# Real football



## skiNEwhere (Jun 26, 2014)

Who's been watching the World Cup? 

I've been hearing for many years that soccer would catch on in this county, and it looks like it finally has.


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## ctenidae (Jun 26, 2014)

I think it has caught on about as well as it did during the '94 World Cup...

I watch about 20 minutes a day, at lunch, in the office lunchroom.


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## Hawkshot99 (Jun 26, 2014)

I dont know how much soccer has caught on.  It seams that whenever the USA is playing in a top level tourny there is a strong following, such as Olympic hockey, or World Cup.

For instance I do not follow international sports to well.  I do follow USA International sports though.


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## ctenidae (Jun 26, 2014)

I will say that watching the games has been enjoyable, though I doubt I will start watching any soccer with any regularity. I don't watch or follow any other sports at all, though, so probably not a good test case.


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## darent (Jun 28, 2014)

first game I watched was 90 minutes and 0 to 0. boring watching ball go back and forth.to me TV has ruined sports, but I will say the soccer was all motion and not destroyed by countless ads


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## mriceyman (Jun 28, 2014)

The best tournament in the world in any sport. And the upsets this year make it that much better. 


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## BMac (Jun 28, 2014)

That Brazil Chile game was one of the greatest games I have ever seen.


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## dlague (Jun 28, 2014)

We have watched many games not just the USA!  Of course we are cheering for the U.S. On Tuesday! 


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## Cannonball (Jun 28, 2014)

It's definitely true that since the world cup started Americans have been glued to the TV.... Watching something other than the world cup.


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## mriceyman (Jun 29, 2014)

Cannonball said:


> It's definitely true that since the world cup started Americans have been glued to the TV.... Watching something other than the world cup.



Not trying to start a fight but it was the most watched game by us for a world cup game ever. Almost 25 million people saw the game so don't be naive and act like it doesn't exist. 


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## deadheadskier (Jun 29, 2014)

mriceyman said:


> The best tournament in the world in any sport. And the upsets this year make it that much better.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone



I like the world cup a lot, but Lord Stanley laughs at this statement.


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## mriceyman (Jun 29, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> I like the world cup a lot, but Lord Stanley laughs at this statement.



 I'm a huge hockey guy but when the first US game of the tourny had more viewers than any stanley cup final game in ny it says something. And hockey is my true passion but numbers don't lie. 


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## deadheadskier (Jun 29, 2014)

mriceyman said:


> I'm a huge hockey guy but when the first US game of the tourny had more viewers than any stanley cup final game in ny it says something. And hockey is my true passion but numbers don't lie.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone



Popularity doesn't equal best.


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## mriceyman (Jun 29, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> Popularity doesn't equal best.


I agree and we can agree to disagree as we view soccer differently. The once every four years just jazzes it up for me as it doesn't come around every year.  


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## HD333 (Jun 30, 2014)

Real football doesn't start for a few months....:flag:


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## Geoff (Jun 30, 2014)

I'm actually sort of surprised that ESPN is carrying it.   45 minute halves with zero advertising can't be creating any profit for them.   That's why it will never catch on in the US.  Nobody is going to be willing to televise a pro soccer league unless it's on an obscure pay-extra TV channel.   Without the TV revenue, you can't pay the big contracts to the world class players.   The US gets minor league soccer.

I've been watching bits & pieces.  I saw the last 8 minutes of regulation and the overtime of the Germany game today.   I'll for sure watch the US tomorrow.


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 1, 2014)

Excellent job in dumbing down and explaining the sport while making a pretty funny commercial


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## soposkier (Jul 1, 2014)

Geoff said:


> I'm actually sort of surprised that ESPN is carrying it.   45 minute halves with zero advertising can't be creating any profit for them.   That's why it will never catch on in the US.  Nobody is going to be willing to televise a pro soccer league unless it's on an obscure pay-extra TV channel.   Without the TV revenue, you can't pay the big contracts to the world class players.   The US gets minor league soccer.
> 
> I've been watching bits & pieces.  I saw the last 8 minutes of regulation and the overtime of the Germany game today.   I'll for sure watch the US tomorrow.



I've been hearing this argument regarding advertising being THE reason why soccer will not catch on in the US.  I don;t buy it.  Does the premier league (and others) not have any advertising revenue?  Even though there are no commercials there is still plenty of opportunity for advertisement throughout the game.  I doubt ESPN is losing money carrying it. Viewership numbers have been high, there is a market for it.  That market might only be there every four years though.  Many people, myself included, only watch soccer during the world cup.  I just don't think there is a market yet for a league that would compete with the top leagues in Europe for players. You don't see players that are good enough to play in the NBA choosing to play in Europe.


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## mriceyman (Jul 1, 2014)

Mls is now spending tons of money bringing in top talent from around the world  


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 1, 2014)

Whenever I watch soccer I see advertising all around the arena. Seeing how advertising works already in this country I wouldn't be surprised to see a "Pepsi corner kick" or see advertising on the players uniform itself. I mean they even have the name of the league sponsored in England, "Barclays premier league."

I'm guessing the stadium gets revenue for advertising around the field but other than that I'd say there are other revenue opportunities to capitalize on.


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## buellski (Jul 1, 2014)

Geoff said:


> Nobody is going to be willing to televise a pro soccer league unless it's on an obscure pay-extra TV channel.



I wouldn't say ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, or NBCSN are obscure TV channels and they all carry soccer games without commercials. Just google "mls on tv 2014". NBCSN regularly carries Premier League games live as well. As more and more kids grow up playing the game, I think you'll only see the sport's popularity grow in this country and it will become more mainstream. Regardless of what Ann Coulter says


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## drjeff (Jul 1, 2014)

buellski said:


> I wouldn't say ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, or NBCSN are obscure TV channels and they all carry soccer games without commercials. Just google "mls on tv 2014". NBCSN regularly carries Premier League games live as well. As more and more kids grow up playing the game, I think you'll only see the sport's popularity grow in this country and it will become more mainstream. Regardless of what Ann Coulter says



Still though for pro-soccer in the US, it's a TOUGH sell.  I stayed at the hotel at Patriot Place at Gillette Stadium this past Saturday night (my wife, who grew up in Foxboro, had her 25th high school reunion at a restaurant about a mile up route 1 Saturday night) and the New Enland Revolution had a home game that night.  We were able to easily get in/out of Gillette around game time, and eat dinner in Patriot Place at our choice of restaurants with no wait at 6PM (the game started around 7).  The Rev's typically draw somewhere around 10,000 for a game (The Patriots sell out 80,000 for every game by comparison).  The only time they get a REALLY big soccer crowd at Gillette is when there's a Men's national team game there with some local ties (for example if Portugal is playing basically all of the Fall River and New Bedford area will fill the stadium and the smell of Lingucia and Chericio will fill the parking lots!  )

I went to Gillette about a year ago with my daughter's comp soccer team to go see the US National Women's Team play the South Korean women's National Team (a rematch of the Olympic gold medal game from 2012) and there was maybe 10,000 in Gillette, and then again about 2 weeks ago when I went with the same group to see the US Women's National Team play the Frech Women's National Team in Hartford the announced attendance was just over 8,000.  

I enjoy watching soccer both live and on TV, but I think short of every 4 years during the world cup, it has a tough time with a regular media presence with decent numbers as the game at times can just be too "slow" with far too little scoring to keep the attention span of many casual fans


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## deadheadskier (Jul 1, 2014)

FTR - Foxboro capacity is 69K people, not 80K and the Revs drew almost 15K per game last season.  

I don't see the MLS ever catching the NFL regarding attendance, but the gap between the two will close for an abundance of reasons, especially regionally.  Seattle draws 44K people to their games already. 

 I understand why the Krafts wouldn't want to do it, but I've always thought the Revs would draw much better playing at Harvard Stadium.  As the capacity is only 30K for that stadium, the atmosphere would be much better than walling off a small section of Gillette.   It's location is also much closer to the areas of Boston with greater ethnic diversity who appreciate the game more.

20 years from now, I think we'll see a much different soccer scene in the US for a couple of reasons; growing ethnic diversity and the rapid decline of youth and High School football.  Programs are dropping like flies all around the country over the concussion issue.  That means more of the better youth athletes today will be playing soccer instead of football, which ultimately will result in better talent in both the MLS and on the US National team.


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## from_the_NEK (Jul 1, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> 20 years from now, I think we'll see a much different soccer scene in the US for a couple of reasons; growing ethnic diversity and the rapid decline of youth and High School football.  Programs are dropping like flies all around the country over the concussion issue.  That means more of the better youth athletes today will be playing soccer instead of football, which ultimately will result in better talent in both the MLS and on the US National team.



That right there is going to be HUGE for soccer in the US. Although, I think soccer is the sport just below football on the concussion list.


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## darent (Jul 1, 2014)

their was talk of not allowing heading in soccer  in thid state  because  of concussions,will this issue change all sports that have contact

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## soposkier (Jul 1, 2014)

If you are a sports fan and not watching the USA game, you are missing out.  I have also been enticed to buy Sony and fly emirates based on the infield advertisments.


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## ctenidae (Jul 1, 2014)

If you're _not_ a sports fan and missed the last 10 minutes of regular time, you missed out. Jeebus.


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 1, 2014)

soposkier said:


> If you are a sports fan and not watching the USA game, you are missing out.  I have also been enticed to buy Sony and fly emirates based on the infield advertisments.



Emirates is the best airline, bar none. My company flew me business class on the A380 in 2011 and it was the best experience I've ever had on a plane, and I'm not just saying that because there was a full bar in the back


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## deadheadskier (Jul 1, 2014)

darent said:


> their was talk of not allowing heading in soccer  in thid state  because  of concussions,will this issue change all sports that have contact
> 
> Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2



I haven't been following the concussion issue in soccer too closely.  Are most of the concussions the result of head to ball contact or two players challenging for a ball and knocking noggins?


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## soposkier (Jul 1, 2014)

ctenidae said:


> If you're _not_ a sports fan and missed the last 10 minutes of regular time, you missed out. Jeebus.



Damn that was an entertaining final 30 minutes to the game. USA had some chances to tie it up, then again if it weren't for Howard the US might have lost 4-1.  (Or worse)


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## Hawkshot99 (Jul 1, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> I haven't been following the concussion issue in soccer too closely.  Are most of the concussions the result of head to ball contact or two players challenging for a ball and knocking noggins?



Yes. But usually when 2 players go up for a header at the same time.


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## ctenidae (Jul 2, 2014)

darent said:


> their was talk of not allowing heading in soccer in thid state because of concussions,will this issue change all sports that have contact
> 
> Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2



Maybe they just change the rules so management can't cover up the prevalence of concussions, and coaches can't make players keep playing after a concussion.


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## from_the_NEK (Jul 2, 2014)

Soooo many close chances to win and/or tie. Howard was incredible. The most saves ever recorded in a World Cup game. He made some of them look a lot easier then they really were.


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## wa-loaf (Jul 2, 2014)




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## Warp Daddy (Jul 2, 2014)

Tim Howard was phenomenal !  he kept us in it and made it a serious contest . Belgium was impressive and hammered away 
The team did well in the WC comp  and soccer has a bright future here as DHS said the demographics continue to advance as minorities become the majority .and that fact alone will turn the tide .


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## 4aprice (Jul 2, 2014)

Every 4 years I watch in amazement how people get into the World Cup on one side and how there is a chorus of people who do not like soccer (football) on the other and they feel the need to broadcast their feelings to the point of irrationality.  It is a game and a sporting event for gods sake.  I personally like the game.  I not only enjoy the World Cup but also enjoy the Red Bulls in MLS (quality getting better) and EPL on Saturday and Sunday Mornings when the season starts up.  I don't see why it stirs such emotions in those who don't like it.  I grew up a big baseball fan but somewhere along the line lost interest in it.  I don't feel the need to broadcast that to everyone, I just don't watch too much of it.  

Soccer may or may not become a major player in the US sport scene.  Many of the tactics and plays are similar to Hockey which I love and would think many hockey fans appreciate soccer.  The new Red Bull Arena in Harrison is a beautiful facility to watch a game (match) in and averaging around 20k per game (cap 22-25K).  I personally love the crowds in Britain, the chanting and singing, (and the British announcers are great too).  I hope that soccer is becoming more popular and at some people will place it not above but along side our current major sports.  As MLS becomes better and more popular, national team will do likewise.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## ctenidae (Jul 2, 2014)

4aprice said:


> Every 4 years I watch in amazement how people get into the World Cup on one side and how there is a chorus of people who do not like soccer (football) on the other and they feel the need to broadcast their feelings to the point of irrationality. It is a game and a sporting event for gods sake. I personally like the game. I not only enjoy the World Cup but also enjoy the Red Bulls in MLS (quality getting better) and EPL on Saturday and Sunday Mornings when the season starts up. I don't see why it stirs such emotions in those who don't like it. I grew up a big baseball fan but somewhere along the line lost interest in it. I don't feel the need to broadcast that to everyone, I just don't watch too much of it.
> 
> Soccer may or may not become a major player in the US sport scene. Many of the tactics and plays are similar to Hockey which I love and would think many hockey fans appreciate soccer. The new Red Bull Arena in Harrison is a beautiful facility to watch a game (match) in and averaging around 20k per game (cap 22-25K). I personally love the crowds in Britain, the chanting and singing, (and the British announcers are great too). I hope that soccer is becoming more popular and at some people will place it not above but along side our current major sports. As MLS becomes better and more popular, national team will do likewise.
> 
> ...



Communist.


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 3, 2014)

http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/sto...photoshops-070214?cmpid=tsmfb:fscom:foxsoccer


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## deadheadskier (Jul 3, 2014)

One other thing I think about the MLS is that they should perhaps consider changing when games are played.  I think they'd be better off adopting the NFL's format of primarily having Sunday afternoon games.  I know I'd personally watch much fewer NFL games if they were played at 7PM on Saturday evenings like MLS does.


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## 4aprice (Jul 3, 2014)

deadheadskier said:


> One other thing I think about the MLS is that they should perhaps consider changing when games are played.  I think they'd be better off adopting the NFL's format of primarily having Sunday afternoon games.  I know I'd personally watch much fewer NFL games if they were played at 7PM on Saturday evenings like MLS does.



Do you think that would work for a league that plays primarily in the summer?  Fall is different and they should definitely try to avoid head to head with the NFL.  Most times I would say Saturday Night works better for me particularly as the days get shorter.  Love watching EPL Sat and Sunday mornings(perfect time for Me) but that's impractical for MLS.  Love when they have the occasional Wednesday Night game.  

Kaka is going to play for the new Orlando team.  He's worth the price of admission.  Henry and Cahill (see his goal against Netherlands) are world class players for our Red Bulls.  Red Bulls play Arsenal in a friendly in late July but tickets are real expen$ive.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## dlague (Jul 8, 2014)

I have noticed that since USA is out of it, there seems to be a lot less talk of World Cup.  It is like the Olympics where the USA does well we watch but when not doing so well - ah forget it!


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## wa-loaf (Jul 8, 2014)

I'm still following. Looking forward to the Germany vs Brazil game today.


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## soposkier (Jul 8, 2014)

wa-loaf said:


> I'm still following. Looking forward to the Germany vs Brazil game today.



I hope the rest of the tournament is not like that game.


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## steamboat1 (Jul 8, 2014)




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## 4aprice (Jul 8, 2014)

No sympathy for Brazil.  That's like feeling bad when the Yankee's, Canadians, or Steelers lose. 

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## skiNEwhere (Jul 9, 2014)

New Brazilian flag


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## bvibert (Jul 9, 2014)




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## wa-loaf (Jul 9, 2014)

bvibert said:


>



Ha, was just about to post that.


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## bvibert (Jul 10, 2014)




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## steamboat1 (Jul 13, 2014)




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## 4aprice (Jul 14, 2014)

I really enjoyed the final.  A good up and down game with chances at both ends.  The goal was a thing of beauty with a nice chest trap and drop to a left footed rocket.  Glad it didn't go to PK's as even the British announcers agreed that's the worst outcome.  Hopefully the 
tournament gained some new fans to the game here in the US.

Back to MLS this week with Red Bulls and Philly Wed night.  EPL starts up in a month.  If you enjoyed WC I urge you to give MLS some 
support.  A stronger MLS will give the National team a big boost for the next WC.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## wa-loaf (Jul 14, 2014)

steamboat1 said:


>



The anthem is whatever, but the pics make me want to go back for a visit. I'd love to take like a month for a summer and bring the kids.

I was in Munich when Germany won in 1990, that was one hell of a party.


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## ctenidae (Jul 23, 2014)

http://nesn.com/2014/07/football-at-fenway-nesn-will-re-air-liverpool-as-roma-at-midnight/

I was trying to be in Boston tonight, but it didn't work out.


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## 4aprice (Jul 28, 2014)

Didn't go but Red Bull's defeated Arsenal 1-0 in a friendly at Red Bull Arena Saturday.  Hope they can make a run at the playoffs.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## mriceyman (Jul 29, 2014)

I was at the redbull playoff game last year . What a brutal loss that was. And now they changed the playoffs to aggregate


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