Sports
 

Soccer still eludes U.S. attention

Cougar Pause

Ed De La Garza

Soccer is the world's sport -- or so the rest of the world would have the United States believe.

More than 490,000 fans flocked to stadiums in France to see the host country win this year's FIFA Confederations Cup, an eight-team tournament that's good for bragging rights but holds little water when it comes to the World Cup. The United States never contended for the championship.

The Confederation of North and Central American and Caribbean Football will hold its Gold Cup tournament in Foxboro, Mass., and Mexico City from July 12-27. The Estadio Azteca, a deathtrap that holds more than 114,000 people, makes Rice Stadium look like a state-of-the-art facility. Nevertheless, it should be standing room only for the championship match in Mexico.

Should the United States get out of its group, which includes El Salvador and Martinique, it may face either Mexico or Brazil. How it does against those two teams, particularly Brazil, will play some part in how U.S. soccer is seen around the world.

English superstar David Beckham finally tried on his new Real Madrid jersey after passing a physical that was televised in England and Spain. Manchester United sold Beckham to Real Madrid for $40 million. It was a move that made an already unbeatable Spanish team even better. But it also crushed the hearts of thousands of English soccer fans.

It's true, he has ability. No one can "bend it like Beckham." In soccer, "bending" is the amount of curve a ball takes when kicked. If he were a pitcher, he'd be unhittable. But in the United States, Beckham's known less for his soccer ability and more for his marriage to Posh Spice.

In England, he's Michael Jordan, Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake all rolled into one. His face is everywhere. He's an icon more than he is a professional athlete.

The closest thing U.S. soccer has is Landon Donovan. Unfortunately for Donovan, the only time American fans really pay attention to the sport is when the U.S. team makes it past the opening round of a World Cup. They probably wouldn't make a day of watching Donovan turn his head and cough. Most anyway.

Hundreds of thousands can fill every stadium in Europe. Millions can watch Sky Sports and Fox Sports World. Yet, in the United States, the world's benchmark, soccer is about as popular as cricket. Any sport that can end in a tie has to be pointless (never mind baseball's 2002 All-Star Game).

But that attitude's for the sports snob, the jock who thinks if it wasn't invented by Americans it isn't worth watching. Actually, if the U.S. can't win -- or at least contend -- it isn't worth watching. That's where the ladies come in.

The U.S. women's team will attempt to retain its championship when the Women's World Cup begins Sept. 20. The event was moved from China to the United States because of the SARS epidemic. While women's professional soccer doesn't do all that great in America, the 1999 team became media darlings after winning the cup. There may not be a sex factor this time around (FIFA banned players from stripping after goals), but little girls should turn out en masse to see their idols play like the boys.

Until the WNBA began, soccer was the only team sport that encouraged girls to keep playing long after youth leagues. Just take a look at UH. The Cougar soccer team enjoys a loyal following, albeit made up predominately of family and friends. The Cougars debuted in 1998 and have yet to field a losing team. It's not men's soccer, but it's an introduction to the sport. That's the key to wider popularity.

Reliant Stadium can hold as many exhibition games between Mexico and the United States as it wants, but it fills the seats with current fans. It's not really making any new ones. Success on the world court is where it counts, and "friendly" matches don't get you any closer to holding that FIFA trophy or having Americans chant "Ole! Ole! Ole!".

The women's national team is one of the best in the world. Its continued success in this and future World Cups won't just make more girls want to be the next Mia Hamm. It will create new fans -- men and women. You may even have little boys wanting to grow up to be just like Beckham, or even better, just like Donovan.

Americans have more entertainment choices than any other group of people in the world. Baseball competes with basketball and football for tops in the country. Soccer will never join that elite three. But if it takes the women's game to give it a permanent niche, so be it. Just enjoy it for the sport, and not because Brandi Chastain may strip after scoring a goal.

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