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The absurdity of this thread is in the buried in the fact that Americans do like soccer, but seemingly only at an amateur level. Its very similar in Australia. Over here, everyone seems to think we only play AFL, League and Cricket- but amateur association numbers show that Soccer is the most popular.
Anyway, i think soccer is a much better sport than most. Like others have said, you need to be an almost total athlete to compete effectively. You must learn to regualte speed, strength, endurance and a heep of skill. Anyone who thinks the game is 'soft' just hasnt played it competitvely. One reason why it is 'the world game', is that although it requires all of the above, it doesnt matter what general type of body you have. Really short guys like Maradonna (one of the best players ever) can compete as efficiently as taller players. Unlike sports like Basketball or American Football, where size means everything.
America has a shitload of top goalkeepers in the premier league at the moment. people have put this down to the amount of sports that require hand/eye co-ordination that are played over there. i personally dont think the US can officially and culturally ignore it for too much longer, as it is just so freaking huge everywhere else in the world. Then again....
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'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself
To hold on to these moments as they pass'
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