Remember when being a soccer-hater was a real thing? Believe me, it was, not so long ago. Go back a decade or more and soccer, to a loud and sizable section of the United States sporting public, was an odd, confusing and decidedly foreign game that didn’t belong in the American way of doing things. There wasn’t enough scoring, it was a soft game because too many players faked injury and, in many European leagues, they didn’t even have playoffs. Come on, what’s that all about? Fast forward to the present and a lot has changed. Soccer from other countries, especially the big European leagues and that continent’s flagship competition, the Champions League, has become a staple part of the viewing calendar for millions. The differences in format are mostly celebrated, not derided. As a generation of soccer fans who grew up playing the sport as a rite of passage passed on their affinity for it to their own children, antipathy toward the beautiful game largely became a thing of the past. Soccer haters are still around, but they don’t have strength in numbers anymore. Disliking a game played in every corner of the globe because of its perceived un-Americanness doesn’t really fly these days. “I remember when I came here, there were so many people who were proud of the fact they didn’t like soccer,” British-born Craig Harrington, who has coached extensively in the CONCACAF region since moving from England in 2005, told me. “It has completely flipped. You walked into a bar to watch a soccer game and it was like you were walking into someone’s country club and you didn’t fit, they didn’t want you there. Soccer was a massive party but they didn’t want the party. It’s so different now and it has been inspiring to see.” This weekend, perhaps the most significant indicator of progress will be on display, as the Champions League final takes place on Saturday and will feature two English clubs, Manchester City and Chelsea, with an American lifting the trophy, one way or the other. The game will be on screens in thousands of sports bars around the U.S. – and no one’s going to be asking to change the channel. Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic is the most credentialed U.S. national team player and will either start for the London club or come off the bench as an impact substitution. Manchester City’s Zack Steffen is a reserve goalkeeper unlikely to play unless first choice Ederson suffers an injury. It will not be the first time an American has earned a Champions League medal. In 1997, Jovan Kirovski was a member of the Borussia Dortmund squad that won the event, but he did not dress for the final. Back then, having American players perform at the highest level in Europe was a rarity. Now it is anything but that. Pulisic has been Chelsea’s most effective player at times during his tenure. Weston McKennie has shined alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, Tyler Adams has made his mark at RB Leipzig, Sergino Dest was snapped up by Barcelona and Gio Reyna, still just 18, played 32 times for Dortmund in the German Bundesliga League this season. “It used to be a curiosity when an American played in Europe,” FOX Sports soccer analyst and former U.S. captain Alexi Lalas said. “American players have full legitimacy now in the way they are scouted and touted. “It is a different time and it warms the cockles of my red-headed American heart to see what is happening. This is coming at a time when we are so confident and optimistic about the depth of talent and the type of talent we have in the U.S. I’m so happy for both (Pulisic and Steffen) and incredibly proud as an elder stateman of American soccer. How far we have come.” Lalas heard all the anti-soccer nonsense, too. Now 50, he grew up at a time when it was virtually impossible to watch European soccer on television and long before Major League Soccer gained a foothold in markets across the country. Viewing figures for major events such as World Cups are astronomical now. Soccer is the world’s game, but it is very much an American sport too. “There is an element of attrition,” Lalas added. “The dinosaurs become extinct eventually. That’s a good thing from a soccer perspective. A whole generation now looks at soccer as part of its sports palate. Even if they didn’t grow up immersed in it, they are so familiar with it, maybe through FIFA video games, or having an MLS or NWSL team in their market. It leaves us in a pretty fun and interesting place.” Pessimism surrounding the national team has also dissipated. Pulisic was in tears on the field when the U.S. missed out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup but now there is plenty of hope for both the immediate and near future. So much so that Steffen, in an interview on the ExtraTime: Club & Country podcast, spoke about wanting to become one of the best teams in the world. “Obviously qualify for the next World Cup,” Steffen said, when asked about his upcoming goals. “But then we want to lift trophies. Win the World Cup, that’s our goal.” In truth, it sounds like a bit of a preposterous suggestion. And yet, a few years ago, thinking that two Americans would be in the Champions League final would have sounded outlandish. A few years prior to that, suggesting soccer would be such an entrenched part of American sports – even crazier. Times change. Where are the haters now? Here’s what others have said … Jeff Carlisle, U.S. Soccer Correspondent: “In the 24 years since Jovan Kirovski became the first — and to date only — American man to win a Champions League medal, just about everything about American soccer has gotten bigger. There’s barely a professional game on the planet that isn’t watchable, somehow, over U.S. airwaves.” Jovan Kirovski, LA Galaxy Technical Director: “I think that our players have grown,.There are players who were there before, whether it’s myself or former players that were in Europe. I think MLS has really provided a platform for some of these other kids to perform. And, really, we’ve grown. Those kids that are at big clubs? They have opportunities.” Gregg Berhalter, U.S. Men’s National Team Coach: “When you think about having two Americans now playing in the Champions League final, I get goosebumps thinking about it. It’s an amazing feeling. We’re going to be watching them and rooting them on. I’m proud of both of them.” |
