Ever since the summer of 2002, when the United States men’s soccer team made a Cinderella run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, which was the farthest “the Yanks” had been since the inaugural tournament in 1930, the overriding question has been, “When will soccer take off in the United States?”
Twelve years later, we’re still waiting, and although plenty of progress has been made, it’s getting to be that time for U.S. Soccer to put up or shut up: Create a big moment at the ongoing World Cup, or accept your place outside of the major sports in the country.
There have been plenty of “almost” moments, when soccer looked about ready to make that next step into the mainstream, on the back of the fortunes of the national team. That’s the one thing that can truly bring casual sports fans, or even non-sports fans, into the soccer fold.
In 2006, the U.S., on the wave of goodwill from 2002, the Americans laid an egg, failing to get out of the first round with three-straight bad performances.
In 2009, the U.S. regained the zeitgeist thanks to a stirring run in the Confederations Cup, pulling off an amazing comeback against Egypt and defeating European champions Spain in the semifinals, but falling heartbreakingly to Brazil 3-2 in the final, a game the U.S. had led 2-0.
Then in 2010, the U.S. was given a great draw and took advantage, finishing first in its group, thanks to comebacks against England and Slovenia, and a stirring last-minute win against Algeria in perhaps the most dramatic game of the tournament. But again, with America finally fully engaged, the U.S. fell at the next hurdle, giving away two cheap goals in a loss in the round of 16 to Ghana.
Now, in 2014, with soccer at an all-time high in popularity, there is no better time for the men’s team to take that next step forward. America is ready.
There are more games on television than ever, with live games from leagues in England, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and many other countries beamed directly into our homes.
Players who 20 years ago would have been complete unknowns ”“ like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Neymar ”“ are close to being household names, as are clubs like Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Most importantly, there’s a band of talented and likable American players on the rise, and after 20 years, Major League Soccer, the U.S.’s top professional soccer league, has found a secure financial and competitive footing as it continues to expand.
All of this goes to show that soccer is continually on the rise in the United States, close to joining the “big four” of American professional sports ”“ football, baseball, basketball and hockey ”“ whether people want to admit it or not.
More than 16 million Americans watched last Monday’s 2-1 victory over Ghana in the U.S.’s World Cup opener, many of them at large viewing parties.
By comparison, last Sunday’s decisive game five of the NBA finals drew 18 million views, while last year’s Major League Baseball World Series averaged 14.9 million viewers and this year’s Stanley Cup finals ”“ between teams from New York and Los Angeles, no less ”“ averaged just five million viewers.
And it’s not only games involving the United States that are capturing the public’s attention.
Through the opening 23 games of this year’s World Cup, ESPN broadcasts averaged an increase of 21 percent on the first 23 games of the 2010 World Cup. And nearly 25 million viewers in the U.S. watched the 2010 final between Spain and the Netherlands, a higher average viewership than regular-season NFL games last fall.
All of this means that America is ready to take that step up and join most of the rest of the world as a country where soccer really matters.
But it all depends on the fortunes of our national team over the next few weeks. If the U.S. bows out, as it might with a loss to world power Germany on Thursday, the feeling could quickly fade. Fans would still watch and pay attention no matter who is playing, but the casual fan could drift away or even go back to not caring until 2018.
Eventually, soccer has to take that next step after 12 years of waiting. The U.S. has so far played two fantastically exciting matches in this World Cup ”“ including another “almost” moment on Sunday when a late lead was squandered in a tie with Portugal ”“ that have grabbed the attention of the public and the mainstream media.
But the fact is, America likes winners, and without one, soccer risks the fate of so many Olympic sports: huge for a few weeks every four years, but on the periphery for the rest of the time, destined to melt away in the pot that is the American sporting landscape.
Ӣ Ӣ Ӣ
Today’s editorial was written by Sports Writer Cameron Dunbar on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
