USA! USA!...or "Why People Don't Like Soccer"

I just got done watching the US play Italy in the World Cup. It was a pretty good game (except for the ref who was handing out cards like it was Christmas). The US stayed alive in it's hopes of advancing out of Pool play and into the round of 16.

All this sounds great, right? Most people would have hated it though because the game ended in a tie. A tie? In the biggest soccer event in the world? And a tie was a good game? OK, so it may be a tough concept for some of you to grasp, but, yes, a tie can be a good game.

Everyone always knocks soccer. There's not enough scoring. It's too slow. The rest of the world calls it football so it must suck. To all of you out there who think this...screw you.

It's not called "the beautiful sport" for no reason. Just watch Brazil play and you'll see a showcase of talent. I think the only reason that people don't care for soccer is that we've stunk for so long that no one cares. We only care about sports in which we can kick the rest of the world's ass. Like basketball...oops!

Sure, the US may not advance out of Pool play. Many folks will look at that as a failure, but it's not. Just to qualify for the World Cup is a great achievement. France won the World Cup in 1998 and didn't advance in 2002. They didn't even score a goal. That's how hard it is at that level.

So cheer on the US team. Tune into a game and give it a chance if you haven't already. Maybe you'll become a fan of the world's most popular game.