why it takes 4 years long to play a World Cup game? Many people lose interest for waiting, like in the USA.?\nIn the US, people don't like soccer (football in English). People say score is too low. Many people in the US do not understand football. I think FIFA needs to have a plan to educate Americans. It's hard to lose the market in the US. They have about 300 millions people. It would be a great sport market. They love sports, but not soccer. \n\nSome of you answered very good, but partial correct. In America, not even 15% of population watch World Cup, # even less if the game hosted by other countries. After World Cup games, the # is even lower. FIFA needs to influence them after the World Cup not just before World Cup to get more viewers. In America only few warmer states, and few states with more Hispanish and other ethic with soccer background that love soccer. White is majority of population but they don't like soccer. 30 from now, the viewers are lower than ever. Try again! thz
136716
Americans are a proud people...and what's hard for you, and other countries where soccer/football is predominant to understand, is most Americans love our own sports.  We're a country based on freedoms, those freedoms earned by our war of independence with England.  Soccer has been played here for years, but not as a professional sport.  I think what turned Americans around about soccer and how it's viewed, is the Women's Olympic team and their triumphs.  For me, my ties are with England, having been raised there when I was a child.  Although my parents are American, my brother was adopted there, and is completely "British" in attitude, demeanor, everything except accent!  He speaks better "suthern" than I do!  But being raised HERE since he was 3, his favorite sports are baseball and our football.  For myself, I am a diehard Manchester United Football Club fan, with plans to finally see my team play next year live!  But what I love the most, I think, is the fact that a man who owns one of OUR football teams here in the state I live in (Florida) ALSO owns controlling interest in my British football team!  How great is that?!  American owned...but British through and through.  Give us time, we're slowly coming around to loving soccer as much as the rest of the world!  I wear a multinational necktie at work, with flags of all the countries that have soccer teams in the World Cup, and soccer balls on it, you would not believe the responses, or conversations that start because of that tie.  I am quite surprised at how many people come into our restaurant and talk to me about soccer!  So you see...times are changing...people are aware of the sport the rest of the world considers "football", and if I mention "soccer", they usually correct me.  Patience is a virtue...and it's really great seeing how this game is finally taking off here in the USA. :)
643393
Enjoys all sports in general and have even tried to gain interest in soccer by learning the rules and watching it.  It still is a very slow moving and dull game.  Prefers American football by far.
169862
I think what you said has some validity.  It's hard to televise anything with only one break.  Many networks will probably not air soccer games for this reason.  Especially because games are for 90+ minutes.  It's also because it's not considered an American past-time.  Baseball and football are considered part of "growing up".  Soccer is probably the fastest growing sport (other than Nascar) in the U.S., but it still has a very long way to go.
560642
Anything that happens only once every four years is worth getting excited about, especially when the best football players from ALL OVER THE WORLD are there to put up a hell of a show! Besides I got tired of watching the "world" baseball series, "world" NBA championships, "world" (american) football champions. How could they say they're world champions when they only play US teams?!? It's things like these that cause other countries to hate us so much.
607326
if running back and forth after a ball is boring then all sports are boring because when you think about it...all sports involve chasing a ball\n\namericans don't have what it takes to play soccer. In fact, USA is the only country in the whole world who doesn't like soccer. What does that tell you?
664856
it's acually very popular among small kids because it's such a cheap sport to get started in. but as far a spectator sport is concerned, no one watches. there is a pro leauge here but it's very small and unpopular, it has no TV contract. i would say less than 2% of americans are serious soccer fans.
153891
I do not think they it is about respect.. most of the people that do not understand the history or meaning about the sport.Have to be educated on  what the game is about and why it is played the way it is played. With the MLS making its march in our sports culture, things can only go up and the people will be educated more and more every year. They will see that soccer or futbol is a worldwide sport that is played all over the world with alot of passion. ,and soon the whole country will wonder why we have not won this prestigeous trophy. The USA has a good program from youth to professional and the more people see that hard work they will wonder how Brazil has won the world cup as many times as they have,or maybe they will remember the NASL and so many good teams and players that participated in making a lasting impression on the American sports culture.. The USA has alot of potential and always have ,,look in 1934 the USA did well on a world stage and in 2002 ,we were a post shot away from being in semifinals against Turkey. The Country is doing well and they support the USA team,but with a World Cup win that would really get people even more exited every time a soccer game is played.
619053
I think it's stupid to make your argument "soccer is not popular in the US because of shootouts."  If that was a reason for soccer to not be popular, then it wouldn't be popular not ONLY in the US but in other parts of the world as well.  Why is it that US fans exclusively can't like soccer because of that?  I'm not saying that shootouts are good or that Americans should like football, but it's absolutely ridiculous to limit this reason to why Americans don't like it.  There are many other plausible reasons for why the US is not a soccer-dominated country.  We have other "American" sports (football, baseball, etc.).  It's like why Canada's hockey is so popular while hockey's not so hot in say, France.  Also, you can't compare two sports; as the cliche goes, it's like comparing apples and oranges.  Baseball and soccer both have their good/bad points, but they are completely different sports played different ways.  Baseball is definitely less physical, because you don't see the players running around every single minute of the game; most of the time they stand there and then when making plays, they run around and throw the ball.  I don't claim to be a great expert on either sport, but once again, not liking shootouts and thus not liking soccer is not a reason exclusive to American fans for not liking soccer.\n\nOkay, now to answer the other part of your lengthy question lol.  I think shoot-outs are a clean-cut way of determining the winner in a match.  You shoot goals; make them, you win.  Miss some, you lose, go home.  They test the individual skills of the players and while I do regret that they don't test the strength of a team as a whole, they do eliminate one major problem that people have with soccer matches: biased refs.  Here, the ref can't call fouls where there are none and if a goal goes in, fans can't complain that somehow the ref was paid off to look the other way.  In a sudden death match, the winners' fans would celebrate and the lowers would always see something wrong or corrupted about how they just weren't lucky.  While the argument could be made that in a normal round, this happens all the time, so why not just have that determine the end, you have to realize how difficult it is to play such a physically challenging sport as soccer for such long periods of time lol.  What if the game went on for a whole day without an end, like in Harry Potter's Quidditch?  That may not seem plausible, but it certainly would be possible.  Lastly, I think it's only fair that each team knows how much time they have to score a goal rather than just seeing who scores first.  In such a case, I can definitely see the match getting increasingly dirtier as each team must not only score/defend, they know that under no condition can they allow the other team to make a goal.\n\nxexect - About your message, sorry if I seemed harsh :/.  I'm not trying to insult you yourself, but rather, I felt that your argument was flawed.  However, judging by what you have written and your analysis on the other part of the question, I would definitely say that you're not stupid!
637309
Most of you guys are wrong. The old trophy was owned by Brazil in 1970 because they won that trophy 3 times. But the new FIFA world cup CANNOT be OWNED by any team. The champion can keep the trophy for 4 years and then FIFA make a duplicate one to that country.
650151
I see it, but I can't do anything about it unfortunately. I just can't believe what is happening at this World Cup. Small teams really have no chance because the referees favor all the big teams. And that's all about earnings...for example how many people would come to the stadium to see a final in which Australia and Ghana play ? FIFA only thinks about money...TV rights and money from spectators, that's why with every match that I see I get more sick of this tournament.
566404
this is only the first round.  they cannot go beyond the first round until all  teams have finished, then they will bring up a brand new schedule.  Its why the World Cup lasts a month.
555582
Personally, I would absolutely love that!  The problem is that I'd have to come up with a month's worth of excuses for not doing work so I could go to bars to watch the matches every 2 years instead of every 4.  Someone might start to notice the pattern if it were that often.\n\nAlso, even though August of this year (the longest possible time before the next World Cup) will be a depressing month for me, it makes the game more special that it doesn't come around very often.  If it were every 2 years, we might get jaded and not care as much.
645073
after the US's gr8 showing in the last world cup (knocked out by germany in the quarters, possibly due to a dodgy handballed german goal), I'm suprised it hasn't taken off more than it has.\n\nI think it's a case of what you grow up with. From what I gather, it's only recently that US tv has started to provide decent coverage of soccer - until now all americans have had is all american sports like american football & baseball.\n\nI think it will take off pretty soon if the US team can maintain or improve their form. You've drawn a tricky group this year, but if you can get through that, I wouldn't be suprised to see you make the semifinals - and the US become as football crazy as England! \n\nBest of luck!\n\nEDIT: Can I just take this opportunity to call the previous respondent (badal) an idiot! If the US didn't make the top 32, how come they're still in the tourney?
557880
Boycott World Cup Sponsors, your missing the point. WE are the ones sick of that 'one win 40 years ago', and the number 1966. I hear it about 4 times a week on tv even when the world cup isn't on!! \nThats why Scotland is so fed up with you. Its YOU that are living in the past, really. Every single world cup since then its the same question in the media - Can we repeat that feat of 66??? And then all the hype for nothing. And if by some miracle it IS this year, we shall surely never hear the end of it. Thats why we dont want you to win. Its quite simple actually - its nothing personal, but we just dont want to hear about it for the next 40 years.
653148
It is also the most popular sport in the world and it truly envolves the entire world (give or take a small handful of countries that do not participate)\n\nIt makes me laugh when I read the posts saying soccer players are pansies. They obviously have no clue. This game envolves atheletics and skills of the highest level. \n\nBy comparison, American Football players play a one hour game stretched over three or more hours and then only play half the game as there are two teams, one for offense and one for defense. And there are only 3 situations where the ball is put in play by ones foot; kick-off, a punt and a field goal attempt. (and anyone who says American Football players are tough because of the hits envolved, watch a rugby match...those guys don't wear pads and the game is MUCH more brutal than football)\n\nSoccer is a game played for an hour and half and it takes an hour and forty five minutes (give or take a few minutes for stoppage time). During this time all players (with the exception of the Keeper) are running the length of the pitch practically non-stop. Add to this the skill envolved in dribbling, passing and scoring while using anything but your hands and I'd think most would agree that this is an amazing game.\n\nI think the game is quite impressive and every four years this culminates in one of the greatest sporting tournaments ever, The World Cup.
204108
The U.S. is such a huge country that we're completely content to compete against each other.  California is practically a different country from Texas.  There's plenty of rivalry there.\n\nI'm a World Cup fan, but there is simply no way you can expect Americans to enjoy soccer the way it's enjoyed everywhere else.  Many, many, many have tried and failed.  It's just not going to happen... especially now that television has changed how we enjoy sports.  American football, baseball, basketball: these all have built-in spots to break away for commercials.  Soccer doesn't.  That hurts its chances of gaining significant telelvision time here in the States.
600375
You make a great point. Club football is their day to day living. It is about money and they have to live up to their contracts or lose them. Country, well that's about heart and pride and to me it would always come first. Australia has suffered from this problem in the past, with International clubs they play for not releasing them or qualifiers or other International games in case of an injury that would impede or stop them fulfilling their obligations to their contracted club. It's a pretty sad situation. I think it's more of a problem for countries who are smaller or have no political influence in the football arena. It would be really sad to see club football become so important that country meant little or nothing. If that ever happened, goodbye World Cup Soccer. It would cease to exist.