In the last few years I've started watching a lot of soccer - at least a lot compared to most American sports fans. It started by keeping up with the U.S. Men's National Team (USMNT) for the last World Cups and has now escalated to me latching onto a team in the Barclays Premier League, the Tottenham Hotspur. I'm now to the point where I'm keeping up with USMNT between official tournaments to see who the coaches are playing in friendlies and how they're performing. (Since I'm directing this to non-soccer watchers I'll decode some of the soccer jargon along the way. A friendly is an exhibition match, like a pre-season football game.)
My soccer watching also escalated when we changed our cable plan awhile back and the new package included the Fox Soccer Channel. It's not in HD yet (BOO COMCAST), but shows a LOT of matches from leagues worldwide. When I started watching the leagues overseas I found myself a bit lost and wondering what was going on. Not so much with the play, but with how the games fit into various tournaments, etc. This is what I wished someone had told me.
To keep it basic I'll talk most about the Barclays Premier League, which is usually called EPL - the E standing for English. It consists of 20 clubs and each team plays every other team twice, once home and once away. I started watching just last season and was drawn into it initially by ESPN's Saturday morning broadcasts (which ARE in HD). I've always liked soccer, but these teams played fast and aggressive and the speed and skill demonstrated is amazing. I had heard of the big clubs that everyone knows - Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, but didn't really know any of the others. I started off just pulling for the underdogs but latched onto Tottenham Hotspur. I liked their style of play and that they weren't one of the huge, wealthy clubs but still did enough to be competitive. There are no salary caps in the EPL so the rich teams will be the most successful. I'll talk about what happens to less successful teams later on.
Most leagues around the world begin their seasons in August and end in May. This means the leagues in Europe play all throughout winter in some pretty cold temperatures (people say soccer players lack toughness!). Here in the states the MLS season runs March through October. This is counter to the other leagues worldwide and causes issues during international breaks and tournaments. During league seasons about every 2 months there's an international break where club players are released to be called in by their nations to either play in friendlies or a tournament. Tournaments are typically in the summer when most leagues are off. For MLS it falls during the heart of their season, which causes issues. For an event like a World Cup a player will need to be released for a month or more.
Also, during "league seasons" there are other tournaments happening that teams qualify for with their prior season's standings. The simplest to understand and most well known is the UEFA Champions League (CL). The Top 4 finishers in each major league in Europe qualify. This will include not only the top tier leagues but also the 2nd and sometimes 3rd tier leagues, meaning sometimes a giant club will be pitted against one much smaller. In some of these games the better team will field a lineup of backups and wait until the closing minutes to insert a normal starter to score if necessary. In most cases their backups will be better than the smaller team's starters and can seemingly score at will. Normal league games are on weekends and CL games will fall midweek, meaning those teams playing more games will need to find ways to keep their players rested. There are multiple tournaments a team can qualify for and it can end up being detrimental. I think Manchester City was in 3 or 4 competitions last year and ended up exhausting themselves by the end of the year. Spurs just had a lackluster showing in the Europa League and may have forced themselves out, but I get the feeling it's not a big concern because they're focused on staying in the top 4 of the EPL's table and getting back into CL play next year.
Here's something I had no clue about but think would be a great motivator for American sports leagues - RELEGATION. In the EPL and many other leagues the clubs at the bottom 3 spots in the table are relegated to the next league down and they're replaced by the top 3 teams from that league. So this year Swansea, Queens Park Rangers, and Norwich City were promoted, and Birmingham City, Blackpool and West Ham United were relegated. Being in the Premier League means much more revenue for the club, so it's a big deal. I like to think it might spark American sports owners to invest more in their teams. Tired of the Kansas City Royals being terrible every year? Or the Cleveland Browns? What if they faced relegation to a minor league and could be replaced by a team performing well? I don't think it will ever happen, but it's fun to think about.
Major League Soccer (MLS) isn't on a relegation/promotion system yet. The league is successful and growing, but relegation for a developing team would be a crushing blow. These teams are just now getting to the point where they have their own stadiums and are begginning to grow national followings. I'd like to see it down the road, but the league will need to be better established first. And there will need to be a clear cut 2nd league to relegate to and promote from.
People are saying that soccer is more popular now in America than it ever has been, and I believe it, but there's still a long way to go. Football is king in America, but since I've started watching more soccer my interest in football has waned. What's ironic is that my complaint with football is the same as most non-soccer fans would say about soccer - It's boring! I have been a big football fan for a long time (ask my wife). I think today was the first time I've watched a whole Tennessee Titans game this season. This hasn't happened in about 10+ years. I've found myself flipping over to Fox Soccer Channel to see what's on instead of watching the Titans - or simply just finding other things to do. Here's what's up: Soccer games consist of two 45 minute halves and each side is allowed 3 substitutions during the whole game. The subs are very valuable and are only made if needed. 8 of the 11 players will play the full 90 minutes and there are no breaks in play aside from dealing with injuries or a kickoff. In football a typical play lasts about 5 seconds then the players get a 35 second break. Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal for more on that.
So how can we tell that soccer is growing in America? 1. The number of Americans playing internationally is growing. Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey are having success in the EPL. Many others play in other leagues in Europe or in Mexico. When USMNT calls in a team they really do call in players from clubs around the globe. 2. TV ratings are way up. I won't throw in numbers, but each tournament's ratings in America are increased over the previous year's. 3. Our player development system/academy is improving. Around the world clubs will not only have their main team (often called a first team), but also a women's team, senior team, and academy. In the academy they sign pre-teens and teens to contracts to train with the team and develop. We're starting to do this some in the U.S. and young players with potential are getting access to better training environments. Just this weekend the U.S. U-17 team beat Brazil 3-1 to win a tournament. The future is bright for USMNT based on what's happening with the first team but also with its Academy.
More Soccer Jargon:
Football - What soccer is called everywhere but America
American Football - What everyone else calls our football
Match - A Game
Pitch - The Field
End Line - The goal lines
Touch Line - The sidelines
Table - Standings, how you compare to your peers in wins, losses, draws and points
Boot - A soccer shoe
Kit - A player's uniform
Side - A team (ie: They put out a good side today.)
Level - Tied score
Nil - Zero (in a scoreline)
Clean Sheet - A Shutout
My soccer watching also escalated when we changed our cable plan awhile back and the new package included the Fox Soccer Channel. It's not in HD yet (BOO COMCAST), but shows a LOT of matches from leagues worldwide. When I started watching the leagues overseas I found myself a bit lost and wondering what was going on. Not so much with the play, but with how the games fit into various tournaments, etc. This is what I wished someone had told me.
To keep it basic I'll talk most about the Barclays Premier League, which is usually called EPL - the E standing for English. It consists of 20 clubs and each team plays every other team twice, once home and once away. I started watching just last season and was drawn into it initially by ESPN's Saturday morning broadcasts (which ARE in HD). I've always liked soccer, but these teams played fast and aggressive and the speed and skill demonstrated is amazing. I had heard of the big clubs that everyone knows - Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal, but didn't really know any of the others. I started off just pulling for the underdogs but latched onto Tottenham Hotspur. I liked their style of play and that they weren't one of the huge, wealthy clubs but still did enough to be competitive. There are no salary caps in the EPL so the rich teams will be the most successful. I'll talk about what happens to less successful teams later on.
Most leagues around the world begin their seasons in August and end in May. This means the leagues in Europe play all throughout winter in some pretty cold temperatures (people say soccer players lack toughness!). Here in the states the MLS season runs March through October. This is counter to the other leagues worldwide and causes issues during international breaks and tournaments. During league seasons about every 2 months there's an international break where club players are released to be called in by their nations to either play in friendlies or a tournament. Tournaments are typically in the summer when most leagues are off. For MLS it falls during the heart of their season, which causes issues. For an event like a World Cup a player will need to be released for a month or more.
Also, during "league seasons" there are other tournaments happening that teams qualify for with their prior season's standings. The simplest to understand and most well known is the UEFA Champions League (CL). The Top 4 finishers in each major league in Europe qualify. This will include not only the top tier leagues but also the 2nd and sometimes 3rd tier leagues, meaning sometimes a giant club will be pitted against one much smaller. In some of these games the better team will field a lineup of backups and wait until the closing minutes to insert a normal starter to score if necessary. In most cases their backups will be better than the smaller team's starters and can seemingly score at will. Normal league games are on weekends and CL games will fall midweek, meaning those teams playing more games will need to find ways to keep their players rested. There are multiple tournaments a team can qualify for and it can end up being detrimental. I think Manchester City was in 3 or 4 competitions last year and ended up exhausting themselves by the end of the year. Spurs just had a lackluster showing in the Europa League and may have forced themselves out, but I get the feeling it's not a big concern because they're focused on staying in the top 4 of the EPL's table and getting back into CL play next year.
Here's something I had no clue about but think would be a great motivator for American sports leagues - RELEGATION. In the EPL and many other leagues the clubs at the bottom 3 spots in the table are relegated to the next league down and they're replaced by the top 3 teams from that league. So this year Swansea, Queens Park Rangers, and Norwich City were promoted, and Birmingham City, Blackpool and West Ham United were relegated. Being in the Premier League means much more revenue for the club, so it's a big deal. I like to think it might spark American sports owners to invest more in their teams. Tired of the Kansas City Royals being terrible every year? Or the Cleveland Browns? What if they faced relegation to a minor league and could be replaced by a team performing well? I don't think it will ever happen, but it's fun to think about.
Major League Soccer (MLS) isn't on a relegation/promotion system yet. The league is successful and growing, but relegation for a developing team would be a crushing blow. These teams are just now getting to the point where they have their own stadiums and are begginning to grow national followings. I'd like to see it down the road, but the league will need to be better established first. And there will need to be a clear cut 2nd league to relegate to and promote from.
People are saying that soccer is more popular now in America than it ever has been, and I believe it, but there's still a long way to go. Football is king in America, but since I've started watching more soccer my interest in football has waned. What's ironic is that my complaint with football is the same as most non-soccer fans would say about soccer - It's boring! I have been a big football fan for a long time (ask my wife). I think today was the first time I've watched a whole Tennessee Titans game this season. This hasn't happened in about 10+ years. I've found myself flipping over to Fox Soccer Channel to see what's on instead of watching the Titans - or simply just finding other things to do. Here's what's up: Soccer games consist of two 45 minute halves and each side is allowed 3 substitutions during the whole game. The subs are very valuable and are only made if needed. 8 of the 11 players will play the full 90 minutes and there are no breaks in play aside from dealing with injuries or a kickoff. In football a typical play lasts about 5 seconds then the players get a 35 second break. Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal for more on that.
So how can we tell that soccer is growing in America? 1. The number of Americans playing internationally is growing. Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey are having success in the EPL. Many others play in other leagues in Europe or in Mexico. When USMNT calls in a team they really do call in players from clubs around the globe. 2. TV ratings are way up. I won't throw in numbers, but each tournament's ratings in America are increased over the previous year's. 3. Our player development system/academy is improving. Around the world clubs will not only have their main team (often called a first team), but also a women's team, senior team, and academy. In the academy they sign pre-teens and teens to contracts to train with the team and develop. We're starting to do this some in the U.S. and young players with potential are getting access to better training environments. Just this weekend the U.S. U-17 team beat Brazil 3-1 to win a tournament. The future is bright for USMNT based on what's happening with the first team but also with its Academy.
More Soccer Jargon:
Football - What soccer is called everywhere but America
American Football - What everyone else calls our football
Match - A Game
Pitch - The Field
End Line - The goal lines
Touch Line - The sidelines
Table - Standings, how you compare to your peers in wins, losses, draws and points
Boot - A soccer shoe
Kit - A player's uniform
Side - A team (ie: They put out a good side today.)
Level - Tied score
Nil - Zero (in a scoreline)
Clean Sheet - A Shutout
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