North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

[bigblue_dl]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

When I was in Sweden a few weeks ago, I was there with a colleague from the UK, and he was all high and mighty about soccer and talking about how we just don't get it. He made a comment abount how soccer is the most popular sport in every country but the US, which is wildly inaccurate. To try to prove this too me, for some reason, he started to strike up a conversation with our bartender about soccer, and how great it was. I just shook my head, and knowing that we were in Sweden, I had the upper hand...I cut in and brought up hockey. Bartender dude said, and I quote, "Soccer is good, but there is nothing better than hockey!!!". Then we proceded to talk about world juniors for about 20 minutes. My coworker was dumbfounded.

[FreshFish]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

Nope. And besides, if its a beach, there should be scenery regardless of sport, or lack of sport they're playing. Personally, I'd park my lawn chair cooler approximately 20 feet from a volleyball net.

I hope off to one side! else you would be in the middle of the court!

[bigblue_dl]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I hope off to one side! else you would be in the middle of the court!

Well, yeah. I prefer the profile view.

[Jimjamesak]

Alex Morgan > Hope Solo.

I'll watch the US during international competition (Olympics and World Cup). After that, no interest really. I think there are quite a few soccer fans on here, JimJamesak being probably the most well known, so to speak.

Yay! I'm well known for something!

I'll take Solo. Alex Morgan's boyfriend is a player for Seattle and I don't wanna derail team morale.

[pirate]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

Since, it is the off season I wanted to see the opinions of posters on USCHO. Please soccer haters stay out. We already know what you think. YWNWA

People who play/understand cricket think it is a great sport...for the unaware it is stupid, confusing and painfully long.

We could go out on another board and find hundreds of commentors willing to tell us hockey is stupid, impossible to follow the puck, the rules make no sense, there is hardly any scoring. (sound familiar?)

We've all met somebody at a party that thinks football is barbaric and is all about beer and cheerleaders (like that is bad).

We all know somebody that thinks boxing should be outlawed.

We all know somebody that thinks hockey is a bunch of thugs on ice.

Just like some people would prefer a 1-0 baseball game and others would prefer 13-11...it takes a certain appreciation for any sport. (except women's beach volleyball - we all love that).

If you hate soccer, don't watch it...just assume the millions who play and hundreds of millions who watch are all wrong. It couldnt be the other way around.

If you haven't really seen it, try to go to a college game or a really good HS or club game...when you see it played up close and at a high level, the game is more likely to make a positive impression.

[mookie1995]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

i watch epl on espn saturday mornings during the winter. love it. consider myself a nufc fan.

i don't watch any other league however.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I'll watch pretty much any national team soccer, so World Cup, Euro, Olympics, USA national team games. I'll watch a little professional, mainly EPL, but that's about 4 or 5 full matches a year. Other than that all my interest is in FIFA. I play a lot of FIFA.

[manurespreader]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I watch the EPl weekly and root for Liverpool, and my best friend is a former european D1 pro and now very successful coach here.. I watch the US national teams when I can and the women as well, though not too much MLS.My only beef about the game is all the diving.

I'll take Hope any time.
I like most sports but Cricket takes too long.

[Jimjamesak]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

Apparently Priceless did delete the old soccer thread because I can't find it.

That riot you hear is Seattle after losing the US Open Cup Final after 5 yellows, 1 red, a PK against (KC's only goal), and a PK shootout save called back and retaken.

Needless to say, Seattle is PO'd. Me, I thought everybody on the field was terrible and I'm not surprised they lost.

[joecct]

I watch the EPl weekly and root for Liverpool, and my best friend is a former european D1 pro and now very successful coach here.. I watch the US national teams when I can and the women as well, though not too much MLS.My only beef about the game is all the diving.

I'll take Hope any time.
I like most sports but Cricket takes too long.

20/20 cricket takes about 3 hrs. It's the only cricket I'llwatch.

[Flashy Man]

Me, I thought everybody on the field was terrible and I'm not surprised they lost.

Flounders fans aren't supposed to be rational.

[Kepler]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I watch a couple EPL games a week, usually Fulham and any intra-league play among the Usual Suspects. I tried to watch Portland but the level of play in MLS is so bad and boring that I just couldn't do it.

More than any other sport (well, except golf I guess), the entertainment value of soccer correlates with the quality of play. Bad football can still be a lot of fun; bad baseball is nearly the same as good baseball; all hockey is great; all basketball sucks; but great soccer is riveting and anything less than very good soccer is unwatchable.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I watch a couple EPL games a week, usually Fulham and any intra-league play among the Usual Suspects. I tried to watch Portland but the level of play in MLS is so bad and boring that I just couldn't do it.

More than any other sport (well, except golf I guess), the entertainment value of soccer correlates with the quality of play. Bad football can still be a lot of fun; bad baseball is nearly the same as good baseball; all hockey is great; all basketball sucks; but great soccer is riveting and anything less than very good soccer is unwatchable.

I disagree with golf, some of the most entertaining golf is when one of the best in world takes 3 shots to get out of a pot bunker, or is in rough so deep the ball goes about 3 feet into deeper rough.

[CLS]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

There is a real possibility for an interesting US – Canada rivalry on the women’s side if (1) the Canadians can show they’re not a one-woman team (winning goal by someone else today is encouraging), (2) instead of continuing to blame the ref, they realize that they could have won the game by doing things that they had total control over, like defending corners and headers, and (3) they win a game or two over the US; otherwise it's a “rivalry” like Red Sox – Yankees pre-2004.

[FreshFish]

Re: North American hockey fans interest in soccer?

I don't know how it came about, I got hooked on soccer in 2004 watching Arsenal's "invinceables" they were incredibly entertaining (38 game season, NO losses! but it was offense first, second and third with them, rarely boring).

Unless it's the Stanley Cup, I can't really fully enjoy ice hockey on television, I have to see it in person (or listen on the radio). The camera people just don't show the parts of the game I want to watch, how the players arrange themselves on the ice, etc. You can see that better in soccer because of the larger field, the camera usually pans further out and you can see the whole play develop. Imagine if televised soccer consisted mainly of closeups of the person with the ball...that's my general experience of televised ice hockey. I probably attend more games than I watch on television. Soccer it's just the opposite, I only have been to a few pro games but watch more on television.