Comments about ‘Soccer still in its infancy for Americans’

Soccer is taking root in the US. This Saturday, check out the increasing number of games being broadcast on various networks. Visit a local indoor soccer facility - they're springing up all along the Wasatch Front. Visit any number of parks where adults are playing in pick-up games. Stop in at one of several soccer-specific stores in Provo, Salt Lake, Midvale, Bountiful. Do a quick search on the web for soccer shoes and uniforms -- there are a lot of companies making a lot of money selling the stuff. You can't miss the soccer fields in literally every major community. And MLS is planning to expand to new cities. Great news for all of us who love the game.

* Surely all this annoys soccer haters. :-)

Spend a few moments outside of Alpine or Draper, Amy.

Lots of adults in my neighborhood play soccer. Of course, these adults hate the USMNT and MLS. They are fans of El Tri and the Chivas.

But their kids won't be able to play for Chivas and maybe not the Mexican national team.

...i got bored with your article. I've heard others with your same opinion. I don't care. The sport is growing, it's been growing, it will continue to grow. We don't care if everyday Americans jump on the band wagon, we've proven that we can survive, and thrive without them.

Good work RSL, I just hope you bring that same fire against Columbus, prove to us that you deserve to be in the playoffs.

It's simple, really. The unites states best soccer league is the mls. It's not exactly the epl or spl. To think that this league is going to eventually pass the NFL or NBA in popularity is insane. People recognize that the players here would be the subs that never come off the bench in Europe. Do me a favor and google the attendancdance Of the world soccer challenge over the summer in the united states. They averaged about 65 thousand a game. When the talent comes here the fans will come out. Until then it's aslow steady growth in popularity as people begin to understand the game better.

I couldn't agree with you more.

You should have written this article about 15 years ago. Seattle sounders fc average 35k plus a game. And that's an mls team. The sport has grown phenominally! 50 years ago I had not even heard of soccer, now I'm a regular at Real Salt Lake games.

Last night he $5 online package and watcing what seemed like a relegation battle on final day of EPL or teams going for title, was an incredible night of highs and lows (brief) when following MLS and REAL game silumtaneously on TV.

It was exciting as heck. The DC-kc dallas-Seattle were great contests. I am proud that Kreis got this team ready for a big win, a good crowd but should have been SRO, it was worthy of that.

It does not matter now the reg season. A coach job at start of season is to make the final 8. Bottom line. It was done.

Columbus is not the Columbus 2008. Not close. They are beatable. If we believe we can do it, we will. We can win the title, which would kill all the soccer haters. I will be glued Saturday about 3 my time to Rio Tinto on FSC

It money. The best athletes here go for basketball, football or baseball, that is where the big bucks are. For the rest of the World it is futbol. That makes it very hard for us to compete.

Infancy is a great term for it. WHAAAAA!! Fake injuries to run out the clock. WHAAAA!! It's not sportsman like to have a winner and a loser, so we'll end EVERY FREAKING GAME with a tie. WHAAA!! If you don't like soccer, you're ignorant, or you have no culture.

CRY,CRY,CRY!!! Just like babies. You know why soccer fans riot? Because they should.

If football was as nancy as soccer, I'd wanna tip over cars and burn the town down, too.

yeah you tough football guys work for a whole 6 seconds then need a break already. Not to mention the oxygen, ivs, massages, and other nonmentionables that happen on the sidelines.

To the many absurd comments you are making in this article, about the referee and the clock, about fans killing goalkeepers, I think you google certain individual circunstances. Yes, the game is in its beginning in America, but you know, American football (handball) is not the most popular game in the world, especially hard to be there for the many stops and lack of continuity.
I do not share your comment about soccer is in its infancy, what happen is that many of the Sports journalists are not ready and know very little about the game, its rules, and teams. In fact, like in many other subjects, JOURNALISTS ARE IN SOCCER INFANCY!
GO REAL, ALL THE WAY NOW!

To: Soy west side

If you listened to X96 on Monday mornings, you would probably understand that Amy lives outside of Draper/Alpine. Please don't assume that people who live in a certain neighborhood or area or are a certain nationality are or aren't then only ones who participate in an activity. I live near downtown and have adult pick-up games regularly with people from everywhere and anywhere.

Soccer and MSL is slowly but surely growing in popularity. There is a whole new generation of Americans who grew up playing the game, and add to that the demographic changes.
I can see soccer surpassing NBA and NHL in popularity within the next 20 years or so. Heck, MLS has a higher average attendance than both those sports.

Soccer rocks! I grew up playing it, my kids are growing up playing it. We were offered tickets to the BYU/TCU game and tickets to the RSL/Waterboys game. As an avid BYU fan and graduate there was no choice to really be made. I loved watching the Waterboys get their tail smacked by RSL. Give me soccer over any of the American sports any day! Go RSL, BEAT THE CREW!

I have always played and watched soccer. Mostly followed the national team in the past. As the MLS gets better and gets better players, I am enjoying the MLS.

The flow of the game is so much better than football, basketball, or baseball. Ties can be frustrating but taken in context it is a great part of the game. 1 point for a tie, 3 for a win, and 0 for a loss.

My son is thinking of quitting baseball to play soccer more - can't wait. No more watching kids pick dandylions for 2 hours.

Amy plays soccer and knows who Cruz Azul is.

I am almost 40 yrs old and grew up in the time when soccer was played by little kids and then you eventually grew out of it. I was the same. I played for a season or two, but no one followed soccer, it was all about BYU football and BYU/Jazz basketball.
A stint over in Germany changed all that. The WC was played in Italy that year and Germany won the cup. Just to be around that atmosphere and celebration made me realize that soccer was for real. At first soccer broadcasts were pretty hard to find and MLS teams were almost painfull to watch because they played on american football fields and had zero crowd support. I wanted packed stadiums with singing, chanting, standing or jumping fans.
In that regard MLS has come a long way. It isn't perfect yet, but I like how there are no super teams in MLS, they all have a chance to win it all. Now it is no problem finding a game to watch. I agree with previous posters though, until the money is there it will not fully take off.

Soccer was in its infancy in the USA back in the 80's when the USA didnt qualify for the World Cup, the World Cup could only be seen in Spanish TV channels and the NASL folded and we didnt yet have the MLS. I would say now Soccer in America is more like a tempamental teenager......

BYU Women's soccer is the best sports show in the state. Better than the World Series and Super Bowl combined. And that's a fact.

Amy I couldn't disagree more with your opening statement. RSL's record wasn't great, but they earned every point to get into the playoffs with hard work.
How about the NBA's Eastern Conference, who regularly sends teams with under .500 records to the playoffs.
Or
The NFL's Arizona Cardinals that finished the season 8-8, yet almost won the Super Bowl!!!
RSL making the playoffs is great. The season starts over for them now. They earned a spot, and now the records are wiped out. Nobody "gave" them anything!