Apr 2ndWorld Cup 2014 Brazil, why you should care, why you should watch

The 2014 World Cup kicks off on Thursday, June 12th.  You can watch the hosts, Brazil, play Croatia.  For about a month there will be match after match of world class soccer.  I have friends that grew up playing soccer, and those that did not.  Regardless of your soccer background, not being able to appreciate soccer is unforgivable.  Its not a difficult game to understand.  Its not hard to see how talented the athletes are.  The most common complaint I hear is about the low scoring (in comparison to American sports) nature of the game.  I compare it to hockey.  The scores are lower, but the goals only count for one, and there is constant action.  I love football.  But consider that football has 11 minutes of actual playing time.  Soccer gives you a full 90 minutes of action.  The second most common complaint I hear is that there is not always a clear winner.  Let me first say that I do not agree with this statement.  Premiership soccer uses a point system, not completely unlike nascar.  Wins and ties earn points, losses do not.  So when an underdog team holds a better team to a tie, they get a point.  This can be viewed as a win in many circumstances.  If you don’t know or care about the situation of the two teams, it may appear that an even score equates to an even outcome, even though one team more than likely has made out better than the other.  Soccer is the beautiful game.  Its unrivaled in its grace and spectacle.  If you’re not open minded enough to enjoy it, you’re only cheating yourself.

Let me also sell soccer another way.  It is unpatriotic to not support USA in the world cup.

So lets assume I’ve sold you on soccer.  How to get started?  DVR some matches.  Check out the US National Team Soccer schedule and catch some of our games in the lead up to the World Cup.  Take a look at fox sports 1, and beinsport for additional games.  Go to a MLS game near you.  The man who can sit near DC United’s La Barra Brava and not get into it is dead inside.

The US plays our rival Mexico, tonight at 11pm EST on ESPN.  

Here is a link to my original plea for y’all to get into soccer.