And so the madness begins. We're talking soccer here, or football, as the world beyond the US knows it, the beautiful game. The World Cup starts in South Africa in a few weeks time and for me, kicks off in earnest when the USA plays England on June 12th.
In our household this inaugural game holds special significance. I am American, my husband is an Englishman and our children are dual nationals, though being born and raised in the UK means they are essentially English. Although they are proud of their heritage on both sides, I know that in a full-blown soccer face-off between England and the USA, there is no contest. I am resigned to being the lone USA supporter for miles around, except for maybe the Scottish guy who lives up the road. (The Scots, allegedly, support any team in any sport if they are playing against the English.)
I don't know how much notice this tournament receives in the States these days, though I suspect outside of soccer-playing circles, it is not followed with much interest, which is a shame. The World Cup has all the hallmarks of an event which would appeal to the American psyche, if only we were a soccer-loving nation. It's got patriotism, drama, competitiveness, even David Beckham, though his role this year due to injury will be largely ambassadorial. At its heart, it has the sport's most talented players giving their all not for money, which they already earn in breathtaking abundance, but for national pride. This last aspect is what will change the face of England over the upcoming weeks.
While we Americans are comfortable in expressing our national pride, the English are far more reticent. We've got the Stars and Stripes flying over every gas station but in the UK you rarely see a flag flying, even in front of public buildings. The English are a comparatively self-deprecating people. My personal theory is that some leftover sense of embarrassment over their exploitation/empire building in the past has left them reluctant to make overtly nationalistic displays. But during the World Cup that understatement goes out the window.
The English flag, the Cross of St. George, will appear everywhere in honor of the English soccer team until they get knocked out of the competition. Latent tribalism will be reawakened. There will be legions of pasty, shirtless men singing drunkenly in the streets with the local Bobbies issuing reminders that public urinating and vomiting are offences under the law. Heaven knows what will happen if England wins the cup but that hasn't happened since 1966.
I am no expert on soccer and don't follow it unless it is a special contest like the World Cup but I will be rooting for the USA, the underdogs in this case. I hope to see that team USA is improving over time as the players who fell in love with the game as children grow up and we as a nation take more interest in the sport. It is a fast-moving, exciting sport, even though it is possible for a game to end in a tie, except during the World Cup. During the tournament any games ending in a draw after extra time will be resolved by a "penalty shoot out," the three words other than "Rooney off, injured" that are guaranteed to chill the English heart.
Those of you who follow soccer will know that Rooney is England's best player. Those of you who don't follow soccer, why not watch a few games this summer? Team USA needs your support.
© Julia Barr 2010
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Good Luck to the U.S. - but I think due to family ties we'll probably be cheering England :)
http://checkthedryer.com/fitba/The%20Spinners%20-%20Football%20Crazy.mp3
and kudos to the editors for giving a soccer post some recognition!
I think the US actually has a decent chance to make it to the quarter or semi finals. If they can make it out of the group stage, they'll play Germany, who is depleted with the loss of Michael Ballack. Beyond that, things are up in the air, but I'm confident we can tie England and win the other group games and make it to play Germany, when things will open wide up and its every team for themselves
Daniel--You may be surprised and really enjoy it.
Studman--Yeah, you can count on things not going all to plan with some of the favorites not doing as well as expected. I've heard the USA team is not bad this year and a good performance would get them some much needed public recognition. Go USA!
What's with the "allegedly"? The T-shirt/bumper sticker thing "My favorite teams are X and whoever is playing Y" started with X=Scotland and Y=England. Since I moved across the pond, X=UCLA and Y=USC for college sports.
I shall definitely be rooting for the US in the upcoming game against England, though otherwise I will just be hoping for a good tournament overall.
Norwonk--Beating Brazil in 1998? That must have been fabulous! I know how excited everybody gets here as the competition gets going. Mind you, when the team gets knocked out the entire nation goes into a deep depression--lots of soul searching, breast beating and gnashing of teeth. The anticipation is building up.
G-o-o-a-a-l-l-l!
Qualifications start almost 3 years in advance with dozens of regional tournaments that stretch over months. At this point every soccer (football to the rest of the world) playing country has a chance. I remember that around 1990, the Faroe Islands won some game and tied another and for a few months, they had an outside chance to qualify. But eventually it comes down to the 32.
The 32 are seeded, so that 8 are designated As and they cannot be in the same group. Likewise with the next set of 8 Bs. This ensures that the top clubs rarely get knocked out early by a bad luck draw.
The game itself has a compelling rhythm, especially as it is played during the World Cup. I usually cheer for whichever country has the most pleasing style of play. Often this means Brazil but in 2006 it meant Argentina and since they have Messi and Tevez returning, it might be them again. I do have a soft spot for England despite their frequent uninventive play. I guess spending a lot of time there touched my sentimental side. And there's always some plucky underdog that's worth cheering for.
This year it would be great to see an African club get to the final. I'm really looking forward to this - my favorite sports event of all.
Bellwether--Pull up a chair with some of those shrimp of yours and a cold frothy something and enjoy the spectacle.
Abrawang--You know more about the tournament than I do. I agree that it is generally well organized and exciting. Do you remember Nessun Dorma from Italia '90? Classic stuff.
Emma--I've never been in the right part of the country to get into hocky much although it is strangely popular in North Carolina where my parents moved recently. I wish the States would take more interest in soccer.
Tomreedtoon--I'm not entirely new to geekdom, believe me. It's quite a nice refuge now that I' ve reached a certain age!
Thanks for reading everyone!
I have been a lifelong Blackhawks fan.
I have season tickets for all the games~~front row-couch.
I will watch every game of this REAL North American sport as, it is the very best and most exciting sport of all.
Kickyball can put Lunesta out of business.
ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The biggest difference between soccer and "pointy" (US) football is that pointy football is a coach's game where nothing happens without the coach's intervention. Everything, every play, is choreographed down to the minute details, even atthe Pop Warner level. Soccer is a player's game. Once my kids go on the field, there is not much I, as coach, can do to control the situation. While the decisions they make in a match are based on the training I provide, I don't (can't, really) make the decisions for them. Indeed, it is counterproductive for me even to attempt to do so.
My road to soccer coach-dom was a bit long and circuitous and I did not play the game growing up. I played pointy football in high school, college, and 6 years of semi-pro ball (or, as my wife called it, "semi football") but got into soccer 20+ years ago when my son's coach quit in the middle of the season. I violated a hard learned tenet of quite a few years in the military not to volunteer for anything; the rest, as they say, is history. I still like a good pointy football game but would switch off the Super Bowl to watch Man U. play Chelsea (or probably anyone) or Barcelona play Real Madrid (but not to watch any Italian flop-ball).
Beentheredonethat--How many times have the USA women's team already won the world cup? The women do so well. My local team is actually Leeds, who you are probably aware had a pretty spectacular fall from grace a few years back. I used to love watching my son play best of all though. I wonder if the parents in the US are as bad as some of the parents on the sidelines here in the UK? That probably goes with any sport though. As a coach of a youth team, I'm sure you'll know.
It becomes much more complicated when the U.S. and Brazil play, as you know. I'm almost glad that pairing doesn't happen often. Who do I root for, in that case? Until the U.S. public really gets behind it, it will be a sort of insider event, as you've noted, but to Brazil it means everything. During World Cup games, work stops, school stops, business stops, traffic stops. My fantasy in that case is that the U.S. terrifies Brazil, down to the wire, hard game, penalty kicks. The TV announcers are baffled, on the edge of their seats. My husband is slumped down on the couch, grouchy and annoyed. My friends are biting their nails. But in the fantasy, I guess Brazil wins. It just lifts the nation, if you know what I mean.
But the day - and it is coming fast - that the U.S. starts to pay attention and know what a World Cup victory means is the day I'll be 100% behind the U.S. in any contest against Brazil.
Go Brazil! Go U.S.A! Just don't go against each other!
Soccer is getting here---slowly but steadily. It is unlikely that it will ever reach the intensity of what is effectively a national holiday called Super Bowl Sunday, but it is slowly getting on the radar screen. I may personally be a soccer fanatic, but I see nothing wrong with US exceptionalism in sports---why can't Americans simply enjoy American football and baseball more than some other sport? Is there something wrong with Dominicans loving baseball above all other sports or Indians and Pakistanis being cricket fans and ignoring soccer. (You note I call it soccer, not football---a pet peeve is the group of purists (those we call Eurosnobs) who constantly putdown Americans for not being as sophisticated as they because we refer to gridiron football as "football").
Dave Z--I love your line about supporting whoever is playing Italy. Ha! England bids for the 2018 games at the moment so who knows it may come here then.
gene13--Yeah, I get lots of static from my teenagers when I use the word "soccer". You make a good point about nothing being wrong with Americans preferring baseball or football. True but I think with all the young people who play soccer, the interest is bound to grow and the US might get into the worldwide spirit that goes with the World Cup.