has nothing to do with culture. I don't believe the term, "soccer hooligan" was derived by how wonderful the fans are at matches outside of America.

Don't believe everything you read or see on TV. The implication that everyone that lives in a country all act the same way or think the same things is simply moronic.

I respect your posts about soccer, but there's no need to sound profane here.

There are uncultured in every country. Making an overgeneralization that America is uncultured is simply retarded.

[GOB]

I always love how outsiders tell those who live someplace how little culture they have.

For starters, talent is fostered through practice. It has nothing to do with culture.

Second, you're implying that soccer is a "cultured" sport. While I love the sport, it has nothing to do with culture. I don't believe the term, "soccer hooligan" was derived by how wonderful the fans are at matches outside of America.

Don't believe everything you read or see on TV. The implication that everyone that lives in a country all act the same way or think the same things is simply moronic.

I respect your posts about soccer, but there's no need to sound profane here.

There are uncultured in every country. Making an overgeneralization that America is uncultured is simply retarded.

Bingo! Those bashing all Americans as ignorant morons are showing a great amount of ignorance.

[Vinnybagadonuts]

Basically, it's this kind of thread that fosters the problems discussed in the thread.

Like us, hate us, I'll sleep just fine. Next time someone invades your country, give us a call - we'll be there to help (again.)

I'm out.

[RbN]

On the top listed points are all valid. Accept it.

[hustla]

Basically, it's this kind of thread that fosters the problems discussed in the thread.

Like us, hate us, I'll sleep just fine. Next time someone invades your country, give us a call - we'll be there to help steal all of your money, oil, gas etc.(again.)

I'm out.

[Roadtrip635]

For me the hardest thing to overcome about soccer are draws. It should be that every game should have a winner, no tied games. You play to win the game. It's especially brutal to watch a game end 0-0, it's like the game never happened. Probably the most exciting moments in all of sports are soccer shootouts. After 90 minutes then play extra time (overtime) if still tied, then go to the shootout for all games not just playoff/championship games.

[GOB]

On the top listed points are all valid. Accept it.

Well I don't think the points are valid simply because I think the premise of the thread is invalid. I don't think Americans suck at football. If they sucked at football, they wouldn't qualify for the world cup, they wouldn't have beaten Spain in the Confed Cup, they wouldn't have drawn with England, they wouldn't have advanced past the group stage, and they wouldn't have taken Ghana to extra time.

Your argument, in my opinion, is more directed at why you think football with never become terribly popular in the United States, and you make a decent argument for that, but your refusal to respond to people's rebuttals is the reason there is no real discussion in this thread.

[SoV]

America will be good at soccer once their culture changes dramatically. It's a culture of impatience and intolerance. But they have the potential to be the best footballing nation. They don't have the talent because talent grows through culture.

Yet again, Johon's sense shines through.