Soccer Apologist?

Many of you may not know this, but the United States men's soccer team defeated Mexico yesterday 2-1.

Now, I'm a sports fan. In fact, I think that sportswriter would've been in the mix to be my choice of a career if I'd had any idea what I was supposed to be doing when I was in university. I was too busy thinking deep thoughts about the universe and my place in it to be worried about something so shallow as "career preparation." I like to write. I like sports. There are jobs that let you do both.

Anyway, soccer rates WAY down on my list of "stop and watch." That list? Football (college & professional). Major League baseball. NHL hockey. College basketball from big conferences (I have little, if any, patience for what the NBA has done to a team sport--although I've been known to flip back and forth if the local Mavericks are deep in the playoffs and deep in a series).

Then soccer...and even then only if the United States is playing in World Cup qualifying match or a tournament of some note where our potential World Cup players are playing.

But yesterday was one of those tournaments. It was for the Gold Cup...which is a tournament for those who are in our World Cup qualifying group (North America, Central America & Caribbean nations). It's played in order to get necessary international experience and scheduled in "off-seasons" of World Cup qualifying.

The really big deal for the winner is that they get to play in a very prestigious tournament called the Confederations Cup, which takes the 6 winners of the qualifying regions, plus the host team, plus the defending World Cup champion and is played one year before the World Cup. It's a big deal, too.

Well, here's what I don't get:

When I watched the local news last night hoping to get some highlights, they talked to the local Stars hockey team general manager, gave some Rangers highlights, discussed Cowboys training camp (which, by the way, begins in three weeks), talked NASCAR, the NBA draft (still a week away) and closed with a human interest story.

So, I flipped to ESPN Sports Center. The lead story was NASCAR in a road race in Sonoma. It got 6 minutes. Then Ken Griffey Jr. hit some home runs of note (he might get to 600 this season, too)...then right into their baseball coverage. A Toronto pitcher came close to a no-hitter. Barry Bonds gave a good effort. Then there was an interview with some tennis stars about Wimbledon...at that point I was going to bed.

This morning I flip open the sports page to find PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING as the lead story! The latest Rangers meltdown was duly noted. Mavs draft. The front page had plenty of room for a story about OCELOTS.

So, from what I can gather, there's more room for OCELOTS than for our national sports team winning a major tournament in what was a very exciting game. We came from behind to win 2-1, hit the post twice late, and our goalie had to make a great save with 2 minutes left.

If the US Soccer Federation wants to have the USA get on board with what the rest of the world seems to have figured out every few years, my suggestion would be to figure out a way to get games such as this on national networks (which, at the time of the game yesterday showed a TAPED golf tournament, a movie called Bedazzled from 2000, Indy Car racing--which led into two hours of an infomercial), and a live golf match) and the news networks should at least figure that a tournament final involving the US men's team will be watched more than a freakin' infomercial.

I mean, there's so many kids' soccer games going on in this country every weekend that SOMEBODY'S got to be interested, wouldn't you think?

And, keep in mind, that soccer is 5th on my list. I'm not some soccer fanatic who checks up on the world leagues every week and watches the Fox Soccer Channel's Nightly Soccer Report. I'm just a guy that likes a big game on a boring Sunday afternoon when I've got nothing else to do...

...but I can't help but think somebody involved with US soccer needs to get fired if you get less billing than NASCAR, tennis and oscelots.