On the rare occasion a story on soccer cracks the Top 10 on Sportscenter, I would always hear the same two questions asked by the analysts: “Has soccer finally arrived in the United States?” and “Will Major League Soccer get to the same international level as big teams like Manchester United?”
In 2002, when the United States had a miracle run to the World Cup quarterfinals, my answer would have been, “No.” When Real Salt Lake played to a sold-out crowd against Real Madrid, and then promised the exhibition match would be the first of many, I still couldn’t answer, “Yes.”
My answer was the same when David Beckham came to Los Angeles and Cuauhtémoc Blanco went to Chicago. And when Thierry Henry announced earlier this month he signed with the New York Red Bulls, my answer to those questions was, “Hell no!”
But watching the All-Star game last night and watching my beloved Real all season, I can finally answer the “Yes” I’ve been dreaming of saying since I fell in love with the beautiful game.
To some, the United States didn’t live up to its expectations last month in South Africa, falling flat in the first knockout round. And yet, I’m more confident than ever soccer has arrived in the United States.
In soccer, it is the passion of the fans and the triumph of teams such as Real last season, that give me the reassurance I need in U.S. soccer.
Walking across campus this week, I saw as many soccer jerseys as I did baseball hats or National Baseball Assoication jerseys. That fans are just as likely to sport a Real jersey as a Bees cap tells me people finally care about soccer here, and I am content with that.
When the Designated Player Rule was introduced to Major League Soccer, allowing teams such as Galaxy to sign major contracts such as Beckham, I was worried the league would be doomed to a fate similar to that of the NBA, just a few dominant teams and a $20-million contract the norm. And when Beckham came, that fate seemed inevitable.
Major League Soccer is coming into its own without the ritzy big names and fat contracts. In a way, it’s become an antithesis to the money and bureaucracy of the leagues overseas and even the NBA and MLB.
Real Salt Lake in particular has proved that.
Last year, Real Salt Lake captured the MLS Championship and did so without an international superstar headlining the team’s starting lineup. Despite other teams securing more international players, Real Salt Lake remains a dominant force in the Western Conference and a likely contender for the Cup once again.
Then two weeks ago, four players from Real Salt Lake, Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Jamison Olave, and Nick Rimando, made the All-Star roster. Of the four, only Beckerman has made an appearance for the national team.
To me, the All-Star roster speaks more about American soccer than the World Cup or Henry can. The roster features players who are coming into their own rather than internationally known players past their prime. These players, such as Rimando, are coming into their own within the MLS, proving the league doesn’t need the glory of the Premier League or the buzz of vuvuzelas to be successful.
Perhaps it’s that lack of big money and names that tells me soccer is here. Without all the glory of the big leagues, average MLS game attendance will reach 18,000 a game this year, 1,000 more than the NBA. That accomplishment alone speaks more than the number of soccer jerseys in my closet can.