Stories From California

Soccermania

I still can't believe what is happening! US-sportsfans have turned into SOCCERMANIACS!

TVs in sportsbars turned to World Cup games, public viewing everywhere, big screens on the beach, small screens in food trucks, EVERY game LIVE, in English and Spanish, sold out US-soccer jerseys and soccer conversations everywhere. This is just wonderful!

The last proof I needed to believe that soccer will become mainstream was provided by my husband.

He is a big fan of football, can't wait for the season to start, knows all the statistics related to the game dating back to the Eighties and will share them with anyone who will listen and me. Soccer? Not so much. He is a little more interested though since I took him to a game in Berlin, there is more international soccer on TV and since I keep talking about the German coach of his team, Jürgen Klinsmann.

Now the husband comes home from work asking; "Who was playing and what's the score?" referring to the World Cup of course. Then he'll retire on the sofa watching repeats and commentary from Brasil.

It is like a different world compared to the first World Cup I was watching from a distance in the USA. My friends and I were like an underground soccer mafia looking for legal places to follow the games live 2006. Mostly we had to watch hispanic channels at home. We still love the passion in the spanish commentary, the suffering, the joy and the cursing! US-commentary sounds like analysis of a golf tournament. Snore!!!!!!!!

Talking about Jürgen Klisnmann - he has his work cut out for him to firmly establish the US team in the FIFA Top Ten as he has promised and as is expected from him by the US Soccer Federation. He was lucky to not be in the spotlight too much while experminting in preparation for Brazil. This luxury is gone. I hope! It says a lot about US soccer having coach and players being srutinized.

I have just one request: Can we call the game football in 2018? 

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