U.S. Soccer popularity
With the 2016 Summer Olympics approaching, Americans are looking forward to joining one another to cheer on the men and women sporting the red, white, and blue. Among the featured sports are the lesser-renowned sprint canoeing and table tennis — both appreciated amongst each event’s competitors, but maybe not something the casual sports fan can sink their teeth into.
People are anticipating yet another dominating performance from the men’s basketball team, featuring MVPs Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Missy Franklin aims to again be one of the world’s greatest swimmers after her impressive 2012 London Olympics showcase. Yet despite the dedication these athletes put into their craft, there is one sport that captures a particular interest around the world — football.
Not four downs and Cam Newton, but 90+ minutes and Lionel Messi.
Soccer, or “football” as the rest of the world calls it, is gaining traction and popularity here in the United States. The men’s national team made it into the round of 16 before being beaten 2-1 by the Belgian national team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The women’s team won the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada after routing Japan 5-2. 25.4 million Americans turned their televisions to the match, making it the most-watched soccer match in U.S. history — second being United States vs Portugal during the 2014 World Cup group stage. World class striker and pretty boy Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portuguese squad tied the U.S. 2-2 in a the game that drew 18.2 million viewers.
Everybody likes winning, but America really, really likes winning. The success of the USWNT has — along with growing interest in the USMNT — driven many to think of soccer as an actual sport, instead of “That game where you don’t use your hands,” as my father once called it.
He now asks me, a Manchester United fan, and my brother, a Liverpool fan, if we saw the most recent match.
As people grow to understand the sport, more and more will watch highlights on their phones, or catch that curling goal into the top-left corner. They’ll remember names like Messi and Ronaldo, but as understanding grows, they’ll discuss names like Vardy and Wondolowski.
The Olympics might not be the cream of the crop, as most footballers wait until World Cup season to give it their all for their countries, but Rio de Janeiro should still expect an entertaining month of box-to-box action. It’s a time to see the youth come into their own, a glimpse of what they can expect to bring home to their fellow citizens.
The U.S., not qualifying for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, will host the Copa America tournament, a competition among 16 national teams across North, Central, and South America. The USMNT will seek their 1st Copa America trophy as they take on the likes of Brazil, Argentina, and the ever-powerful Uruguay.
The U.S. faces off against Colombia in the tournament opener on Friday at 7:30 MT. I’ll be watching, as will my dad, to make sure I know that the players aren’t using their hands.
— Sean Coghlan
— sdcoghlan@yahoo.com