Soccer on a national rise
Soccer is like no other sport in the world.
Soccer players must have incredible endurance, great speed, a good amount of strength and mental toughness.
It is one of the few sports without time outs and is the only sport with a clock that counts up instead of down.
It is a unique sport in which teams will battle for a minimum of 90 minutes, and many games will end 1-0 or deadlocked at 0-0. I have seen no other sport where one team can dominate an opponent in every aspect of the game, but still walk away with a loss.
This season, the Panthers dominated the University of Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos, but walked off Lakeside Field with a 1-0 loss. The Panthers out shot the Kangaroos 17-6, attempted nine corner kicks compared to UMKC’s one and dominated the possession of the ball.
Although the Panthers easily outplayed the Kangaroos, the ‘Roos were the lone team to score and notched the 1-0 win.
I have also been on the losing end of a game where my team easily outplayed our opponent, but ended up losing the game.
I believe that the lack of scoring is the main reason that soccer at the professional level has failed to catch the attention of American sports fans.
At the professional level, teams are allowed a total of three substitutes, which puts soccer players in a category of their own when it comes to mental toughness and endurance. The U.S. does have Major League Soccer, but the fan following for the MLS has failed to attract major attention.
In an advertising scheme to attract soccer fans, the MLS All-Stars battled against European powerhouse Manchester United.
Manchester United easily defeated the MLS All-Stars, but the game was definitely good exposure for professional soccer in America.
At the international level, soccer players take it upon themselves to represent not just their team but also their country.
The level of pride that soccer fans have for their country is simply incomparable to any other sport.
Soccer fans sing endlessly, flaunt their countries flag, blow vuvuzelas and even light flairs in the stadium in hopes of cheering their country to victory.
Over the summer, 32 countries competed in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Spain was victorious, but many countries made exhilarating runs in the World Cup. Landon Donovan helped make soccer relevant in the United States with his thrilling last-second goal over Algeria to stamp USA’s ticket to the second round.
Even a country like the United States, where soccer is not considered a major sport, the U.S. fans gathered together to cheer the red white and blue to victory.
With a developing national team in America, led by Landon Donovan, I look for soccer to attract a stronger fan base in the near future.
Jordan Pottorff can be reached
