Congrats to Japan!

[dundermuffin]

in the end basically the US choked away PKs...nothing else to it. All people complaining about unsportsmanlike play should know that there is a time and place for committing fouls on purpose - it is part of the game.

[Wiyld]

You only hear the few loudmouths who claim the USA don't care about soccer. There are areas around the country here that have a substantial following for the sport. It's simply that football is usually the most televised/broadcast sport on a national level, which increases exponentially during the Super Bowl playoffs -- it becomes a national spectacle and takes over major broadcasting networks. Even baseball/World Series gets more coverage. If soccer got the same treatment, people would change their tune. Alas, we already have enough sports dominating the spotlight which doesn't offer much room for it.

As for me, I played from age 4 to age 11. Loved the sport. Disliked some of the people it attracted, so I stopped playing.

P.S. Watched the full game. The way the USA played for much of the game, the end result was very surprising. The panic that ensued on that one defensive play inside their box caused a botched clear across the mouth of the goal -- always a no-no, and they got burned. Had it been cleared the other way, the outcome of the game would have changed. No doubt.

Unfortunately no matter how much you happen to like soccer, it is not a highly preferred sport in the US. In fact, I can prove it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OQLo4HBUY0...1600-h/UT1.jpg

Take a look at that little pic.

Also ESPN has done multiple surveys about this and the results are as follows:

1. Pro Football
2. Pro Basketball
3. Pro Baseball
4. College Football
5. College Basketball
6. NASCAR
7. Pro Wrestling
8. Pro Hockey
9. Arena Football League
10. Women's Pro Basketball
11. Pro Soccer
12. Indy Car Racing

So yeah even pro wrestling and ( LOL ) womens basketball beat soccer out in popularity in the US. I live in a major US city with a home MLS team, they actually won the MLS cup a few years ago and the stadium is still empty. They actually give the tickets out for free, including a free meal, and people STILL do not go to watch them play. The city only has a Hockey team and a Soccer team, it's not like they have to compete with an NFL team or anything.....and people STILL do not take the free ticket and a meal to go see them.

So while soccer has become a great way for scared mothers to let their kids be 'involved' without playing those 'dangerous' sports like football...it really hasn't accomplished a whole lot more. The irony of course is that soccer is anything but safe..but that's a convo for another day.

[Valeron]

Yeah it's definitely still a niche sport in the US. And sadly it has become an elitist one as well for the youth. Club costs are about 10 times what it was when I played about 15 years ago. So if you want to play competitively then you better have some money.

Well I should edit this. Really it's an elitist sport for the women. The boys side there are still a lot of options to play whether you have money or not, on the girls side it's pretty much all about the money.

[xotrem]

being from the US im honestly happy Japan won. At least there team will get the congratz they deserve. If the US team had won no one in the US would care bc its not the mens team.

I disagree completely. In the US hardly no ine would care because it is soccer. The majority of people in the US ignores soccer and think it is a game for lower and middle school children to play. Kinda sad really when you think about it.

[conscript]

Unfortunately no matter how much you happen to like soccer, it is not a highly preferred sport in the US. In fact, I can prove it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_OQLo4HBUY0...1600-h/UT1.jpg

Take a look at that little pic.

Also ESPN has done multiple surveys about this and the results are as follows:

1. Pro Football
2. Pro Basketball
3. Pro Baseball
4. College Football
5. College Basketball
6. NASCAR
7. Pro Wrestling
8. Pro Hockey
9. Arena Football League
10. Women's Pro Basketball
11. Pro Soccer
12. Indy Car Racing

So yeah even pro wrestling and ( LOL ) womens basketball beat soccer out in popularity in the US. I live in a major US city with a home MLS team, they actually won the MLS cup a few years ago and the stadium is still empty. They actually give the tickets out for free, including a free meal, and people STILL do not go to watch them play. The city only has a Hockey team and a Soccer team, it's not like they have to compete with an NFL team or anything.....and people STILL do not take the free ticket and a meal to go see them.

So while soccer has become a great way for scared mothers to let their kids be 'involved' without playing those 'dangerous' sports like football...it really hasn't accomplished a whole lot more. The irony of course is that soccer is anything but safe..but that's a convo for another day.

How old is that graphic? College Football is by far the country's second most popular sport now behind the NFL. Baseball and basketball are down, especially baseball, hockey is up certainly above the WWE. I'm not going to argue that MLS isn't popular, because it simply isn't. The MLS works in a couple cities around the country, like Seattle, everywhere else it is an absolute joke that no one attends or watches on TV.

If that graphic is related to anything ESPN just completely ignore it. It is no secret that ESPN props up their own franchises in their polls and shows incredible favoritism to certain sports or franchises.

[stacy111]

Well done and i really proud of you.

[Deleted]

Congratz Japan!!