~Soccer Thread~

[ELA]

I love international soccer, even when the US isn't playing.  There are plenty of national teams I enjoy watching that aren't my own-- and a few that I love to root against, as well.

Yeah, I want to, I just have a hard time getting into events if I don't have a rooting interest.  I enjoy morning sports.  Euro soccer, Olympics, Open Championship, etc...  So when it's on, I'll watch it.  It's good soccer, and enjoyable, but I miss being invested.  I'm not "anti" anyone enough to find a rooting interest in that direction.
The show Cristiano Renaldo is continuing to put on is truly a spectacle though.

[rolltidefan]

Yeah, I want to, I just have a hard time getting into events if I don't have a rooting interest.  I enjoy morning sports.  Euro soccer, Olympics, Open Championship, etc...  So when it's on, I'll watch it.  It's good soccer, and enjoyable, but I miss being invested.  I'm not "anti" anyone enough to find a rooting interest in that direction.
The show Cristiano Renaldo is continuing to put on is truly a spectacle though.

have to agree with utee, even without the usmnt in this world cup, it's been fantastic so far.
helps that i have some close friends from colombia so i've kinda adopted them as my team of choice for this cup. though after yesterday, they might want me to lose interest.

[utee94]

I've spent a lot of time in France and Belgium, so those are my teams of choice this go-round. Normally Italy would have been my #2, but well, there you have it.

My i s c & a aggie wife has a lot of German ancestry, so that's the team she's picked.  I told her "way to go out on a limb there."

My son and daughter both play and love soccer these days, and my son is a Ronaldo fan (what 8yo boy ISN'T?), so he's pulling for Portugal, and my daughter I think has latched on to Germany as well, because of my wife. 

So we're a bit of a house divided but having a lot of fun with it.  In some ways I can enjoy it more without the stress of worrying about the US, although of course I'd much rather have the USMNT in the tourney than not.

[ELA]

have to agree with utee, even without the usmnt in this world cup, it's been fantastic so far.
helps that i have some close friends from colombia so i've kinda adopted them as my team of choice for this cup. though after yesterday, they might want me to lose interest.

Yeah, how fantastic it is I never disagreed with.  I'm just saying when I don't have a dog in the fight, it puts a cap on my overall interest.  It's not speaking to how good or bad the tournament is.

[utee94]

Yeah, how fantastic it is I never disagreed with.  I'm just saying when I don't have a dog in the fight, it puts a cap on my overall interest.  It's not speaking to how good or bad the tournament is.

I feel similarly about OTHER sports-- for example, now that Texas has been knocked out of the CWS, I have less interest in it.  I still really enjoy college baseball and will watch whatever games are convenient, but without Texas remaining, I'm not nearly as interested as I was 3 days ago.
But for me, soccer is somehow different. I think it's because the USA isn't a power or even all that great traditionally, so the vast majority of games I've watched, have not revolved around the USMNT.  I'm always happy when we're in there, but I don't ever expect us to contend, so it doesn't interfere with my interest or enjoyment of the rest of the event.

[rolltidefan]

Yeah, how fantastic it is I never disagreed with.  I'm just saying when I don't have a dog in the fight, it puts a cap on my overall interest.  It's not speaking to how good or bad the tournament is.

i meant fantastic from a viewable experience. but i will agree it would be better with a serious rooting interest involved.
btw, 2026 wc coming to us (and mex/ca). gonna be a tough ticket, but i'll be damned if i don't try my best to go to at least 1 game.

[rolltidefan]

I feel similarly about OTHER sports-- for example, now that Texas has been knocked out of the CWS, I have less interest in it.  I still really enjoy college baseball and will watch whatever games are convenient, but without Texas remaining, I'm not nearly as interested as I was 3 days ago.
But for me, soccer is somehow different. I think it's because the USA isn't a power or even all that great traditionally, so the vast majority of games I've watched, have not revolved around the USMNT.  I'm always happy when we're in there, but I don't ever expect us to contend, so it doesn't interfere with my interest or enjoyment of the rest of the event.

maybe if you didn't picked a blue blood from each sport to follow you'd have a more fulfilling experience with all others as well.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Yeah, how fantastic it is I never disagreed with.  I'm just saying when I don't have a dog in the fight, it puts a cap on my overall interest.  It's not speaking to how good or bad the tournament is.

Weren't you the one that was busting my chops for liking the MLS, because it wasn't the top league in the world?
So now you've gone from only wanting to see the "best players in the world" to needing some sort of natural, geography-based rooting interest?
Make up your mind, homey.

[ELA]

Weren't you the one that was busting my chops for liking the MLS, because it wasn't the top league in the world?
So now you've gone from only wanting to see the "best players in the world" to needing some sort of natural, geography-based rooting interest?
Make up your mind, homey.

Huh?  I'm not saying I don't care about the World Cup because I have Pittsburgh Riverhounds games to go to.  I'm failing to see any inconsistency.  The World Cup, and Gold Cup/Confederations Cup, are my jam, but my interest has waned without a rooting interest this year.  And hell, I've still followed and watched SOME, which is more than I can say about any local soccer.  So I think that's pretty in line with my point, that even at a reduced interest level, my interest in world class soccer is still vastly greater than any sort of local rooting interest.

And FTR, I wasn't giving you grief.  You basically said if the Crew moved, you were done with soccer, and I simply said that I had never heard anyone's interest in soccer be solely dependent on the existence of a lower level club in their general vicinity.

[Brutus Buckeye]

[Brutus Buckeye]

.

The US Open Cup Quarterfinals are set.



So Louisville is the lone USL team that will be barkin' with the big dawgs. They play the Chicago Fire. The Quarterfinal round is July 18th.

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The Ottawa Fury won the first leg of the Canadian Championship play-in round, but only 1-0. Leg 2 is Wed June 27th.

[MaximumSam]

Oof the Argentina goalie

[utee94]

Oof the Argentina goalie

He's lucky he's not Colombia's goalkeeper...

[TyphonInc]

And FTR, I wasn't giving you grief.  You basically said if the Crew moved, you were done with soccer, and I simply said that I had never heard anyone's interest in soccer be solely dependent on the existence of a lower level club in their general vicinity.

MLS is the highest level soccer nationally available. If the Crew leave, my interests in soccer will also drop to practically zero. 
World Cup 94' started my attraction to the beautiful game. Columbus getting a franchise in 96' turned me into a season ticket holder Crew fanatic. 
With the USA not making the World Cup, I've watched zero games. And with the Crew leaving town I'll not follow another team.