~Soccer Thread~

[rolltidefan]

Well you're right that it isn't going to matter.

Lol came here to post that. Sad. 
Also right about judgement day. I imagine head will roll after this. 

[utee94]

Oh man, totally bummed about the USMNT.  It's so much more fun to watch WC when there's at least the slim shadow of a possibility of a chance for us.

Ah well, ManU is still at the top of the table, so there's that.

[PSUinNC]

I mean, was this thing even on TV?  On a relatively boring sports night in the middle of the week, this should have been a huge deal.  
I know it's been discussed ad nauseam, but soccer's just never going to be much in this country until it's made a priority with money and advertising.  As long as kids can dream to make big money in baseball, football and basketball, they'll migrate to those in the HS years over the pennies (relatively speaking) that US soccer players make.  
It'll take some imagination, but it can happen.  Then again, it's been said now the same way for the past 20 years and really nothing's changed at all other than some small gains by MLS.  
On a total side track, but interesting to me (and maybe other PSU fans) - the last time the USMNT didn't make the WC?  1982 and 1986. 

[boilerbanger]

I watched the last 15 minutes on NBC Universo last night (yes it was in Spanish).  Unbelievable we lost to them, I have no clue on soccer strategy but that team was 1-8 in pool play before that game I believe.  Whoever has the rights in the US to the World Cup can't be happy we didn't qualify, no one is going to watch now.

[MarqHusker]

I think it was on some channel that I have called BeIN.   If I recall the TV rights for stuff like this, the distribution is controlled by the 'home' team, which is why it would not have been automatically beamed to espn/fox/nbcsn type outlets.   I don't know how or what determines T&T's broadcast rights decisions, but that's what I was told, as to why it was only available on BeIN.


I did notice certain other qualifying matches were on this network, along with a few others.

[ELA]

Yeah the earlier games I watched on beIN, but Comcast dropped it.  It seemed like they had all of the USs road matches except for Mexico, who I believe has a deal with FOX. ESPN had the US home games.

I wound up watching in Spanish on Universo.

ESPN losing the bidding war with FOX may have saved their hides.  With as much trouble as they are already in, paying $400 million for the US rights to a tournament the US isn't in would have been a disaster.

I know I won't watch, for the same reason I can't watch EPL or Champions League, without a rooting interest I don't care enough.

[TresselownsUM]

the saddest part is a guy like Pulisic could have made millions by playing in the WC, now he won't. not to mention the kid is a phenom that the world could have seen on the biggest stage.

feel bad for guys like Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey they'll be too old for the next WC cycle.

but, the players got what they deserved, they slept through half of this qualifying round. and despite all that, all you had to do was get a tie vs the worst team in the region, and you couldn't get it done.

I almost feel like the backbone of US soccer, which was to try to outwork the opponent is gone, this team had a prima donna feel to it, taking things for granted. Arena will be gone, and I have no idea who the US will look to try and rebound. the only positive is we should see nothing but young players the next couple of years and get them experience, anyone over 30 should be ousted from any games for at least 2 years. there's no point in playing them, let the young kids develop together.

at least messi rose up for argentina, whether you like them or not, the WC is better because they are in

[LetsGoPeay]

There’s an app called Go90 that shows a huge number of matches from all over the world. It’s free, in HD, and can be mirrored to a TV via chromecast or Roku. I know, it’s not convenient but short of subscribing to BeIN Sports it’s the best option. 

[rolltidefan]

I mean, was this thing even on TV?  On a relatively boring sports night in the middle of the week, this should have been a huge deal.  
I know it's been discussed ad nauseam, but soccer's just never going to be much in this country until it's made a priority with money and advertising.  As long as kids can dream to make big money in baseball, football and basketball, they'll migrate to those in the HS years over the pennies (relatively speaking) that US soccer players make.  
It'll take some imagination, but it can happen.  Then again, it's been said now the same way for the past 20 years and really nothing's changed at all other than some small gains by MLS.  
On a total side track, but interesting to me (and maybe other PSU fans) - the last time the USMNT didn't make the WC?  1982 and 1986.  

one issue is the misconception that soccer players don't make anything.
6 of the top 10 highest paying leagues in the world are soccer leagues (from 2015 data). nba and mlb are both above the epl (as is the india cricket league, surprisingly) but not by much.
likewise, of the 2016 top 25 highest paid athletes, football and soccer lead the way with 6 and 5 respectively, while nba was at 3.
there's plenty of money to be made in soccer. and the euro leagues aren't averse to american players. the bundesliga (germany top league, 2nd best in world) seems to have made americans a priority even.
we need to stop pretending the mls can be one of the premier soccer leagues in the world. it isn't going to happen. it's not even top 3 in our hemisphere. we need to be getting our players into the europe leagues when we can, like they do for nba/mlb/etc.
and we're a large enough population that we can have top athletes in many different sports. we have dominant athletes in lower tier sports like swimming, boxing/mma, tennis (or have), gymnastics, track and field, etc. no reason we can also have a competitive national soccer team.

[utee94]

Time Warner/Spectrum still has BeinTV on its base package so I was able to watch it (and other games that Bein carried).  But yeah, it would have been nice for ESPN or Fox to be able to work out some deal where they bought off the rights to show it in the US.

And I agree that we should be working to place Americans in the other world leagues, especially the Euro leagues.  But at the same time, marketing soccer to young American athletes would be a lot easier if the MLS were better, and better-known.  And I just don't know how to get the MLS where it needs to be.  It certainly won't ever rival EPL or the other Euro leagues, but it could be a lot better than it is.

Anyway, I'll still watch the World Cup because I love seeing international soccer played at its highest level.  Just like I watch the EPL and Bundesliga and La Liga, because I like watching professional soccer played at its highest level.  But I'd like it even more if the USA had made it.  That's just such a bummer.

[PSUinNC]

one issue is the misconception that soccer players don't make anything.
6 of the top 10 highest paying leagues in the world are soccer leagues (from 2015 data). nba and mlb are both above the epl (as is the india cricket league, surprisingly) but not by much.
likewise, of the 2016 top 25 highest paid athletes, football and soccer lead the way with 6 and 5 respectively, while nba was at 3.
there's plenty of money to be made in soccer. and the euro leagues aren't averse to american players. the bundesliga (germany top league, 2nd best in world) seems to have made americans a priority even.
we need to stop pretending the mls can be one of the premier soccer leagues in the world. it isn't going to happen. it's not even top 3 in our hemisphere. we need to be getting our players into the europe leagues when we can, like they do for nba/mlb/etc.
and we're a large enough population that we can have top athletes in many different sports. we have dominant athletes in lower tier sports like swimming, boxing/mma, tennis (or have), gymnastics, track and field, etc. no reason we can also have a competitive national soccer team.

But that's just it - they have to go overseas to do it.  If you're given a chance to be a big time baseball player and play your entire career here in the States, or be a big time soccer player and have to move to a foreign country, what are you going to do?  Heck, seems like even a lot of great soccer players try to transform that into a football kicking career.  
If the MLS is never going to be a Top 5 league in the world making comparative money to the major sports, soccer has no chance to be a top 4 league in this country.  

[rolltidefan]

soccer is NOT going to be a top 4 league in the us. it just isn't. europe isn't going to let go of their hold on the top players.

but it doesn't have to be a top 4 league to have a competitive national team. we have competitive athletes in golf, tennis, swimming, track, gymnastics, virtually every olympic sport, etc. so we have plethora of success in non-top 4 sports already. no reason soccer can't be among them.

if they're worried about money, there's 1 bball league that makes you top money, 1 football league, 1 baseball, and 1 hockey.
there are 6 soccer leagues. odds are favorable for soccer.
and if you don't make one of the top 6 soccer league, you have about 20 more leagues that you can make a good living ($100K plus), just not millionaire money. there are a few other decent bball and baseball league, but not like soccer.

and people have no issue coming to states for basketball and baseball, why should we have a problem going to europe for soccer?

[ELA]

USMNT continues to just be such a well oiled machine

http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3341431/jonathan-gonzalez-chooses-mexico-over-united-states-say-sources

[rolltidefan]

wow, huge blow. complete blunder by ussf to let him get away. and can't blame him either. hope he does well.