About a month has passed following the Euro 2012 tournament, soccer's second largest event, and as the club season begins to commence in Europe, some of biggest clubs in the world our playing pre-season matches here in the United States. For example, tonight ESPN2 is showing a double header beginning with Liverpool vs Roma playing at Fenway Park (Liverpool and the Red Sox share the same owner, John Henry), followed by the Chelsea playing the MLS All Stars outside Philadelphia. Yankee Stadium hosted a match last week featuring Chelsea and will host Real Madrid and A.C. Milan in early August, and I'm told attendance will be spectacular. The MLS has grown in recent years adding a bunch of teams and building stadiums specifically for their clubs. Soccer has never been more popular in America than it is now.
Still, it lacks something behind the other major sports. Two year ago shortly after the World Cup ended in South Africa, I went to see USA vs Brazil at the Meadowlands. The stadium was almost sold out but to my dismay was filled with at least 75% yellow jersey of the Portugese speaking country. If soccer ever will hold the same place in the hearts of Americans as baseball, football, or yes, even our love-hate relationship with basketball, fans must become more involved in our own league. No one will deny that the Premier League in England or La Liga in Spain is light-years ahead in terms of talent of the MLS, but I've watched a few MLS games that are very entertaining. There is a lot of young homegrown talent, as well as some older European players who still have some left in the tank. I know Americans who will watch the shittiest European game but scoff at the very mention of the MLS. As is proven, the fans will turn out in droves when those clubs come to America, but take a chance at see whats brewing here in America as well. You might be surprised.
A major reason why American soccer doesn't always stand up to European and even Latin American soccer is because of the diversification of American athletes. They can branch out to so many different sports and if they have real talent the money is not in soccer. In other countries it is the go to this is what we play sport so it draws a much larger percentage of athletes to the game. I think American interest is growing especially with the addition of European players playing in MLS it gives a name and a face to teams. I think interest will continue to grow but only to a NASCAR type level never to a major sport level.
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