I know it is off subject but it is a little bit European related. The web master can pull it if he likes. Just have to say something about the accomplishments of the American women's soccer team. That was an amazing win for any soccer team. Played close to perfection especially on the set plays situations. Well done. Congratulations !!!!
PS. Even the referring was good.
Actually, more impressive was England's accomplishment. While I was cheering for the USA yesterday, they were expected to win that game. England was expected to roll over for Germany -- England had never beaten Germany before. England was the team that was supposed to be "just happy to be here" as even with a loss, it would have been the furthest they had ever progressed. Is this the time that England joins the group of Germany, France, and Sweden and be a regular UEFA contender?
That was awesome! I love to watch superb performances in sports. As a woman who grew up when there were not many opportunities for girls in sports, I especially love to see women perform at such a high level.
It will be interesting to see if the U.S. ever embraces soccer like Europe and the rest of the world does.
Aw, Mike, don't rain on their parade. That was an awesome accomplishment. England played well but had a bit of back lucky at the end but still the Americans dominated and won. Being expected to win and winning are not the same. You play the game.
Carroll, I doubt it. Not many Americans have ever played soccer. And it is a money issue. Remember there was 93 minutes of prime time with millions watching and not a single commercial.
It will be interesting to see if the U.S. ever embraces soccer like
Europe and the rest of the world does.
IMO we are very close to it. I'm a NY Red Bull season ticket holder, and last weekend was the first match between the RB and the new NYFC team across the river at Yankees Stadium. The match was sold out, and the metro north commuter trains from the burbs to the stadium and the subway from the city were jam packed with fans of both teams. So not only are fans flocking to the games, they are also getting to the stadium like Euros do:)
In addition to that, one can also watch live EPL matches on main NBC channel on some Saturday mornings. Never thought I would live to see the day that would happen.
Also want to give a plug for the Men's team, the Gold Cup (the North American soccer championships) starts this week at venues across the US and Toronto. More details here:
Michael, I hope your are predicting the future but it is still bleak in the mid-west and west. But there is hope. My cousin is an old (wore out- early 70s) 49er's lineman and he watched all the games with strong interest.
still bleak in the mid-west and west.
Don't know about that. During last nights final did you not notice the multiple cutaways to the fans celebrating in Kansas City (the only city Fox used)? The MLS teams in Seattle, Portland, LA, and Salt Lake are selling out their stadium at most matches.
Soccer is catching on in this area, especially for the younger and older folks with many active participants and highly developed school as well as club programs. We especially enjoy watching the high school girls play...such a dramatic change from the time when cheerleading was generally the only sports opportunity for girls in high school. As for the Women's World Cup....a splendid championship match. Well done ladies!
Edit: Not many Americans have ever played soccer. True for me, so I coached youth indoor and outdoor soccer for many years. So many kids have been exposed to soccer at least at a recreational level if not beyond. I dare say more kids in this area play/played soccer than most (all?) of the "major" sports. Drop by the pitches and see for yourself.
I dare say more kids in this area play/played soccer than most (all?) of the "major" sports. Drop by the pitches and see for yourself.
That's certainly true in my city, Bruce. Besides giving girls more opportunities for team sports than they used to have, it's a sport which is more accommodating of kids of all sorts of sizes than many others. It also doesn't require indoor space - although we do have a number of covered fields for all-season play.
Why is the US womens futbol team more competitive, in international competition, than the US mens team?
um ... Because men can get paid squillions of dollars to play football (NFL), baseball and basketball, leaving soccer as the poor cousin. As there is basically no money (and little exposure) in women's sport, they can choose to go where their talent takes them.
Yes, there's gender [edited] discrimination in international futbol.
But my question was (assuming gender description in all countries), why is the US womens futbol team so much better than the US mens team, relative to the competition that each team faces?
$ $ $ $ $ $ Not a gender thing, a money thing.
As I said talented athletic men are off chasing dollars in other more lucrative sports.
On PBS tonight they pointed out that the US women got $2 million to share as the winners vs the $30 (or was it $35?) million that the German men got. The US men got $8 million and they didn't even win.
It was a great game. I watched in a local pub here in Inwood. The owners of the pub cranked up American Pie when the game ended and the entire place sang along. :)
It is frustrating to still see the posts putting them down and saying that any UK youth league could beat them--I doubt it! It may be that it's time for another Billie Jean/Bobby Riggs moment. I would have hoped that we would be past those comparison's by now! Let's see the men play on astro turf next time!
Pam
Aw, Mike, don't rain on their parade.
I was unaware that I rained on anyone's parade. The US was the odds on favorite to beat Japan, and was co-favorite to win it all before the tournament started. That doesn't mean that the games are easy or that winning isn't significant. And I was cheering with them for every game. I was just trying to complement England on their great run where they punched well above their weight. The more good teams there are, the better the sport is.
Why is the US womens futbol team more competitive, in international competition, than the US mens team?
It's a couple things. First, it has been on a meteoric rise the past few decades and is almost to the point of becoming the most popular women's sport. Second, the US got a jump on other countries because they either didn't care about women's soccer or banned it entirely. The US has far more girls in youth soccer than the rest of the world. So, the US has a much larger talent pool to draw from and got a jump on the rest of the world. Men's soccer has just the opposite set up: a smaller talent pool because other sports draw the best athletes away and the US was relatively apathetic about soccer until recently. Even so, it is still treated in as a second class sport outside of the soccer hotbeds.
Mike,
Thanks for the informative answer!
Mike W. is missing the bigger picture. The USAs female dominance in the sport is 90% a result of something called "Title IX". It's a clause in the Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program....including sports. All schools and universities accepting any kind of federal funding must have completely balanced sports programs for both sexes.
More details here:
Congratulations to the U.S. Women's Soccer team! Well done!
I was at that game in Vancouver, the energy was electric thanks to the large contingent of Red White and Blue supporters. As a Canadian soccer fan married to a Spaniard, we hope that the success of the USA women's team will ultimately benefit the sport as a whole in both the US and Canada. As well as being a money issue, I believe it is as well a cultural issue. We are many years away from soccer moving up the "status" level against hockey (in Canada) and the big 3 (football, baseball and basketball) in the US. I think if the US really embraced soccer, they would dominate with the resources and population to draw from. Congratulations to the USWNT - a well deserved victory. Really great sportsmanship exhibited too from both the fans in the stadium and the women on the field.
Emma, unfortunately this reminds me of Sepp Blatter, the under suspicion FIFA President, who when asked how they might be able to increase interest in the women's game, suggested tighter shorts for them all. You can't cure cave man. Additionally, all the women's games were played on artificial turf, whereas the men play only on real turf, lessening their risk of injury and "turf burns". Sounds like a basic lack of respect for women to me.
I am a big fan of our local teams, Sounders and Reign. And although I would love to see more matches, my money is saved up for travel. Off to Barcelona in September and I am waiting for the schedule to come out. Don't know whether it will be a possibility to catch a game at Camp Nou to watch FC Barcelona, but I am sure going to try.
Seattle soccer fans love their teams.
I'm jealous of Seattle and the passion that city shows for soccer. I wish more American cities were like that.
I thought the USA Women were the team to beat from the outset. I'm hoping that there isnt a let down in the coming year(s). I'm really looking forward to 2019 Women's World Cup in France.
US television ratings indicate about 26 million Americans tuned in to see their team win the final, including Spanish-language viewers. That figure is big-time in anyone's league. Money is sure to follow. Unfortunate downside: FIFA can smell money at the ends of the earth.
I hope that the team is enjoying their ticker tape parade today in NYC. Carli Lloyd is from New Jersey and went to Rutgers. NYC tends to claim people from NJ and Rutgers as their own. :)
