Us vs USA

It came down to one incredible play by a Ghana soccer player whose name will never be remembered by most American sports fans. The U.S.A.'s 2-1 overtime loss at the World's Cup ended our country's brief flirtation with the rest of the world. We can now go back to our 20 million dollars a year baseball players on steroids and wait until the REAL football season opens in September. We will watch with bated breath as millionaire N.B.A. owners woo the games biggest names with dollar signs in their eyes to come play for their team in their city.

Sports in the U.S.A. has become too much about the almighty dollar and less about the game. We have disconnected from the rest of the world when it comes to soccer. Why ? Not enough scoring, not enough scoring opportunities ? Or is it just a snobbish attitude America has for the sport. It's not real football is it? Besides its spelled with a u, futbol. Even my spell check thinks that's wrong. Did you see the headline in Sunday's paper ? In this country, the game is considered stupid, but, around the globe this is the biggest sporting event there is.

You have to give ESPN credit. They are trying to educate a soccer illiterate nation to the nuisances of the game. Imagine showing Lady Ga Ga on tour to a Muslim extremist. The mind is closed to the performance no matter how artful it is. So too is soccer in the U.S.

There is no question that had the USA team won and advanced deeper into the tournament that the interest level would have ramped up and the country would have been totally behind the team. With this nation being pulled apart by a split government and an incompetant Brittish oil company, I think we could have used something to unite us. For all those who say the interest in the World Cup will make soccer more popular in the U.S., I say, been there, done that. While many school kids play soccer it has not translated into popularity for the sport. If the greates soccer player to ever play the game, Pele, couldn't bring the sport to America, then it never shall.
And once again America will isolate itself from the rest of the world.