my thoughts -
1. when i'm watching a soccer match, i love it when the announcers have british accents (i particularly enjoy tommy smith). i HATE IT when they have a couple of american dudes do the game. for some reason, i just can't stand to hear an american accent in a soccer game. same goes for track; ato boldin has been added to CBS's staff and he has a wonderful carribbean voice that is soothing to the ear, but then you have carol lewis and dwight stone who make you want to slit your ears. anyway, my advice to everyone, if the game has american announcers, switch to the spanish channel. much more enjoyable.
2. i believe that to truly enjoy soccer, you can't care so much about who wins. just enjoy the match. it's not about the number of goals scored; it's about the number of chances, the style of play, the moments of individual ball-handling brilliance (Ronaldinho), etc. That is why everybody should make it a point to watch Brazil. They are an absolute joy to watch.
3. i heard somewhere (so this might not be true) that kirk herbstreit, on his radio show, said that if he were to take reggie bush and the other great tackle football athletes, and give them 5 weeks, that they would be able to beat Team USA in soccer.
If this is indeed true that he said this...... he is embrassing not only himself, but all quarterbacks, all football players, all Centerville and/or OSU alumni/fans, all ESPN commentators, all white Americans, and all good-looking people with his sheer idiocy.
This is my one pet-peeve; Americans do not realize how INCREDIBLY SKILLED AND ATHLETIC soccer players are. And I've never played soccer, so it's not like I'm biased here.
If there was a loose ball, yeah, Reggie Bush would get to it first....but then, what would he do with the ball? Pick it up and tuck it under his arm, and sprint and stiff-arm his way towards the goalie? Forget about 5 weeks....give them the rest of their lives.....and they would still get waxed by Team USA. Developing soccer skills takes a lifetime, and you really have to develop the mind-foot coordination as a youngster.
soccer is pretty much the #1 sport around the world. in africa and south america, it's pretty much the only sport (because it requires no equipment, just a ball). you don't need to join these ridiculous organized youth soccer mom leagues; just juggle and mess around with the kids on your block, and play street and beach soccer. Ronaldinho, the best player in the world thanks to his MAGICAL foot-work, grew up playing beach soccer.
Girls love soccer players. So in a great number of these countries, pretty much every boy grows up playing soccer, because in addition to being fun, it will also make them popular. So you've got billions of people all trying to get good at one game.....you don't think that the top players that emerge from the group are going to be athletic? the elite players not only have incredible skills, but they are also incredibly athletic. they are fast, lightning quick, and great jumpers.
Herbstreit is insulting not just Team USA, but the entire world with his ridiculous comments (once again, i didn't hear him, so maybe he never said this). He makes himself look like your stereotypical stupid idiot American that thinks that soccer is a "pussy" sport (i'd rather get tackled than kicked in the face or balls with sharp cleats at full speed, or crack skulls as I go for a header).
that's all for now. i've got a lot more opinions about soccer. but just to recap, here is my advice:
1. only watch games with either spanish announcers of guys with english accents
2. don't worry so much about who wins; just enjoy the game. watch teams that play exciting, fast-break, fluid soccer (like brazil); avoid watching games that feature dull teams with shoddy passing if you're not a big fan.
3. don't listen to idiot americans, no matter how good-looking they are.
