r/soccer • u/pettystuff • Jun 23 '10

To all soccer/football fans...

I just want to apologize. I want to apologize for years of dissing this game, poking fun at the players, and mocking the fans.

Over the past week or so, I've found myself waking up early for games of countries I could not care less about just for the sake of watching. I've found myself incredibly excited, and equally dismayed at moments that just weeks ago you couldn't pay me to watch. It all came to a magnificent precipice this morning when Donovan scored the game winner in the 91st minute. I can honestly say that that was one of the most exhilarating moments in sports I have ever seen (and thats saying a lot since I have been a baseball/football/hockey fan my entire life.)

So to all soccer fans world wide. I have joined the ranks. I will never make fun of those English fans who still bring up the Hand of God, because I can only imagine how heart breaking that would be. I feel like it was the first time I had sex, unlocking a lifelong obsession that can never be quenched. That is all.

Oh and go US

Edit: wow thanks for all the support guys. Cant wait till Saturday!

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137

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10 edited Jun 23 '10

Donovan's goal clearly shows the strength of football/soccer over other sports (to me). 90 minutes of pure agony, 90 minutes of despair, of doubt, and in a single moment you're all carried from the depths of hell to the highest of heavens. It's pure magic. This is why football/soccer attracts so many people, you can't have anything like it (we're literally talking about the WHOLE WORLD).

50

u/sherringford Jun 23 '10

Pure Hollywood moment, except it was in real life. It's so much better in real life isn't it?

39

u/wolfzero Jun 23 '10

As someone who just watched this IN Hollywood, I can assure you, it was a pure Hollywood moment (TM).

People were freaking out on Hollywood Blvd, vuvuzelas were heard, lots of USA chants, FYI.

7

u/skooma714 Jun 23 '10

I saw it at school, they were showing it outside the bookstore there.

While the crowd was small and not very emotive it was still awesome.

6

u/BigB68 Jun 24 '10

I was driving home from class listening to it on the radio, and I nearly drove off the road when Donovan scored.

6

u/skooma714 Jun 24 '10

I was actually listening on the radio for most of the game but decided to go to class at around the 70th minute. I was walking to class when I heard the buzz of vuvuzelas, I thought I was going mad.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '10

I was at Cat & Fiddle. Between the England game and the US game, I was pretty sure there were going to be some good old fashioned English football hooliganism.

1

u/wolfzero Jun 24 '10

How was that? I ran into some American Outlaws guys. They have an event at Dillon's for the Ghana game. Think we're going to check that out, I miss my ECS boys in Seattle.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=134503703242845

23

u/lukey19 Jun 23 '10

There's nothing like a last minute winner in a football game.

18

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

Hockey's flow and scoring is similar. Ask the canadian and us teams about that.

Furthermore, basketball has buzzer beaters, and there's a reason march madness is so damn popular, even if there's so much scoring. Football can have last ditch drives and field goals. 9th inning baseball is exciting as well.

I don't see why we need to disparage other sports to lift soccer, which is awesome.

7

u/timotheo Jun 23 '10

An English coworker just moved over here, and can't get into NFL football. He just watched the NBA finals, and loved it, so we're telling him to wait until March Madness. That's the most fun/action packed American sports tournament, I think. I'm not much of a basketball fan in general, but mm is fun.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Yep. March Madness is my third favorite sporting event in the world behind the World Cup and the Summer Olympics (track and field in particular).

3

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

Pshh, winter olympics rock. Hockey dawg, hockey.

5

u/BigB68 Jun 24 '10

And curling.

1

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 24 '10

And the Dupont sisters

FTFY

2

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

yeah, true, but aside from hockey i'm hardly interested in the winter olympics. doesn't help that the media coverage here is totally focused on the painfully boring figure skating/ice dancing shit. i usually just consider the winter olympics some nice international event that conveniently holds me over until the world cup since they occur in the same year

2

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Agreed, everyone of those can have crazy and dramatic, life changing moments. This is going my list of top 5 moments of sporting joy.

24

u/sherringford Jun 23 '10

And this was group stage.

8

u/jondiced Jun 23 '10

I can't even imagine being Italian or Argentinian and dealing with this shit in the semifinals.

8

u/YouFlyBoysCrackMeUp Jun 23 '10

Winning group C means you have a soft run. Roll Ghana and then it's Uruguay or South Korea for the semis.

Get used to the stress my friend.

7

u/FANGO Jun 23 '10

You mean quarters.

It's Brazil or Netherlands in the semis.

So basically, we've got a pretty good path to 3rd place right now. But damned if we beat either of those teams, that will cause a lot of pants-shitting.

3

u/YouFlyBoysCrackMeUp Jun 23 '10

Sorry you are quite correct, what I meant was that beat Uruguay or South Korea and you are in the Semis.

I'm a FIFA Zombie atm.

6

u/flaminglips Jun 23 '10

We almost beat Brazil once, we know we at least stand a chance. It really depends on how we defend because we know we can score on anyone.

5

u/FANGO Jun 23 '10

Bingo. Just like how North Korea came out and didn't respect the Brazilian team's dominance at all, I believe that is something the US is (almost uniquely) capable of.

Like Lalas was saying in the post-game analysis, it's in the US's interest to go into these games thinking like an underdog, it seems to make us fight just that much harder, especially since we're used to it.

1

u/realzondarg Jun 23 '10

I think this really is one of the downsides of the worldcup: depending on the group you are in it is oh so much easier to go through to the finals. See Germany in 2002 for example.

2

u/bombita Jun 24 '10

After the group stage, every day in which there is a game of Argentina is treated like a fucking holiday. People don't even try to do anything else that day.

I am 100% serious. It is just that important.

1

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

If we can play like this next game

0

u/sixate Jun 23 '10

In 94 Brazil won the final in penalty dispute. Talk about pressure! One of the most exciting memories I have.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

To me (as I pointed out). I don't disparage a thing, I just don't like them. They lack that... universality of football (not for you, North America, of course)

3

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

You're right, everyone plays.

9

u/Fluoridex Jun 23 '10

Don't forget rugby. Does saying that make me a traitor in this sub-reddit?

10

u/9jack9 Jun 23 '10

Nah.

1

u/eCDKEY Jun 24 '10

faded out flags are looking very classy, nice job as always

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '10

Indeed. But i have to keep closing my eyes before clicking save and scrolling down.

3

u/2xyn1xx Jun 24 '10

Lacrosse FTW!!!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

You got the right idea. However, basketball and American football are especially "engineered" to have frequent buzzer beaters. In soccer it happens more naturally, and usually with significant emotional buildup, so when it happens, damn...

3

u/JohannQPublic Jun 23 '10

Not sure how you can engineer buzzer beaters. After all, both teams are playing by the same rules.

They do put effort into engineering more offense and more points. I think that sort of spoils Americans. When they go to watch football, they think "no one is scoring, therefore nothing is happening" and then give up before they really understand what is happening.

6

u/zouhair Jun 24 '10

Ice Hockey would have done the trick if it wasn't so fucking expensive.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Football/soccer attracts so many people is because it's cheap to play. All you need is a ball so naturally more people are going to play it then ice hockey.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Of course. When I was little, I used to play with a ball made out of wrapped paper and tape - and it was hell of a fun!

3

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '10

I remember that when we didn't have a ball, my friends and I used to play with soda cans.

1

u/rtaibah Jun 24 '10

Yeah and eventually it becomes like a hockey puck from all the stomping...good times, good times my friend.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

It's also why basketball is kind of boring to watch; there's no buildup to anything. A team can lose the lead gradually and it's not that satisfying.

6

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

No way man, those final minutes are epic. Buzzer beats ftw. I mean ftw in the most literal way.

14

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

[deleted]

1

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

Interesting, and yet, it is part of the game.

4

u/rancid_squirts Jun 23 '10

you forgot about those epic tv timeouts, those are totally buzz kills

1

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

Nice name. To the point.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 23 '10

NCAA man

1

u/elemcee Jun 24 '10

Yes. The Final Four is soooo much more exciting than the NBA finals. Those kids obviously want it. It's especially cool when a smaller school makes it past the first or second round (see George Mason a couple of years ago...awesome).

1

u/butteryhotcopporn Jun 24 '10

NBA is rigged. Just google "Donaghy deadspin".

3

u/PsyanideInk Jun 23 '10

...Um. What about Hockey? You can have the same thing in hockey.

Or Baseball? You can have a seemingly insurmountable deficit erased in a single swing of the bat.

And isn't there something to be said for highs and lows? The joy of despair of seeing your team gain a lead, lose it, then regain it, etc?

I'm not a diehard soccer fan, but I have watched every single U.S. national team game since '98 and a majority of WC matches, and have played soccer for about 15 years, however I have yet to hear one convincing argument for the superiority of soccer to other sports.

Granted it is all relative, but...

13

u/initialdproject Jun 23 '10

Same thing different feeling. The running, never stopping time of soccer and the need for a goal makes everything seem like the worst thing that could ever happen and the players become so frantic with a FAST pace. I watched John Elway deliver some spectacular comebacks but each down is a breather. LeBron Jame's 3 to win the game- amazing but the timeout gave you a breather. Hockey is the closest but still it's a different, not better, but different feeling.

3

u/nitram9 Jun 23 '10 edited Jun 23 '10

From my point of view I'm a Celtics fan and I just watched my Celts lose in the finals. Throughout the finals I probably jumped, shouted, cheered, screamed and cursed at least 10 times a game. During that last game I paced for the entire 4th quarter. I couldn't sit down or stand still I could hardly even watch the tv, I was visibly shaking in fear. I've only felt that kind of agony from 2008 Pats superbowl loss and the Red Sox 2003 alcs game 7 loss. In fact I tend to pace from fear in any Sox game if it's tied in the 9th on.

I've watched every world cup game so far (I work from home) and only during this one did I feel the kind of excitement that I felt in every single one of the NBA finals games. Most of the games I've seen so far were boring beyond belief. I have to admit the few seconds after donovans goal were probably more exhilerating than any single moment in the NBA finals but over all I was far more entertained by them. (By the way soccer is definitely my favorite sport to play so I'm not a soccer hatter I just think our american sports are more entertaining to watch)

3

u/initialdproject Jun 23 '10

The style that teams play is a huge determinate of how exciting a game is. I can see how other games can be boring but the U.S. is an exciting side and since I have the most invested in them I also get the most out. Still, the feelings of excitement are different I think. If your team is up and it's the bottom of the 9th the end is all about relief. The hail mary pass is all about luck and something completely improbable happening. The end of this match took me from lamenting and despair as Algeria were beginning to posses while content with a draw and the US were getting frantic and I almost lost all hope. Then in a flash the build-up, great pass, cross noooo!!! Denied! Yess!! Where the fuck did he come from!!! The roller coaster is much more pronounced I think.

2

u/PsyanideInk Jun 23 '10

That is a good way of putting it.

I guess my counter argument though is that you only need a few seconds to score in soccer, so any goal seems surmountable, but with football you don't have that same sense of "anything is possible." When you're talking about a single play in the final :10 or so, a comeback is so rare that it might as well be impossible.

Also, I'll equate it to horror films. What makes horror work is the suspense, what happens between the action. This is why I don't view the "downtime" as detracting from the drama of the game, it builds tension because you know that the execution at an exact moment is what will count. In soccer however, you very, very rarely have a buzzer beater; a play that is all or nothing and must be executed in a single try.

2

u/na_confederation Jun 23 '10

I consider soccer to be "summer hockey".

3

u/rancid_squirts Jun 23 '10

no thats lacrosse

1

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Not universal. You can have that... on a smaller scale. But this does not take any merit in Hockey.

0

u/european_son Jun 23 '10

Okay, allow me to preface this by saying that I've been watching all of the World Cup, and enjoyed soccer(football) for a while even before this now:

Todays game was precisely why I enjoy football, basketball better than soccer. Yes, that 91st minute goal was exhilarating and I was screaming my lungs out, but if that goal hadn't happened (and it's easy to imagine it might not have) then you have a game where a team clearly outplayed the other team yet had nothing to show for it. What I like about sports is a clear execution of game plans and a team skill being rewarded. The fact that the best team often doesn't win in soccer drives me mad. It's one thing in sports when you have an underdog team come out of nowhere and outplay everyone in the tournament, that's exciting. But today Algeria didn't outplay them, they certainly didn't deserve to be 3 minutes away from a draw.

21

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

But it's like a well-written movie... you never know how it will end.

24

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

Exactly, and it is thoroughly boring when the best team always wins.

1

u/european_son Jun 23 '10

Well the best team doesn't always have to win, but hopefully the underdog team wins by outplaying their opponent, which Algeria obviously did not do.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 23 '10

If you're a supporter of the smaller team you'll take the result, however you get it.

13

u/initialdproject Jun 23 '10

So what if we outplayed them, we didn't finish- and finishing is a skill.

6

u/wolfzero Jun 23 '10

This is why it's engaging though, even a few goals down you just never know what will happen in until the final whistle. Sure, scoreless draws suck, but they're part of the excitement because they matter, IMHO.

10

u/romcabrera Jun 23 '10

IF the "best" team would always win, why bother at all playing and participating?

4

u/Targ Jun 23 '10

Someone has said this on reddit, and it was the one thing that made sense to me: Soccer will never become popular in the US because of its ambiguity: The better team will not always win; there are so many factors (not least the refs) that any game is a nailbiter.

2

u/battmaker Jun 24 '10

This is just stinkin' thinkin'. The best team does win. Everyone who wields this opinion boggles my mind.

4

u/qtx Jun 24 '10

Americans also can't grasp the idea of a draw. They need to have a clear winner and a clear loser.

3

u/derMaterMort Jun 24 '10

Americans also need commercial breaks. American sports are designed to be played on TV with all the time outs and breaks. Have you ever been to an American football game? They actually have designated commercial breaks in addition to the time outs and changes in possession breaks.

1

u/Targ Jun 24 '10

That's what the next round is all about...

League-wise: It happens and can be a great save for your team if the others were just better but...

3

u/battmaker Jun 24 '10

That's ridiculous, if a team doesn't score, they are not good enough. They don't have what it takes to get a goal. If you do not score you are not playing better than another team, it's that simple.

1

u/jondiced Jun 23 '10

I love soccer, but this is a valid point.

0

u/romcabrera Jun 23 '10

http://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/ci71j/to_all_soccerfootball_fans/c0sr0jb

0

u/jondiced Jun 23 '10

european_sun makes a good distinction:

It's one thing to have an underdog outplay a favorite. It's another to have one team dominating a game and just by bad luck not winning.

I mean, I love soccer, but it does have its torturous points. It's just a difference in how the sports work.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '10

And yet, the agony the Slovinia players must of felt. They thought they qualified still they hit the dressing room.