Looking Up

By the time the USA/Netherlands game was over the wind and rain had ramped right up and there was nothing left to do but hunker down and watch Argentina/Australia as well. I've had worse days.

I'm not overly disappointed about the result today. It wasn’t a shock to watch the US men’s team go out, but now that’s it’s all over I find myself feeling surprisingly optimistic about their future. I’ve never been impressed with Berhalter, and still think that would be a great place to begin an upgrade, but the team played some attractive soccer at times and certainly didn’t embarrass themselves (well, except for maybe that third goal). It’s amusing to read all the passive aggressive takedowns of US soccer on various comment boards, when our team progressed further than Germany, Belgium, Uruguay, and (ahem) Italy.  If the team makes similar progress over the next cycle they should have a good chance of progressing even further. 

One thing people from away don’t see is the growing popularity of soccer at the youth level, especially as football is becoming a tougher sell for young kids and their parents. And it’s not just more players appearing in Europe’s top leagues, it’s American money too. One consequence is the increased visibility of the sport here, which will only continue to drive interest and increase the pool of talented players. I don’t see MLS eclipsing the NBA or NFL any time soon, in part because those leagues are so tied into college sports, but in a country with such a large market soccer could easily be the fifth biggest sport and still have a hefty presence internationally.

Personally, I'm fine if America does remain a third-rate soccer nation. It's refreshing to get swept up in an international sporting scene that's not centered around the US. In my own experience, playing soccer always meant encountering other languages and cultural influences that were present right in my own community but not always so visible. If World Cup success would depend on homogenizing our "playing style" or "team identity" then I'd just as soon take a pass. On winning the whole thing. Getting to the semifinals would be pretty sweet, though.