City launch MLS Franchise

[Peoria Blue]

Listen pal, iI probably have been supporting City longer than you have been alive. How old are you?? How many times have you heard that football is the next big thing in the US of A.

This is the most overplayed hand in the debate.

Yeah, it's a very true comment that point has been consistently made. The fallacy though, is that there would be an explosion of popularity in the sport.

Thankfully, the smart people who wanted to see the game actually be successful had the patience and understanding to realize an immediate burst of popularity was never going to happen.

When the 1994 World Cup came along, the money allocated for youth development meant that in my small hometown of 1500 people, was the first time I had the opportunity to play soccer. It was also the last year I was eligible to participate (only up to 12 in the local organization).

What you are now seeing is that for the first time, that generation just now reaching adulthood is the first in American history where it may be reasonably said nearly all have had an opportunity to a lifelong exposure to the game.

Locally, now, many proud American football high school teams struggle for numbers as the soccer teams have been among the best in the state and even the nation.

It is certainly possible that the game in the US may never reach European or global levels of interest, but we're still a generation or two away from being able to reasonably make that argument.

 

[BlueCanuck]

Listen pal, iI probably have been supporting City longer than you have been alive. How old are you?? How many times have you heard that football is the next big thing in the US of A.

I.

If you're that long of a City supporter -- been with the club through long years when there was "better" clubs available to support in the Manchester area...then why are you so dismissive -- so aggressively dismissive (you said you'd shut your drapes if it was being played in your backyard) -- of MLS.

Is that not inconsistant with the values of long-time City support? If you stuck through City through relegations should you not also support the growth of your (new? Not sure if you're an ex-pat) local league/team in MLS, even when you know there are "better" options available to watch?

Not trying to cause an issue -- I don't know you, after all -- but I simply can't connect your attitude regarding MLS, with your lifelong City support.

 

[sergiokun]

<a class="postlink" href="http://mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2013/May/Claudio-Reyna-announced-as-NYCFC-director-of-football" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2013/M ... f-football</a>

 

[Vienna_70]

This only struck me after I'd logged off last night, but the new team is NYCF(ootball)C, and not NYCS(occer)C.

I find that very interesting, when football in the States is usually gridiron.

You'll find that football is used more and more by those that follow the sport in North America.

Four other teams use football in their name -- Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas (although it's Fútbol in Dallas' case).

So two of those teams are in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth, and in my experience, Commonwealth countries tend to use British terminology.

Seattle is very close to Canada and Dallas is in Texas, which has a large number of Hispanic / Mexican inhabitants, who would also use the term 'football', rather than 'soccer'.

 

[taconinja]

This only struck me after I'd logged off last night, but the new team is NYCF(ootball)C, and not NYCS(occer)C.

I find that very interesting, when football in the States is usually gridiron.

You'll find that football is used more and more by those that follow the sport in North America.

Four other teams use football in their name -- Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas (although it's Fútbol in Dallas' case).

So two of those teams are in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth, and in my experience, Commonwealth countries tend to use British terminology.

Seattle is very close to Canada and Dallas is in Texas, which has a large number of Hispanic / Mexican inhabitants, who would also use the term 'football', rather than 'soccer'.

Fans in the country use the word football. We know what it means.

 

[Vienna_70]

You'll find that football is used more and more by those that follow the sport in North America.

Four other teams use football in their name -- Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC and FC Dallas (although it's Fútbol in Dallas' case).

So two of those teams are in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth, and in my experience, Commonwealth countries tend to use British terminology.

Seattle is very close to Canada and Dallas is in Texas, which has a large number of Hispanic / Mexican inhabitants, who would also use the term 'football', rather than 'soccer'.

Fans in the country use the word football. We know what it means.

Fair enough.

 

[tommyhair]

Great

 

[BosnianDiamond]

From Wikipedia:

The rules of association football were codified in England by the Football Association in 1863 and the name association football was coined to distinguish the game from the other forms of football played at the time, specifically rugby football. The term soccer originated in England, first appearing in the 1880s as an Oxford "-er" abbreviation of the word "association".[6]

Within the English-speaking world, association football is now usually called football in the United Kingdom, and mainly soccer in Canada and the United States. Other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, may use either or both terms.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Listen pal, iI probably have been supporting City longer than you have been alive. How old are you?? How many times have you heard that football is the next big thing in the US of A.

This is the most overplayed hand in the debate.

Yeah, it's a very true comment that point has been consistently made. The fallacy though, is that there would be an explosion of popularity in the sport.

Thankfully, the smart people who wanted to see the game actually be successful had the patience and understanding to realize an immediate burst of popularity was never going to happen.

When the 1994 World Cup came along, the money allocated for youth development meant that in my small hometown of 1500 people, was the first time I had the opportunity to play soccer. It was also the last year I was eligible to participate (only up to 12 in the local organization).

What you are now seeing is that for the first time, that generation just now reaching adulthood is the first in American history where it may be reasonably said nearly all have had an opportunity to a lifelong exposure to the game.

Locally, now, many proud American football high school teams struggle for numbers as the soccer teams have been among the best in the state and even the nation.

It is certainly possible that the game in the US may never reach European or global levels of interest, but we're still a generation or two away from being able to reasonably make that argument.

Well said, mate. It was always going to be a long game given the hegemony of the established, indigenous sports.

Once they realise it is within their gift to win a World Cup there will be a further surge of interest in the sport. I'm 43 and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the USA lift the World Cup in my lifetime. They have the climate, the numbers and most of all the facilities to make it a realistic aspiration in the next 30 or so years.

 

[NYCBlue]

I've heard the local tree huggers are already up in arms at the prospect of more park land being donated to a sports stadium in Flushing Meadows, suppose I'd be the same if it was my local park but think I would make an exception for City!

This is the funniest part of the whole debate to me. I can guarantee you EVERY SINGLE PERSON against the stadium has not set foot on the "precious parkland" they are protecting. I've had exchanges on twitter with hypocritical local politicians that have ignored this same spot for a decade and now are trying to score easy points by saying "I won't let some Arabs take away our parkland" - there is literally not a better person than me to talk about this situation, as I spent my entire childhood, from when I was around 10-18, playing on this exact piece of land surrounding the proposed stadium. Literally a field of dirt and rocks. I have a wicked scar on my knee (that has faded since then) that was a result of a last-ditch tackle. It was one of the few times I dived like that, and I'll have you know I saved a certain goal... but we still lost. What are you gonna do.

Maybe it's stupid to get enraged over such comments but I remember when the children's league I was with went to visit the parks commissioner to plead for new fields... eventually they were given (except where our league played, fuck them) - new fieldturf that has since worn out, was never upgraded, and is in horrible condition. So every single comment talking about "defending our parkland, so that the citizens of Queens may play, etc" - stupid and unnecessary vocabulary about how much it means to everyone.. literally gets me going. Because I know these same people would not be saying that if they knew about the area at all. Idiots.