Football is a Funny Old Game

15 March 1997

I was talking to a Mexican friend the other day, and the topic got around to sports, American and worldwide. We both agreed that basketball was the only truly competitive game of skill in the USA, that baseball was an excellent background to a few beers on a sunny summers day — much like cricket in England — and that American Football was a waste of time, when I asked him his opinion of Major League Soccer. He just smiled and said "I only watch real soccer."

I had to agree.

Watching real soccer here is made difficult by time and language differences however. My Mexican friend has an advantage over me, being bilingual. Both of us watch games from the Spanish, Mexican, and South American leagues, but I can't follow a word of the match commentary, apart from GOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!.

It's also possible to pick up English Premier League and FA Cup matches, with BBC/Sky commentary, but for some reason these are shown 7-10 days after the event, when the dogs in the street know the results. A willingness to get up at the ungodly hour of 7am and spend $20.00 to sit in a beerless pub on a Saturday/Sunday morning will gain you admission to live satellite transmissions, but I don't care that much for soccer. I'll do it for the All-Ireland Championships during the summer though.

I'd expected more from the Major Soccer League though, given the pedigree of some of those involved.

The participation of former Irish International like Frank Stapleton and Liam Brady — who still hasn't recovered from his time in Glasgow apparently — and US players like Alexi Lalas and Coby Jones, who held their own in the European Leagues, seemed to bode well for the future. From the games that I've caught on TV so far however, the level of play isn't very high, and the attendances are even poorer that you'd see at a Finn Harps/Home Farm game in February.

Also, I wonder why Chicago didn't get a franchise in Major League Soccer. I'd have thought it would, given the large Latin population here. Maybe they talked to my Mexican friend first..