this is a question to you yanks out there. do you really understand the game of soccer. i no you try to play?
414407
I'm not a Yank - just north - Canadian.  The game is really taking off here.  Both my kids are playing competitive soccer and loving it.  My son quit hockey to focus on soccer all year - smart kid.  It's a great game and for all the people who think it's boring, it is because they don't understand the subtleties of the game.  A lot of people find baseball boring but only if they don't see all the little things going on.  Soccer (football) is full of so many skilled moves that casual viewers miss - especially the European and South American players.  The World Cup is going to be awesome.  Go England (until my son leads Canada to the Cup in about 2018).
1076746
the us team is pretty much a disgrace and i must agree with you that i am embarassed too. but i wasn't all that shocked by how poorly they have played... the us doesn't have a strong enough soccer program to have a good national team. so instead i'm cheering for germany since i'm german.
1130804
Nope.  Soccer doesn't fit in with the American mindset.  First of all, soccer is nationalistic, and the U.S. isn't.  We like to divide up and go at each other, not unite as one big team to play other countries.  Second, we're an insular nation.  Since the overwhelming number of Americans wouldn't be able to find a single World Cup participant on a map, it's unlikely they would enjoy the competition.  The rest of the world is a mystery to us.  Third, the U.S. has developed an "MTV/ADD" mindset.  Soccer is too slow for us to pay attention.  All sad, but all true.
1096834
i know nothing about soccer and, yes, i am an american:-)
1051240
Well, all i can say, is that the american commentators are struggling with the most popular sport in the world, just like the american soccer team. Its time they got someone who has "played the game" to commentate, rather than someone who thinks that he knows the game. I guess the same applies to the americal soccer team and the coach too! Time to play catch up.
748010
I have exactly the same problem mate. Traditionally, like most people in the US, I have grown up watching American football and have always enjoyed it. Recently though I began watching football(soccer) and have fallen in love with the sport. I love the pace of the game, and the skill of the players. I have actually begun watching more soccer than football, so I guess that proves I like soccer better.
288715
People wonder why soccer is a low scoring sport.\nI know why.\n***\nI guy scores a goal.\nHe tears off his jersey and sinks to his knees.\nThen the rest of the team jumps all over him and B+tt F+cks him in turn.
445491
hehe.\nno one got that you were making fun of soccer.
995240
Wow same!  I'm American and this is the first year I've even watched a soccer match without just taking a glance and dismissing it with boredom.  I don't know what about this year caught me, but now I'm really into the WC.  However, I think once this dies down, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue sating my apetite for soccer w/ national games (mainly cause I'm a staunch supporter of European teams).  Too bad the rest of America is too intrigued by our own brutish version of football to care about soccer.  It's merely a reflection of us as a country I guess, and it fits well with our war-mongering image.
1007369
About the soccer? If you are asking what I think about soccer, I like it. I liked better when I was able to play it.\n.
537804
Yes, absolutely.  We still lack experience playing together in important matches, but our players have enough club experience for us to perform very well. \n\nAnd then there’s the Guus factor…\n\n\n(and thanks to SBS for having the good grace to advertise a rival site during their TV coverage this morning)
243817
Funny.  I didn't know that Americans were the only ones who spoke English...  I guess England would not count then, right?  Don't they play a bit of soccer over there?  I think that it should all be hand signals.  Is there that much that needs to be communicated by the refs??  I think language is a silly requirement.  How about requiring that they are good refs?  That would be something.
146072
i love soccer...its like the best sport...i have been playing for like over ten years....its great
1167266
because people think that the usa does not know how to play soccer.   TO THESE PEOPLE I SAY LOOK AT LAST YEAR!!!! we made it so far for our standerds. no one thought we would be able to get out of group stages.\nWE WILL SHOW THOSE DANG EUROPEANS!!!!
1004402
I agree and disagree. Soccer is a contact sport. If you have ever played, you would know what I mean. Regardless, the European players are very good at flopping. I think you could relate it to how Dennis Rodman used to play defense. They make the fouls look a lot worse than they actually are. It brings attention to them. It takes away from the purity of the game, but most refs, like the one in the US and Italy game, overreact. I hate it when someone gets red carded for what the ref thinks is  bad challenge, then all of a sudden the player gets supposed injured player gets up like nothing happened. If you think soccer is a non contact sport, did you see when McBride got elbowed in the face? You my friend do not know what you are talking about.
424559
Having Englishmen and Scotsmen as blokes, I would have to say that in general they know a lot about football (soccer)... or at least a hell of a lot more than North Americans. I am Canadian and even I would rather refer to the game as football. It makes sense doesn't it?... I mean you kick the ball with your foot, yet in football (American) you throw the damb thing and rarely kick it.
999220
lol wtf? that made no sense at all. offsides prevents an unfair advantage of keeper vs. striker. and "defence move forward unnesasaryly some time and the result is off side-that is unfair." thats called an offside trap, they do it to get an offsides call and regain possesion of the ball. If by "more exciting" you mean the score will be 35-28, then go watch hockey. and dont post on something that should be changed when you have no idea what it is for in the first place. . . For everyone who is posting that offsides traps should not be offsides, quiet yourselves please. Do you not like strategic soccer? why dont we just make the goals 50 feet wide and take away the keepers? and anyone who gets slide tackled and pretends to be more hurt than they are should get a red card? lol why dont we just kill soccer where it stands? because offsides makes it more interesting. so leave it. . . please