There was a time when soccer was poised to become the next great American sport. The North American Soccer League was that platform for teams and players to enter the pantheon of athletic greatness. But something happened. Maybe a fervor of anti-communist rhetoric had kept the sport born of the working class from taking a foothold. Perhaps a cabal of capitalist pig millionaires had conspired to quash incoming competition. Maybe America just had too many sports for people to care about. When the NASL died shortly after its founding, America was devoid of professional soccer on a major level. That was until 1993 when the US Soccer Federation won a bid for the 1994 FIFA World Cup and established Major League Soccer. The league kicked off last week, so now is a good time to...
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It’s going to be a wild summer for US Soccer. This week I’m covering two aspects of American soccer culture that can help you get in on the ground level of soccer fandom. I’m talking about the American Outlaws. They’re the official supporter group for the men’s national team, and it’s a great start for non-fans to catch terminal soccer fever. The American Outlaws may not consist of actual Outlaws, but the group is full of fanatical supporters who travel far and wide to bring their energy to the men’s and women’s national teams. Most of all, this is a group where you can find your inner soccer lover. In three short words, it’s...
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You can hear them from miles away. It starts with a low rumble of a drum and a cacophony of songs and chants of an almost religious nature. A wall of sound develops brick-by-brick from each individual person contributing their own loud voice to the chorus. It's the middle of the summer, but these people brandish colorful scarves. It's not Independence day, but smoke and flares a set alight to create a chaotic, but joyful scene. They are traveling to their cathedral where they will share a spiritual 90 minutes with each other, reciting their songs, and, if all goes right, performing several beer baptisms. This week's article, and to a certain extent the newsletter issue you're reading, it about the fans who freely give of their time, energy, and support to their local soccer clubs. After reading, you will know them by their...
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Maybe you didn't feel a draft, figuratively speaking, but a metaphorical window was just closed ending a wild, month-long spending spree for soccer clubs around the world. I'm talking about the winter transfer window, which is one of two opportunities for billionaires to buy, sell, or trade millionaires on an open market of soccer talent. Being that soccer is a worldwide sport and off-seasons vary by continents, there is a winter transfer window and a summer transfer window. In less cynical terms, this is a time when clubs that are halfway through their league competitions can bolster their roster, loan out younger, inexperienced talent, and fill in position gaps plagued by injuries. This week's article is going to be a short look at the business side of soccer. Let's have a look at...
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It’s easy to think that when you watch a soccer game that all the players on the field sort of slot themselves into various positions and just go after the ball when it gets near them. That’s not the case at all, because these players are trained adults and not grade school children. When you understand the positions, you can better see the field of play and how all the players fit in on it. At the end of the day, once you realize how all 11 players work in tandem as they move the ball up and down the pitch, it becomes easy to follow the game. It’s akin to entering the Matrix and seeing it in its pure form. You’ll know Kung Fu in no time.
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While the weather here in Washington, DC is getting nasty, it makes my decision to just hole up in my home with some coffee and soccer justifiable. One aspect that I like about soccer is that it is a year-round sport. With so many leagues around the world and here in America, I can sometimes feel a little spoiled. Different leagues and different countries will kick-off and finish at different points in the year. When the titans in Europe finish up their championships, I'm already in full swing with Major League Soccer over here. Then there are various tournaments and international competitions, which are the cherries on top of a rich, decadent cake. But it took me a while to figure out when and where to catch these competitions. So in this issue of Soccer Made Simple, I will answer the question...
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It's tough to talk about time without bringing up tired cliches and tropes. But it's such a universal, ubiquitous concept that is hard to grasp without the use of idioms to help frame it. When it comes to soccer, time is both always moving forward and relative to the discretion of the referee. There are two halves to a game of soccer, but teams also have to account for stoppage time and extra time. For newcomers, the way time is managed during a soccer match may seem random. I used to think it was solely up to the ref to call the end of the half or the game. While that's not too far off, there are a few factors that impact the passage of time during a game. This is why soccer is...
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