Yanks Soccer

There were brand new shirts.  The white and blue of Argentina with Messi on the back, the iconic sash of the American jersey was almost ubiquitous.  They raced back and forth, some flailing hopelessly, others with cool calculated movements, showing mastery and precision.  They passed, shot, tackled, and it all felt right.  They even needed two fields, two games, that had never happened before.

This scene was from my pickup soccer game last night.  I’m a regular, and I’ve seen the ups and downs of the game through the past few years.  Last summer at times, we struggled to get enough for a game of 7 v. 7, opting to shorten the field and use old lacrosse goals that were in the corner of the field.  Yesterday though, I showed up and one game was already going, a full 11 v. 11, so another game started, and it too was 11 v. 11.

I was shocked; I had never seen anything like this; it was unprecedented.  I talked to a few of the guys who I hadn’t seen before and introduced myself.  I asked them in delicate terms, why they had suddenly decided to play.  Their response was what I had expected.

“We’ve been watching the World Cup, and just wanted to play a bit.”

“Are you making this a regular thing?” I asked.

“Eh, not sure.”

That is the question really: Are you making this a regular thing?  Is your love and appreciation for the quadrennial event that is the World Cup going to be something more regular, more substantive.  Will it translate to watching European matches or MLS matches, will these casual fans ever attend a live match, or begin to follow blogs covering the sport?

Soccer is here, the 40+ people that showed up last night is evident of that, but the more pressing question is where is soccer going, and what will it look like in the future.

In the past, soccer has been a fringe sport, played by immigrants and wealthy suburban kids.  Immigrant communities have always patronized professional soccer (for instance, most of DC United’s chants are in Spanish).  Urban communities have at times embraced professional soccer here, Seattle, DC, and Philadelphia are prime examples of that.  Soccer though, needs the youth generation who played the game on suburban fields to reach the next level.  Those 25 people who showed up to relive their glory days of juice boxes and “participation trophies” need to become the future of soccer in America, if the sport is ever to truly hit mainstream.

Just as the votes of the youth ushered in a young and fresh president into the office, it seems as if we are poised to usher in the sport of soccer into the mainstream, but only if the youth who grew up with it, and are now regaining interest stick with it, and become more than just casual followers who show up to their local game every time soccer fever blankets the USA.

It’s time to be proactive.  If you meet any of these people, offer to take them to a MLS or D2 game.  Show them what soccer is about here, and maybe, just maybe, your diligence will pay off, and we will become a bona fide soccer-mad nation.

–Max Zeger

Follow me on twitter @mcmz403 for news, banter, and opinion.