World Cup 2010 to be relocated to the USA??

[rangers85]

Originally Posted by Skipaway

I think you got soccer in the US totally wrong. It's just popular as a kid's game in suburb area, similar to the fashion that dodge ball is played in elementary schools. It's only popular as a good form of activity that parents can put kids in.

Yeah, an I'm 21 and probably near the tail end of the first generation of kids that really played the sport as a kid. I know my parents never really played or knew many that played, and even people that are around 30 not a whole lot of them played. Before my generation it was as skipaway said, a sport in which was a good time waster, but never something people took passionately. My generation that grew up with a world cup here when I was 9 and the start of the MLS when I was 11, it became something that we more passionately cared about.

It still has a ways to go, but you're starting to get adults nowadays that played the game the whole time they were growing up and actually give a damn about the sport. That's something that even 12 years ago when we hosted it, wasn't around as there weren't many in the 21+ demographic that had played the sport growing up.

I think the next 10-15 years could be even better for the sport here because of the fact that these that played soccer all their lives will now be having kids in the next 10-15 years creating a second generation of rabid fanatics.

[rangers85]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

No idea what college football is like but I'd have thought seeing the USA coach came from the college coaching ranks that college football was big in the States and that it tailed of soon as people leave college.

Nope, college soccer isn't that big here. Heck, a lot of the top schools have had to cut men's soccer in recent years due to a piece of legislation called Title IX. Which basically stipulates that men's and women's sports have to have equal number scholarships as a representative sample of the univeristy (or something similar). The problem of implementing that is in Division I-A american football, there's 85 scholarships to balance out. So most D1-A universities don't have a men's soccer team except for the top schools in the sport like SMU, North Carolina, etc.

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by rangers85

Yeah, an I'm 21 and probably near the tail end of the first generation of kids that really played the sport as a kid. I know my parents never really played or knew many that played, and even people that are around 30 not a whole lot of them played. Before my generation it was as skipaway said, a sport in which was a good time waster, but never something people took passionately. My generation that grew up with a world cup here when I was 9 and the start of the MLS when I was 11, it became something that we more passionately cared about.

It still has a ways to go, but you're starting to get adults nowadays that played the game the whole time they were growing up and actually give a damn about the sport. That's something that even 12 years ago when we hosted it, wasn't around as there weren't many in the 21+ demographic that had played the sport growing up.

I think the next 10-15 years could be even better for the sport here because of the fact that these that played soccer all their lives will now be having kids in the next 10-15 years creating a second generation of rabid fanatics.

Yeah, I think while the best athletes of your generation still all play other sports in college, but at least all the playing would teach people how to watch it when really good games are around. While it's hard to judge World Cup TV ratings since it's held at a different time zone everytime, it's a TV success in the US this time.

Somewhere in the future soccer still needs to attract more talents to the college teams though.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by rangers85

Nope, college soccer isn't that big here. Heck, a lot of the top schools have had to cut men's soccer in recent years due to a piece of legislation called Title IX. Which basically stipulates that men's and women's sports have to have equal number scholarships as a representative sample of the univeristy (or something similar). The problem of implementing that is in Division I-A american football, there's 85 scholarships to balance out. So most D1-A universities don't have a men's soccer team except for the top schools in the sport like SMU, North Carolina, etc.

Ahh I thought it was kind of a big thing in college and then suddenly as soon as people left college the interest dropped, like I say though it's a college sport I don't follow, don't even follow the MLS but have promised myself to follow it more.

[DAL 9000]

Originally Posted by rangers85

I know my parents never really played or knew many that played, and even people that are around 30 not a whole lot of them played.

This is definitely true. My dad played high-school soccer in Chicago in the 1950s, and he said there were only six schools in the entire Chicago metro area that had soccer teams.

He also swears his team employed a 2-3-5 formation, which boggles the mind. His explanation: "You have to remember that our coach was an elderly Hungarian who came over to the U.S. sometime in the 1920s. He wasn't what you'd call plugged in to the most recent tactical developments."

Gee, y'don't say.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

give me a mo I'll have a look. I know for a fact that the baseball stadiums are astroturf, but like the SilverDome could probably be retrofitted (well only if Olympic Stadium is still standingby then)

Baseball:

Skydome - Astroturf
Olympic Stadium - Astroturf

Well if you knew your "facts", you'd know that the Olympic Stadium is FieldTurf.

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Well if you knew your "facts", you'd know that the Olympic Stadium is FieldTurf.

well technically Olympic is no longer a baseball stadium either, but it's really a moot point regardless.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

well technically Olympic is no longer a baseball stadium either, but it's really a moot point regardless.

Why did you bring it up, then?

[AnotherAlias]

Originally Posted by Skipaway

While it's hard to judge World Cup TV ratings since it's held at a different time zone everytime, it's a TV success in the US this time.

Yes, I was going to mention the popularity of the World Cup in the U.S. this time around. Ratings were high and I talk to a lot of people during my commute to and from work and a large number of people that I spoke to seem to be very much into it.

Of course, talking to people on one train doesn't prove anything, but if we extrapolate the numbers we might find the percentage of interested Americans is greater than it was in 2002.

I honestly believe that soccer can become a major sport here someday. But as you say, colleges need to attract more talent for that to happen.

[burnstuff]

Originally Posted by mgsports79

It would probley be in LA.
Other cities could include Orlando,Chicago,Houston,Atlanta and so on.

Originally Posted by Bay_Area_Bob

it would problably be in las vegas, other options thouhg could include indianapollis,portland,san jose,tijuana,etc.

Anyone else notice how similar these posts are?

Alias possibility much?

[AnotherAlias]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Why did you bring it up, then?

Because it looks great on the post tally sheet.

[AnotherAlias]

Originally Posted by burnstuff

Anyone else notice how similar these posts are?

Alias possibility much?

To be honest, I've never even heard of you. Are you an alias?

[Skipaway]

Originally Posted by DAL 9000

This is definitely true. My dad played high-school soccer in Chicago in the 1950s, and he said there were only six schools in the entire Chicago metro area that had soccer teams.

He also swears his team employed a 2-3-5 formation, which boggles the mind. His explanation: "You have to remember that our coach was an elderly Hungarian who came over to the U.S. sometime in the 1920s. He wasn't what you'd call plugged in to the most recent tactical developments."

Gee, y'don't say.

Kind of interesting the formation evolved from 2-3-5 to 3-3-4 to 4-2-4 to 4-3-3 to 4-4-2. There are already 5-4-1, so what next? 6-3-1?

[Eumel]

Yep, 2-3-5 was standard in the 50s.The 1954 World Cup had two teams with that formation in the finals. More goals back then

[bababui]

Quoted from "Soccer in Sun and Shadow" by Eduardo Galeano

In the old days there was the 'trainer' and no one paid him much heed. he died without a word when the game stopped being a game and professional soccer required a technocracy to keep people in line. Then the 'manager' was born. His mission: to prevent improvisation, restrict freedom and maximize the productivity of the players, who were now obliged to become disciplined athletes.

The trainer used to say: 'Lets go play'

The manager says: 'Lets go to work.'

They talk in numbers. The history of soccer in the 20th century, a journey from daring to fear, is a trip from the 2-3-5 to the 5-4-1 by way of the 4-3-3 and the 4-4-2."

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by bababui

As was posted above, SA has the highest % of HIV infection in the world. the several billion it would require to improve stadia and buils infrastructure could be put to better use.

Short term, yes, for sure. Building installations doesn't necessitate billions and billions of dollars. However, if in the long run it can improve the economy of the country, they could generate more wealth and have more funds to deal with their issues in 4 years than they do today. But, in the end, it doesn't matter, they can spend their money however the hell they want, it's their decision. After all, the USA have serious poverty and violence issues, yet they choose to spend their money on other things.

[Storgers]

Originally Posted by Long_Long_Name

Why did you bring it up, then?

Because it is a discussion on stadiums. You really need to relax a little bit. Or try and pull whatever is shoved so far up you *** that causes your high and mighty attitude.

[Long_Long_Name]

Originally Posted by Storgers

Because it is a discussion on stadiums. You really need to relax a little bit. Or try and pull whatever is shoved so far up you *** that causes your high and mighty attitude.

You know, if you're going to attack me, why don't you just abstain? I've yet to see good coming from insulting someone. He brings something up, establishes a list, and then says it's moot, I was wondering why all of a sudden it was no longer important. I don,t see what that has to do with me needing to relax and allegedly having something shoved up my rectum.

[darkcloud4579]

South Africa having the opportunity to be on the world stage and to quell once and for all, the myths that people have about Africa in general, would be the sort of PR that most developing nations would die for.

Given that South Africa's economy -- despite its large rate of poverty and the crime that goes with that, which is undoubtedly due to years of apartheid rule -- is one of the most robust in the world and has been resillent for decades, even in the face of embargos and isolation from the rest of the world, there is no issue that the country can't afford this, because it can.

The real issue is, the perception of people in the West who fail to understand that this is about more than just a few soccer games, but about something far greater for a country -- and a continent -- that desperately needs it.