New Soccer Revolution? Is The US Ready To Love Soccer?

Robert CobbJun 19, 2010

June 11, 2010 - The day a new soccer revolution started in the United States and against England no less.

It was a hot, humid and very loud day inside of Piper's Pub on the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and supporters from both England and the US had been gathering at this locally-renowned soccer pub since 8am as they have all across the nation. Not only was it hot and loud, but it was also boisterous, euphoric and very patriotic seeing fans wearing shirts such as "Don't Tread On Me," chanting, "USA, USA," and bellowing out "The Star Spangled Banner" amid a sea of flag-waving that would have made the Tea Party proud.

What better country to do start a new soccer revolution against than your former colonial master right?

When the game finally started, both sides were tense and very attentive and watched every corner kick, set-piece and free kick with the fervor and devotion of a eBay bid and for all of it's many attempts, Soccer(football to the rest of the world) has never had such a new-found love in the most powerful nation in the world than it does now.

Although many American's are not familiar with the Yank's epic 1-0 upset of England in 1950, I'll put in in this perspective:

"Miracle", 1980 Team USA hockey against the Soviet Union.

After England scored first, the crowd grew very quiet, pensive and even a little nervous, but remained resoulute in it's love and support of the Stars and Stripes and when English goalie, Robert Green was offically introduced into the American pop-culture lexicon for his Bill Buckner-like gaffe on a Clint Dempsey shot, which enabled the USD to draw even with the Three Lions at 1-1, soccer loving Yanks explode,d and the bandwagon for USA soccer has only continued to grow by the day.

From ESPN's World Cup Kickoff Celebration that featured Alicia Keys and Shakira to ESPN doing live coverage from Soccer City in South Africa, soccer is getting full page spreads in the June editions of men's magazines from GQ and MAXIM© to Sports Illustrated.

Soccer in the United States has gone from being a predominantly surburban-mostly non-white, grad student undergound niche following found only in obscure soocer-pubs to being the new water cooler topic in offices and even among taxi cab drivers as I experienced.

Pittsburgh, PA itself is home to world-reknowned schools such as Carnegie Mellon University and Pitt, which in turn attracts a large international student fan base that follows its native countries very passionately, and I have had the pleasure of watching the 2006 France-Italy World Cup Final and the legendary Zidane "headbutt" at Buffalo Blues in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh.

Landon Donovan jerseys are as coveted and in vogue as Kobe Bryant jerseys even with the basketball superstar helping the Lakers win their 16th NBA title, and even Bryant is a FC Barcelona fan due to his upbringing in Europe.

And while the average American may not know a free-kick from a penalty kick, nor a yellow card from an offsides trap, soccer has finally managed to make it into the collective mainstream of 21st century America due to the most successful soccer league in American history, the MLS, some savvy marketing, and just good ol American word-of-mouth.

Hollywood also helped with planting the seed of the "New Soccer Revolution" with Invictus that starred Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, albeit it was rugby. You cannot help but note the timing and locale of it being in South Africa. Apple jumped on the soccer gravy train with it's "ESPN FIFA World Cup" application which enables iPhone users to keep track of their teams, Even search engine, Yahoo!, has a soccer toolbar add-on.

And while America may never reach the fervor or passionate following of the Scottish Tartan Army, Brazilian Selecao, or even the Italian Azzurri , a new generation of soccer fans have been given the gift of now being the part of something truly special.

With the recent additions our everyday water-cooler venecular such as the ear-splitting vuvuzela horns, the much-maligned ADIDAS© Jabulani soccer ball, the more maligned and afermentioned English goalie, Robert Green along with new villain, Mali FIFA referee, Koman Coulibaly whose phantom call took away a potental game-winning goal, you cannot be help but wonder of he and Jim Joyce are distant cousins.

Despite all of that, with the growing fervor of futbol in the States, the term "U.S soccer fan" will no longer be an oxymoron, but a newly accepted part of the American mainstream.