Yearning for Jurgen

US Soccer’s mistake in firing its best coach ever cost the country a World Cup berth.

International Soccer

America what were you thinking? You had the best boyfriend for you and you broke up with him. What happened? Couldn’t you see he was great? He was the best man for you but you listened to your jealous friends. They kept talking in your ear that he was no good for you. What did they know? They nitpicked and got you all riled up until you succumbed. After the break up, you made an even worse decision and got back together with your ex. And your ex led you down a hole that you will not recover from for over four years.

The United States Men’s National Soccer Team’s (USMNT) hopeful saga and eventual downfall has been in the works for years. US Soccer hired Jurgen Klinsmann in 2011 as its 35^th head coach of the national team after letting go of a competent Bob Bradley. Bradley was solid, leading us to a Confederations Cup final and top of our group in the World Cup in 2010. But the feeling was that Bradley probably could not to take us to the promise land. In fact, the truth was that we fired Bradley because we had our eye on an absolutely stellar coach. This guy once coached Germany to third in the World Cup and got hired at Bayern Munich. US Soccer had its first chance to corral a world-class caliber coach. We yearned for ultimate success so we turned to the best US soccer investment ever. Yearning for Klinsmann was a reality.

Firing Jurgen Klinsmann was American Stupid

Axing the German coach was ill-conceived and will set USMNT's prospects backwards.

International Soccer

Last year, I wrote that If You Want Klinsmann Fired, You Are Dumb. This year, I declare that the powers that be at U.S. Soccer are officially stupid. Klinsmann was the best thing that ever happened for American soccer and U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati just made the poorest executive decision.

By jettisoning Klinsmann, Gulati refused to stand for positive progress and long-term goals in the wake of criticism. Instead he bowed down to American whining, the mob mentality of social media, and the underdeveloped writers and pundits of American soccer media.

Klinsmann led our national team to unprecedented friendly wins in Europe. He steered the team out of the Group of Death in the last World Cup. A group that included eventual champions Germany, a Portugal squad that ended up recently winning the Euros, and U.S. kryptonite Ghana, a team that had knocked the U.S. out of the previous two World Cups. The national team finally exited in the knockout stages in overtime to talent-laden Belgium.

And in the next biggest tournament, Klinsmann led the U.S. to the semifinals of Copa America Centenario. The Americans finished better than Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Costa Rica in a tournament that mattered. But stupid people focus on the fact that the U.S. got smoked by an elite Argentina. In what universe was the U.S. ever going to beat Lionel Messi and the number one ranked Argentinians?

Despite all of his success, ignorant individuals called for Klinsmann’s exit by pointing to a loss to Jamaica in the Gold Cup in 2015, a loss to Mexico in the Confederations Cup playoff the same year, and recent World Cup qualifier losses to Mexico at home and Costa Rica on the road.

Jamaica hurt, but Gold Cups do not matter. The U.S. outplayed Jamaica that game but lost on two crucial mistakes. John Brooks, a then 22-year old developing center back got beat on a throw in. And recently promoted goalkeeper Brad Guzan made an egregious hand-ball mental error. Are any morons aware that you play these guys in the Gold Cup to get experience so that they can perform on bigger stages like the Copa America and World Cup? Do people know what development is?

Mexico is better than the U.S. at soccer. Get over it. I was there at the Rose Bowl in the Confederations Cup playoff. Mexico simply has more skill and speed than the Americans. Yet the Yanks clawed back twice in that game only to fall to a world-class strike in the 118^th minute. In a rematch in Columbus, the U.S. looked far the better team after the first 30 minutes and lost on a late goal because Jozy Altidore fell asleep on Rafa Marquez. Yes, the same Rafa Marquez that played 163 games for Barcelona and captained Mexico for four World Cups.

“But we lost to Costa Rica?” We always lose to Costa Rica on the road. Heading into that game, the U.S. was 0-8-1 on Costa Rican soil in World Cup qualifiers. And it is the same Costa Rica that beat Italy and Uruguay on its way to the World Cup quarterfinals and has Real Madrid’s number one keeper. A now 23-year old Brooks got schooled in this game, but that is experience he needs to excel at the next World Cup.

Despite the two results against difficult teams in World Cup qualifying, the U.S. was still on its way to qualify for Russia in 2018 under Klinsmann’s guidance. If the national team does not qualify for Russia or performs disastrously over there then you consider chopping Klinsmann. You do not judge world caliber coaches on intermediate results. That is akin to Apple firing Steve Jobs because the company had a bad quarter before the iPhone debut.

Klinsmann has already brought about the future of U.S. Soccer. Brooks is 23 and our future at center back. Bobby Wood is 24 and already a star at striker. Christian Pulisic is 18 freaking-years old and may be America’s best player already. Deandre Yedlin is 23 and faster than you. Add them to Fabian Johnson (28), Timmy Chandler (26), Geoff Cameron (31), and Julian Green (21) who all were brought along by Jurgen Klinsmann.    

Klinsmann has stressed the importance of overseas development because he knows Europe is where the best progress occurs. All the aforementioned new guys as well as the most recent successes (Bradley, Dempsey, Howard, Altidore, Jones) received European training. Yet senseless people want domestically grown players and think the MLS is the answer. The MLS is garbage and we are decades away from competing if that league becomes our solution.

The critics of Jurgen Klinsmann have an inferior soccer knowledge and mind compared to him. The Taylor Twellmans, Alexi Lalases, Abby Wambachs and Landon Donovans of the world are pittance versus Klinsmann. He coached Bayern Munich and laid the groundwork for Germany’s World Cup title. Americans are just that--American. There is not a single American in the world that is as qualified as Klinsmann and apparently most of them do not have the soccer wherewithal to accurately judge what he has done or could have done with our country.

Firing the German with American children and an American wife just set U.S. soccer backwards. 2016, you are the worst.

Shut Up Abby Wambach

International Soccer

Yes, Abby you are in fact ignorant and you should stop talking about the USMNT’s foreign born players.

This is what you said:

“Do I agree with everything Jurgen has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some guys that have never lived in the United States that play for the United States because they were able to secure a passport. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to make it for their country and earn a living, so they’re coming here.

But do they have that killer instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Mix Diskerud and some of these other guys and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love their country. I believe they can have love for both countries, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.” (Abby Wambach, Retired U.S. Soccer Star, Reflects on Her Addiction)

And here is an equally ignorant and plagiarized statement made about your homosexuality:

“Do I agree with everything the government has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some humans that have never been heterosexual that get to marry because they were able to secure legality. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to marry for real and earn a living, so they’re marrying the same sex.

But do they have that marital instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Abby Wambach and some of these other gays and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love their spouse. I believe they can have love for both sexes, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.”

Or how about this equally ignorant and plagiarized statement about your book:

“Do I agree with everything Dey Street Books has done? No, I do not. It’s just my opinion, and I’m entitled to that. It feels a little bit odd to me that you have some humans that have never published anything that get write a book because they were able to be a professional athlete. To me, that just feels like they weren’t able to make it in a real career and earn a living, so they’re taking advantage of their celebrity.

But do they have that writing instinct? I don’t know. I’d love to sit down with Abby Wambach and some of these other celebrities and talk to them about it. I’d love to understand how much they love writing. I believe they can have love for both careers, but I’d love to hear it, and I think so many other people would, too. If this is an ignorant opinion, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say, “My bad.” But I’d want to have that conversation.”

These are your words framed in a way that I imagine you would find offensive and hurtful. I hope this perspective allows for your introspection. Your ignorant speech is damaging and you should check yourself. But, hey, if this is out-of-line, I’ll raise my hand in the end and say “My B,” I just wanted to let you know.

Captain America: Michael Bradley and American Industriousness

International Soccer

Finally, I got to witness, in person (and at the Rose Bowl!), one of my favorite athletes in all of sports: Michael Bradley. It was my first USMNT game and let’s just say it did not work out well for us. The “pundits” are claiming that U.S. Soccer is in a state of crisis, calling for change, and reiterating our recent “failures.” Previously, I addressed that Klinsmann needs to stay at the helm, but I must stress why the current on-field leader is essential for our nation’s soccer growth.

For years I’ve been clamoring for Bradley’s ascension to the captaincy. I deemed it inevitable. Why? Because Bradley personifies what American soccer needs to be: Industrious. One of John Wooden’s foundations for success is a character our national team must excel in exhibiting. Industrious, hardworking, diligent, or whatever moniker you desire is a cultural trait that our national team can identify with.

Americans work hard. That is both our strength and one of our problems with catching up with the rest of the world. We labor to achieve the American dream, but we toil too hard for our own good, lacking in paid vacation and pushing the limits of practical human health. Whether this work ethic is good or bad, it is nonetheless US.  Our fundamental culture is not changing anytime soon so our national soccer needs to embrace this identity.

The best soccer countries in the world reflect their culture in their soccer play.  The most recent World Cup champ Germany plays regimented, straightforward, fortified, and machine-like. The national team is coined “Die Mannschaft” aka “The Team,” awfully German. The all-time most winning Brazilians play with the flare of the samba, excelling when they dance around their opponents. The four-time victors Italians inject more drama, emotion, and acting into their game than into their most famous operas. The Dutch liberal point of view spawned revolutionary tactics that allowed a relatively small country to flourish on the international stage.  Our national team should best reflect our hardworking culture and Bradley is the model.

Bradley’s work rate not only tops the Americans, but it is one of the highest in the world.  In helping the U.S. advance out of the Group of Death, Bradley covered more distance than anyone in Brazil. That means that in the group stage of the World Cup Bradley ran more than any soccer player in the world. His workhorse attitude has transformed him into the most important American international because he elevates his underdog traits into a winning formula.  Bradley has never been the fastest, the strongest, or the most talented. He is not blessed with such natural gifts.  However, he has been the most relentless, the most studious, and the most conditioned. These characteristics are earned and developed over a lifetime of effort. As a result, Bradley is Team USA’s best soccer player.

Our national team must be persistent.  We are still underdogs to the real contenders. As such, we will be either trailing in games or withstanding a barrage and we will need to fight back and claw our way for results.  No American player hustles more and keeps his motor going than Bradley. Our national team needs to get smarter. We need our players to develop a mental adroitness that lends superior vision and produces ambitious and creative play. We need our players to follow the Bradley path and grow their study of the game abroad in Europe’s top leagues. Our national team needs to be fitter. We need to be the number-one-most-in-shape team in the world. We have the science, technology, training, and history to achieve such a distinction (look how well we compete in the Olympics). With elite conditioning we can thrive late in games instead of faltering to Mexico emphasizing our relentless nature. Realistically, we could be the best in the world at one crucial aspect of the futbol game. As previously alluded to, Bradley is already world-class in this respect.

The aforementioned hard-earned qualities translate to US punching above our weight.  Industriousness gives us a fighting chance against the superpowers and should propel us above our historically better archrival Mexico (achieving results like 2002’s greatest win in US soccer history). Bradley’s industriousness is our American model for improvement. Bradley will never be Leo Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, any American reaching their stratosphere is highly unlikely given the star quality of their touch and skill. But Bradley lays the groundwork for our next generation of soccer athletes with Lebron blessed attributes. Bradley’s brain and motor coupled with Jozy Altidore’s strength and Deandre Yedlin’s speed is our future to success. Keep working hard America.

                                                                     We love you

                                                                     We love you

                                                                     We love you

                                                      And Where you go we’ll follow

                                                                     We’ll follow

                                                                     We’ll follow

                                                      Because We support the US

                                                                        The US

                                                                        THE US

                                                     And That’s the Way We like it

                                                                      We like it

                                                                      We like it

                                                     Whooooooooaaaaoooooooooo

                                                     Whooooooooaaaaoooooooooo

If You Want Klinsmann Fired, You Are Dumb

International Soccer

You are a dumb American, who knows nothing about soccer.  You seek short-term results instead of long-term sustained success. You cry to get what you want instead of working hard to deserve it.  Now here’s the whole story.

We just lost to Mexico.

“Who cares?” “Us Americans do not care about soccer!”

False.  Americans love winning and we are not winners.  We are a second rate nation in a world where we believe we are second to none.  We dominate the Olympics. We crush basketball. We own football. Our pastime is baseball.  And we love all of that.  We expect our military to be unstoppable, our economy to rule, and our entertainment to be the best.  We want to be “American”… We want win in the most competitive arena in the world.  Forget Mars and space, soccer is our frontier.

“Puto!” “Puto” this, “Puto” that. That is what you hear when you go a U.S. v. Mexico game on American soil. Yes, Mexican fans chant every other word a curse word that I understand to be nothing but derogatory. And yes, they use it to describe our players, our play, and our results. And they proudly shout, on our turf nonetheless, on my alma mater’s home field, because 75% of the crowd was Mexican supporters.

The first and most important step to becoming a winning soccer nation is a cultural immersion of the sport.  The superpowers live, breathe, and die with soccer.  Their children learn to walk with a soccer ball.  The son’s first toy is a soccer ball and the father’s last gift is a ticket to a futbol game.  They eat soccer for breakfast.  Soccer is bred. We do not stand a chance until we grow soccer the way the rest of the world does. And Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Jurgen Klinsmann knows all of this and he is working to achieve it. It is why his other integral role is Technical Director for U.S. Soccer. He understands elite soccer, and how to get elite results. He presses for youth development because he knows soccer is in our future, not our immediate present. He has a practical and calm head that stated we would not win the 2014 World Cup because he realistically and accurately knew where we were. Unfortunately, this created an American hustle and bustle because we are childish and cannot stand being losers. Anyway, the German went out and led his children’s country to advance out of the Group of Death. We finished second in the Group of Death behind eventual champion Germany (losing only 1-0, much better than Brazil fared), tied a top-flight Cristiano Ronaldo led Portuguese team, and won against a more talented than us Ghanaian squad (who knocked us out of the previous two World Cups). Then we were a Wondo’ flub away from stealing our way into the quarterfinals.

Before Klinsmann we would not win at Italy, at the Azteca, in Netherlands, and in Germany. Goals not achievable before are now realized. We are at least relevant in the soccer world because of Klinsmann. We have made strides, but we have miles to go. Do not get off this train; it is headed in the right direction because its conductor is in control.

Prioritizing short-term returns is one our generation’s greatest fallacies. Weren’t we supposed to learn that lesson with our economy? We mask this fallacy with claims such as “accountability.” We let Landon Donovan attack our coach, who has won a World Cup as his team’s top striker, coached Germany to a third place finish (laying the groundwork for his assistant to finish the job), and was hired to coach at Bayern (freaking) Munich. Donovan, on the other hand, was a “successful” American-based player who couldn’t cut it overseas. Tell me who is the best Jacksonville Jaguars player of all-time is.  And then tell me that college players are better than pro players.  Letting Donovan take a shot at Klinsmann is like if Lakers let Adam Morrison question Phil Jackson or if the Broncos thought Tebow-time was more valuable than Elway’s insight. Just stop it.

And again, Rome wasn’t built in one day.

UCLA Bruins: John Wooden was hired in 1948. From 1964-1975 he won 10 of 12 national championships.  A 16-year wait.

Boston Celtics: Red Auerbach was hired in 1950. From 1957 to 1966 he won 9 of 10 championships.  A 7-year wait.

Duke Blue Devils: Mike Krzyzewksi was hired in 1980. Didn’t win his first of five national championships until 1991. An 11-year wait.

San Francisco Giants: Brian Sabean was hired as GM in 1996. Didn’t win his first of three World Series titles until 2010. A 14-year wait.

Jurgen Klinsmann was hired in 2011. A 4-year wait so far to turn around an entire nation’s legacy of futility. Give him time. He knows more than you.

I believe that we will win!  I believe that we will win!  I believe that we will win!

Summer Soccer Recap

International Soccer

First and foremost I’d like to apologize for going AWOL during this summer. Although baseball usually dominates the summer months there was some American action going on with the greatest sport in the world.  I’m talking about soccer.  So let us recap our ride through the Women’s World Cup and the Gold Cup (Men’s). USA! USA! USA!!  Ladies first.

Our women’s national team entered the tournament as one of the favorites with a #1 FIFA ranking.  (I personally favored the 2-time defending Germans and their home field advantage.)  The Americans started off less than spectacular losing to Sweden in group play.  With a second place seeding, we were pit against another heavy favorite in Brazil.  A showcase by Brazil’s Marta and it appeared the Brazilians were moving on.  Then the unthinkable happened.  Fighting to their last breath the Americans scored a miracle 122 minute (for you soccer newbies, that’s 2 minutes into stoppage/extra time of the second overtime!) equalizer. The subsequent shootout netted a win for team USA.  It was one of the best comeback finishes in any sport.  With that memorable win came one word: destiny.  The bandwagon officially got rolling and the words Hope and Solo were never bigger.  Little did we know that destiny had bigger plans…

Luckily for me I had heritage on my side, which motivated me to watch the other team of destiny, Japan. (Pardon moi dad. France did finish a respectable fourth).  The Japanese, like the Americans, finished second in the group stage. The “Nadeshiko” displayed brilliant ball possession and technical ability, but a group stage loss to a physical England made everyone believe that Japan was simply too small to measure up.  The quarterfinal opponent was the daunting Germans and their ridiculous height advantage.  Nevertheless Japan pulled off the stunner of the tournament by imposing its possession style and knocking out the host country.  Size didn’t matter yet again as Japan stormed past Sweden to match up against the favored Americans.

In the game, a resilient Japan grasped destiny away from the Americans by coming from behind (twice!) to send the game into penalty kicks.  In the end, Japan was not to be denied as they handedly won the shootout.  “The Japanese, running around like little mice!” proclaimed my excited mother.  She couldn’t be more right as Japan scurried all over the pitch eating up the competition with their beautiful play.  And even as an American, I had to be happy for the Japanese.  They earned it. They had the best player in the cup, the ageless Sawa, and played their brand of soccer throughout.  When you think bigger than soccer, you had to root for Japan.  The country, ravaged by natural disasters needed some solace.  In Japan fashion, after every game the team humbly displayed its appreciation for the support the world has given Japan. The country deserved a World Cup title and they got one.

As for America! The Women’s World Cup showed us two things: that we could be excited about women sports and that we could be excited about soccer.  There’s a caveat: Winning!  (Touché Charlie Sheen) We won’t reach the ‘fandemonium’ levels of our four major sports until we win. Our attention spans are short and there is already so much to choose from.  Maybe some will learn to love the beautiful game for what it is, but the majority will only convert with success.   

It is why currently many don’t give a lick about the men’s national team because we ain’t any good.  (The fact that our women’s team is top level shows wonders to female sports opportunities in this country. Props to Title IX.)  If you are a diehard fan like me, you will still follow the men’s team every chance you get even if it means you have to scour your television channels to find a network that carries the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Gracias, Univision.  The CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament crowns the best of North America and the Caribbean.

In case you are not familiar with CONCACAF play, it is basically all about the Mexicans and Americans.  They’re the favorites and they’ve won 10 of 11 Gold Cups between them.  The rest of the region is filled with cupcake to average at best teams.  As expected, I watched the Americans cruise their way through Jamaica and Panama to set up a faceoff with rival Mexico. This year’s championship contest took place in the Bruins’ house: The Rose Bowl.  You would hope U.S. soil would translate to a home crowd for the Americans. Nope. It turned out to be a Mexican party.

The United States crashed it early with two scores despite the partisan crowd and superior Mexican team.  The first came from a brilliant header by Michael Bradley off a corner followed 15 minutes later by a cool finish from Landon Donovan.  Shocker! 2 nil against Mexico!  We were getting outplayed, but somehow we were up by two.  Now we just have to play solid DEFENSE and the Gold Cup is ours.   Instead, we went for the jugular and spread ourselves out against a better team. Again our weakness at left back was exposed and Mexico proceeded to torch us for four goals including a beautiful finish by Giovanni Dos Santos (check it out).   It was as painful as the Confederations Cup final (where we lost 3-2 to Brazil after a 2-0 halftime lead). 

Another big game meltdown meant a death sentence for USA coach Bob Bradley.  In step Jurgen Klinsmann, the former German star and national team head coach, who has been the desired guy for several years.  The media dubs it The Klinsmann Revolution and I have to admit I am excited to see where he takes us.  Although we’ve started off slow, 0-2-1, it is all part of the process.  Klinsmann is observing and analyzing what we really have while trying to shape our players, especially our youth, to compete at the national team level.  It’s what we need to do.  We can’t compete with the top dogs unless we properly develop our players for elite level competition.  It is what we do with our top athletes in football, baseball, and basketball and we need more of it for soccer.  The United States is the greatest sports country in the world and we will one day compete for the greatest sport in the world.  USA! USA! USA!!!

The Beautiful Game

International Soccer

In case you’ve been misinformed, soccer is the beautiful game.  Yes, it is better than any other sport on the planet. Why you ask? Let the preaching begin!

Why are soccer goals so rare, yet look so darn beautiful to watch? It's because soccer goals are so difficult to score.  This ain't the NBA where sheer athleticism can carry you past all defenders for a slam dunk.  In soccer, nothing is a layup.  When an ugly goal happens, it's because defensive gaffes bear gifts (or ridiculous luck is involved).  Generally, incalculable coordination is a requirement for soccer goals.  Not only do you have to coordinate playing the ball without your hands, but also you need to navigate through and around ever-changing walls of defenders.  And once you finally get within distance to put up a shot, you must put the ball past a player who uses anything to stop you, including those oh-so-handy hands! Each goal is a result of lots of work--team and individual--and it doesn’t come easily.  The high degree of difficulty is the beauty to soccer’s low scoring affair.  Let's not forget that there are no breaks (except halftime) in soccer.  So, let me break it down for you so that you futbol haters can open your eyes and see what is beautiful.

No sport requires more stamina and conditioning than soccer.  It's basically running for 90 minutes + playing soccer.  There are no breaks after every play like football, or incessant timeouts like basketball.  It is all day running (not to mention limited substitutions).  This is why soccer bodies are so slim.  Any excessive muscle-packing would be detrimental for your stamina.  Some dislike the fact that fitness is one of the most important factors to playing soccer well.  I must disagree with them because stamina is a fair trait to have.  Why? Well, it’s an ability that you as a player can control.  Unless you’re stricken with a health condition that prevents this, stamina is a result of hard work and dedication.  This vital ability is earned instead of born into.  You don't have to be blessed with a 7-foot wingspan to play soccer professionally, but you do have to work at keeping a fit body.  While you always need some luck physically (usually speed) to get to the professional level, in soccer you can carry yourself quite far through simple conditioning.

Balance is another reason why I find soccer the most difficult and fascinating of sports.  Playing with your feet is hard enough, but jostling a player while controlling a ball with the same limbs? No cake-walk here.  In soccer you need to jump between controlling the ball with one foot to balancing yourself on the other (as well as counterbalancing your opponents force).  It ain't easy kids.  The tough balancing act is why so many soccer players hit the deck (when they're not flopping) so easily.  My college roommate once got frustrated watching a soccer game when a player couldn't reach a tough cross.  He said something along the lines of "Lebron James would just reach out and snare that, no big deal."  I responded with “you just don’t get it.”  Lebron's strength of balance would not carry over to soccer.  His balancing ability is used differently, where both feet are always free to jump around a court and, then he uses his hands for ball control.  He's not dancing and ball controlling with the same limbs!

Don't get me wrong; if LBJ had years (since childhood) of soccer practice, I'd want him on my team.  That body would push him past Christiano Ronaldo as the most athletic player in soccer.  Right now, Lebron would get torched at every position (except goalkeeper) because he doesn't have the balance (aka footwork and body control) required to dominate in soccer.  In fact, Kobe Bryant credits playing soccer during his youth for much of his footwork and balance.  How come Lionel Messi at only 5'7" is one of the best soccer players in the world?  It's because his low center of gravity helps him keep his lethal balancing abilities despite suffering a disadvantage in height.  It's great to see a sport where blessed height and size aren't necessarily required.  

Goalkeeper is a different story.  NBA bodies would be ideal for goalkeeping.  They're quick, explosive, and their reach is undeniable.  If he were mentally schooled in the position, I'd nominate Durantula for the U.S. Soccer team's keeper.

You can also do well because of your intelligence.  Soccer is a far more intelligent game than people (Americans) give it credit for.  In their defense, it's hard to see the intricacies of soccer unless you’ve played it for years or religiously watch it (playing FIFA helps too).  Like baseball, it may seem boring unless you can observe the games within the game.  The multiple dimensions of soccer make it such a brain game.  You can attack down the gut, up the sidelines and cross, go aerial, etc.  You can defend with pure strength, different formations, offside traps, etc.  And those are just team options, forget talking about the infinite possibilities of individual defense and offense (scissors, nutmeg, 360, stepover, rainbow, etc.) There are almost too many creative options in a game that's so free flowing.  This makes the game very difficult to master.  Also, you can't rely on your coach to call plays for you.  Because of the speed of the game, defensively and offensively as a player you need to constantly make up your own mind--no crutches to lean on (except a shouting, usually inaudible coach from the sidelines).  Do you know why set-pieces (aka free kicks) are the most dangerous (for scoring) in soccer?  It’s because teams are able to practice set-pieces with specific plays and execution (there’s also a minor break in play and defensive pressure).  When you get such specific help, it's much easier to beat a defense.  Call me blasphemous, but I’ve always viewed set-pieces as basically football plays with your feet.  Seriously, compare them and you’ll understand more how scoring is priceless in soccer.

Soccer requires teamwork.  No star player can carry a team through the opposing eleven.  11 on 11.  Enough said.

Fortunately for us, soccer is the most popular sport in the world, By Far.  It's because anyone, different sizes or economic statuses can play.  I absolutely hate the counter-argument to this that claims soccer's popularity is only because it's a poor man's sport.  If you believe this then you're just scared of true competition.  Elitists can't handle the numerous cultural influences and thus diverse playing styles that arise because of world popularity in a sport.  Soccer's simplicity allows for anyone to play, but for all to make it their own.  The Brazilians dance, the German's build a machine, the Dutch invented "total football," the Japanese play with precision, the Italians are dramatic, and on and on.  Even if you aren't individually gifted you can develop through teamwork a way to win.  Greece won the Euro 2004 title by team defensive execution despite lacking star quality players.  Defense, nice! More so, in soccer, your offense can become your defense.  Huh? The other team can’t score if they don’t touch the ball…  Again, there are simply too many ways for me to explain how to play the beautiful game.  The cultural influences in soccer are what make this game the most globally beautiful.  It's the future's clash of culture without the bloodshed.  Different styles face-off, some bruises may occur, but a winner and loser emerge without any rubble.  It’s fun, it’s fair (a different post’s topic), and did I mention it’s beautiful? Maybe, Americans will take soccer more seriously if they consider the possible "world domination" option it provides.  One day, I believe we will, so I’m getting front row seats to the future of sports and I hope you will join me. USA! USA! USA! (by the way, one of the saddest/least creative soccer chants in the world)

If you still wonder why I love soccer, watch these videos and you will talk to yourself saying simply “Beautiful.”

Best Free Kick Ever

Sweet Bicycle Kick Compilation

Old Fav of Mine: Ronaldhino vs. Zidane