SEAN MCGRATH
Sports Editor
Soccer is more than just a lifestyle — it’s an obsession. From the time I was about four, when I was in house leagues, to even today, when a simple pickup game is always going on, I was obsessed with what is known as the world’s most popular game.
Thanks to a wonderful friend of mine, that obsession grew. I was used to just watching whatever game I could and rooted for the normal U.S. Men’s National Team in the World Cup. I never really declared my allegiance to a certain club until now — I live Manchester City.
Starting where most people would, I started as an Aston Villa fan, just to get my feet wet, which was great. I watched players like Christian Benteke, USMNT back-up goalkeeper Brad Guzan and Fabian Delph take to Villa Park.
But something wasn’t right.
Yeah, I enjoyed watching Villa week in and week out, but I felt like I was a half-assed fan. That’s when I discovered the Blues, and it’s been a great ride ever since.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, change was happening.
Contrary to a certain belief of a Fox News analyst, the game was growing, which was a blessing in disguise.
Major League Soccer, constantly under criticism, has grown to more than anyone could even think. David Beckham made a huge move to the U.S. in recent years, coming from beautiful Barcelona all the way to Los Angeles. That was huge for both the game itself and MLS. Yeah, MLS had a few decent players but, a player that is notorious for his freakish free kicks (he even has a popular movie named about them) — that is unheard of.
Beckham said it simply, “Soccer is a magical game.”
For the first time since the league was created, the game was finally gaining ground in the U.S. For a person who loves the game, I was happy. So I got more and more into it. I was back to my original binge watching. Any game I could find, it was on. My girlfriend may have hated it but it was more than just exciting, it was relaxing.
Most people’s problems with soccer is the pace, but that is what I find exciting.
It’s relatable to a battle.
Battles are won by strategy, and so is soccer.
The running joke is that people could watch a whole 90 minute game where no goals would be scored and it’s so exciting {sarcasm.}
It got so big that Ann Coulter, a Fox News personality, went on a rant about the “moral decay” that soccer brings to the United States. It’s quite hysterical, actually, how she attributes the game to part of the downfall of America, simply because there isn’t always a winner, no individual glory; no threat.
She’s clearly never set foot on the pitch before.
Soccer is so complex that it can be simple.
Yes, that is meant to be a confusing statement. Take it for what it is worth.
On the outside, yes, it is a simple game where the object is to get a ball into a net at one end of the field. But on the inside, it’s a game of chess. Each move matters, and one wrong move can ruin an entire game. It’s a team sport and ESPN can try, but they can’t highlight all of it, because the large number of talented players and matches around the world would fill up way more than a whole hour and take away from coverage of Lebron scratching his forehead or Johnny Manziel taking a walk.
Yes, there are a few players who stand out above the rest, but they couldn’t be the superstars without their teammates — and they know and admit it. The Cristiano Ronaldo’s and the Lionel Messi’s credit their teammates with their successes. That is what drives Coulter nuts.
Yet, the game keeps growing.
This past summer, the world was treated to a glorious World Cup, and I was guilty of watching every. single. game.
That’s 64 matches, and I’m not ashamed. It was a magnificent tournament filled with heroics and heartbreak. I remember watching the first U.S. match against a “rival” in Ghana. Ghana had the upper hand. They defeated us two times prior to giving us an early exit in previous World Cups and it only made it more exciting.
I watched as the USMNT took on a team and prevailed; I watched Clint Dempsey score only 30 seconds into the match and kickstart an amazing tournament for the Red, White and Blue, and although we were eliminated, I knew that the game was growing.
I’m rambling, simply because I love the sport so much. It has everything that you need: joy, sadness, drama, excitement, anger — all of the emotions.
I have been on both sides. I was fortunate to be a champion, and I know what it feels like to have more to put out on that field. But I know that I will most likely never get that opportunity again, and that is what makes this game real.
American sports columnist and analyst Bill Simmons said, “There’s a tipping point that happens with soccer in which you just kinda get it. I was drawn to it because the best soccer teams play similarly to my favorite basketball teams — like the eighties Lakers or eighties Celtics — teams that emphasized teamwork over individualism and relied on passing as their biggest ongoing edge.”
It’s more than a game, Ms. Coulter, I wish you could see that. I was truly angry that you blindly wrote off this game as a sign of “moral decay” in this country, solely because you can’t be a superstar or obtain an individual glory for hitting a home run or catching a touchdown, but I tell you: you’re wrong.
John Brooks headed the ball into the net and became a national hero against Ghana. Chris Wondolowski could have put the U.S. past Belgium, but missed a wide-open shot and was widely criticized for it. Don’t act like you know the game.
If you did, you would see the true game for what it is.
And that, Ms. Coulter, is passion.