~ Becks will propably make his US debut in about 10 minutes ~

[CutMeMick]

Can't wait really...

ESPN's been running a 1 hr. show titles 'Beckhams the begining'

Great inside look at the transcition from the begining.

[Punisher136]

I actually watched it.

[CutMeMick]

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!
Add one more to the fan list.

[Punisher136]

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!
Add one more to the fan list. 

I dunno about all that. The one kick he made was ridiculously accurate and i only watched from the 52nd minute on or so. I'm sure if i would've watched the WHOLE thing i'd've been bored out of my mind. It's kind've right below baseball and basketball for me right now. I'll watch those games pretty regularly but i don't have a favorite team i root for. I won't be watching soccer all the time but maybe it'll grow on me like basketball did a few years ago.

I had a bad experience in every one of those sports

[El Kabong]

I actually watched it.

Good for you CC


Everyone damn near fainted when Becks went down from that tackle, hahaha.


Punisher it helps to consume alcohol whilst watching the match.....also it helps if you don't know from good soccer either.

Like I watch the EPL and it's VERY hard to watch MLS after that....the MLS has good players but the team play isn't up to par yet.



It was absolutely amazing to see an arena PACKED for soccer and it wasn't the world cup or anything.....AAAAHHHHH-Nold was there, Eva Longoria, Katie Holmes, Kevin Garnett, all those people were there along with a ton of other people it was great!

Soccer should catch on here and if it does everyone had better watch out, we've put out average players without soccer being a top sport and if it was we'd have a lot better players and coaches and everything.

With the NBA floundering a bit since Jordan left ....I would LOOOOOVE to see soccer take it's place

[skyler]

That ain't happenin', like ever. This MLS will be like the XFL. Alot of people tuned in the very first week to see what all the hoopla was about, and then, once they saw it, they realized they don't care for it, and stopped watching. This country simply doesn't like watching soccer.

[Canvasback]

That ain't happenin', like ever. This MLS will be like the XFL. Alot of people tuned in the very first week to see what all the hoopla was about, and then, once they saw it, they realized they don't care for it, and stopped watching. This country simply doesn't like watching soccer.

Got to agree with you. Soccer in this country is very popular with kids. For some reason after they get into high school most leave the sport. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey and even lacrosse seem to be much more popular in this country. I like soccer and even played when I was in high school in the late 60's. If I remember right we hardly ever got spectators at our games.

[El Kabong]

Right now Ice Hockey is floundering, Lacrosse is SHITE! The only reason it's on tv is because it's piggy backed on the Duke Lacrosse case!!!

I played lacrosse and I played ice hockey, they are fun and all but they are regional sports and very expensive.

Soccer is good, the MLS has lasted 11 years and is begining to grow...the NASL lasted only 16 years and for the longest time played in empty stadiums on horrible fields.

But you look at the era of the NASL 1968-1984...that was the hay-day of MLB in the 60's and 70's and 80's....the NFL was BOOMING in those years (until the 1982 strike and the USFL), and the NBA was off the hook, Dr. J, Jordan, Bird, Johnson all of those guys were around then.

Look at what the MLS has to compete with now: NHL is trying to win back fans from the strike, MLB is dealing with the steroid scandal though it's doing quite well, the NFL has image issues, Michael Vick, the Vikings' Sex Boat etc, the NBA has an image issue as well as having at least one Ref who bet on the games.


I think the MLS is going to grow at the right time, Beckham's time here will hopefully lead to more viewers and more fans. MLS needs rivalries, it needs buzz, it needs stars and I think right now the 3rd and 4th spot of Major Sport is up for grabs and the MLS has a chance (as good or better than ever) to fill the whole Ice Hockey is creating and if the NBA doesn't watch out it'll fall too!

[El Kabong]

The big problem with Soccer here in the States is a marketing problem....we have an idea of what soccer is and obviously it is different than EVERYWHERE ELSE!

When Americans think soccer we think Kiddie Kickers, Soccer Moms, Minivans, Capri Sun drinks and EVERYONE GETTING A TROPHY WIN OR LOSE!!!!

"Football" everywhere else is CUT THROAT! And we should know!!!! In 1994 Colombia's Andres Escobar scored an own goal which let the US go on to beat Colombia 2-1......once he returned to Colombia he was friggin MURDERED!....now we don't need that but people take this shit seriously! David Beckham got death threats for getting sent off vs Argentina in 1998. There are great rivalries across the globe and great athletes we've never seen before and honestly if America ever catches the soccer bug (which it should as many kids that play it) we will become instantly one of the best teams in the world.

The national team does very well but fans can't wrap their heads around a League just yet...but Beckham's arrival will only help. They have been very smart to last this long and to develop consistantly over the past 10 years.

In America we don't have teams with history, we don't have rivalries that anyone knows about, we don't have well known stars we don't have eye catching play and our BEST players are either on teams in the middle of nowhere like Freddy Adu in Salt Lake or we have players who don't have any support like Quamhotec Blanco in Chicago.

America needs to know the best players and their stories and I think the good actions they have taken are Addidas' "impossible is nothing" campaign starring Beckham, Altidore, and others.....I also think the MLS "you're a fan you just don't know it yet" campaign is good as well. The more commercials and the more the marketing is more of a "you NEED this" variety the more fans soccer will have. I am sure ESPN will feature Beckham in many of their future commercials and they have a vested intrest in the MLS and I think that's a HUGE PRO because that's more than what Ice Hockey has right now.

I also think not going head to head vs Football is a very good thing.

[Canvasback]

Lyle, you made some good points. I'd love to see it flourish in the US. Basketball and hockey seem to be dying a slow death so maybe soccer has a chance. Several years ago my son and I went to a NE Revolution game. While the stadium (Gillette in Foxboro, Ma.) was only about half full it was a very enjoyable time. The fans were knowledgeable about the game and there was no rowdyness like there is at NE Patriots games.

[El Kabong]

People complain about ticket prices and salaries of pro athletes but those guys out there (the majority of them) in the MLS play because they love the game and they try very hard....the play is hard to stand sometimes if you know good play but if you don't ignorance is bliss .....those guys make up for their lack of talent by playing hard and that's great

The majority of those guys won't ever play for a national team or be on billboards but they leave it all out there on the pitch and I like it.

The facts are Canvasback, the US is going to get better at soccer, we're going to finally have the marketable players FROM THE US getting exposure: Johnson, Donovan, Adu, Altidore, Cooper, Mapp, and Bradley in the MLS, and when guys like Dempsey flourish overseas we'll take note of it and be proud of it. All those players will build on the MLS and make it worth it.

As our national team goes so goes the intrest in soccer....the US National team is getting better and the new coach (albeit not the best but he's good) will make our team better. I think soccer will be doing VERY well in the US when the next Cup comes around.

[skel1983]

People complain about ticket prices and salaries of pro athletes but those guys out there (the majority of them) in the MLS play because they love the game and they try very hard....the play is hard to stand sometimes if you know good play but if you don't ignorance is bliss .....those guys make up for their lack of talent by playing hard and that's great

The majority of those guys won't ever play for a national team or be on billboards but they leave it all out there on the pitch and I like it.

The facts are Canvasback, the US is going to get better at soccer, we're going to finally have the marketable players FROM THE US getting exposure: Johnson, Donovan, Adu, Altidore, Cooper, Mapp, and Bradley in the MLS, and when guys like Dempsey flourish overseas we'll take note of it and be proud of it. All those players will build on the MLS and make it worth it.

As our national team goes so goes the intrest in soccer....the US National team is getting better and the new coach (albeit not the best but he's good) will make our team better. I think soccer will be doing VERY well in the US when the next Cup comes around.

Have a cc Lyle you make some great points there dude i agree with alot of what you say. But give it times and you never know.

[El Kabong]

If they sell the game properly to males age 18-30 it'll be a hit....they started marketing to parents and the family and after a while I am sure that will pay off.

I just hope Beckham's arrival in the US is as good for the league and the sport as it will be for him

[katfight]

its so weird to read about how u all see football lol

it really is cut throat here
from the teams you've heard of the man u's and chelsea's and arsenal's
having rivalrys
down to lower league teams

ppl support thier teams with ernest no matter how high in the league tables they are
it brings ppl together here that normally wouldnt be
then wen england play
all rivalry out the window and we all love each other
hahahahaha it sounds funny wen u write it

[Memphis]

You should hear some of the tales people tell in my neck of the woods. We dont have a premiership team in good o'l Bristol so people (kids and knobheads) go to all sorts of lengths to support a premiership team, my uncles mates sister once went to watch Manchester Utd................and so on and so forth

The worst are the ones that try and make it a bit less obvious and wind up supporting Villa or Everton