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World Cup Fever Here to Stay?
Meet players from Michigan Men's Soccer. This year you've seen them play for the first time at the newly opened Soccer Complex. You saw the intense nil-nil draw against Notre Dame and recall Soony Saad's hat trick in Michigan's 3-2 overtime victory against Kentucky. These men are competitive, determined and aggressive Wolverines on the field; but once you see them in the locker room, the 10 players suited in their jerseys and jeans, huddled around the Foosball table, you realize that they are really just a few good boys who love to play the Beautiful Game. With three home games so far in the Big Ten Conference, at every game a sea of Maize filled the brand new student section. Even after an afternoon of standing in the Big House, students came out to watch these Michigan soccer players take on Ohio State, wearing soccer T-shirts and Michigan scarves much like those of international soccer fans. Ann Arbor-area youth and high school soccer teams as well as community families attended to cheer on the team. With the new $6-million dollar stadium now able to accommodate more fans, a record high of 3,503 attended the first game of the season. "The new student section really gets us excited," said senior forward, Justin Meram. "All I hear them chant is, 'It's Great to be a Michigan Wolverine...' and I'm ready to go," added freshman midfielder, Dylan Mencia. During the games, you see students and youth make noise with "M-Soccer" labeled thunderstixs and suddenly you're reminded of the vuvuzelas from South Africa. As expected, Michigan soccer players follow every World Cup and, in the four years in between, pledge their allegiances to international leagues and football clubs (check out their favorite teams in their profiles). But let's say you're not a Michigan soccer player. Let say you're just a fan who jumps on the bandwagon after every World Cup-- and it's alright if you do-- but what now? You want to be a real soccer fan? First it's time to catch up. Everyone else on the planet is a soccer fanatic, except for Americans. The World Cup is the world's most widely viewed sporting event. If you were committed to following the 2010 World Cup, your life revolved around the FIFA's schedule. Perhaps you hadn't seen 7:15 am since high school, but this time it was a matter of pride for your team. The most visited site on your work computer was ESPN360.com, and when USA tied England, no one in the office - or the fishbowl - hesitated to burst into cheer. Perhaps you went out a little less to get your FIFA sleep, and Landon Donovan's congressional medal-worthy goal at overtime against Algeria gave you a rare joy that Americans experience: an underdog win. You probably followed Ronaldo's statistics (and maybe even his Armani Exchange ads), sported Kaka's replica jersey, and studied Villa's arguably "Best striker in the world" dribbling. But it's now three months after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and some of us are still feeling nostalgic. We can't wait another four years until the next one. If you think you're missing the game, imagine how it must be in Berlin where fans get together on the streets--extenting the World Cup party, a mile long-- to watch the games on boulevard size screens. But here, after watching a game at Conor O'nells, you walk out filled with ecstasy that your team won, only to realize that no one else on Main Street knows it's the World Cup. The power of soccer transcends beyond just the game. 32 countries play in the World Cup, and for the love of soccer, they leave behind their own domestic and foreign-affair baggage. This World Cup, Communist North Korea made an appearance; Greece played under economic crisis; and, even though divided by a coup, Honduras united after qualifying. Soccer is politics. David J. Rothkopf from the Washington Post wrote, "[Political subplots] are a big reason the world views soccer with such passion. National, regional and ethnic grudge matches are played out on the pitch in a way that makes Ohio State vs. Michigan seem like a mild difference of opinion." Meram highlights soccer as an egalitarian sport, "In every other country, kids are brought up loving soccer... whether you're rich or poor, anywhere you go, you can play soccer. You can make a soccer ball out of anything." Kids in Brazil and Ghana don't need a lot to make a ball, but Americans can afford the equipment for other sports. Perhaps that's why the sports played at the Big House and Yost are most popular here at U-M, an American university. "The football program is the driving force behind this University, but other athletic programs are also very strong. Both Michigan Softball and Basketball teams have big followings. [U-M athletics teams] all feed off each other. The Michigan Women's Soccer team comes to support at Men's games, and the men go to their games. Everyone supports each other," said Jessica Poole, Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations. Also, Soccer is not a high-scoring game. In soccer, there will never be victories as high-scoring as in football when Michigan scored 65 points over Bowling Green's 21. Often times, fans watch players run back and forth for 90 minutes to see the game result in a low-scoring win or tie. "The draw is often said to be the reason that Americans haven't ever really gotten behind soccer: they don't understand a game where no one wins," wrote A.A. Gill, a writer for the Sunday Times. While scoring is less frequent, there is something about anticipating the results, and watching the skills of the players. "[Soccer] is an extremely athletic, physical team sport," Chase Tennant said. "There are no timeouts. You're fighting it out until the end [of the game]," Adam Shaw added. These avid players from from the Michigan Men's Soccer team want you to know that they aren't just privileged athletes. "We work really hard. People don't realize all the extra things we do. We have to balance extracurriculars, school, and practices. We make a lot of sacrifices." said Meram. But the support of their fans make it all worth while. "Just keep on coming," adds Meram. Freshman, forward, Soony Saad jokes, "We know where to find you!" Hopefully that's because you'll be at the next Michigan Men's Soccer game. It's now time to celebrate the "other football" sport. Guess what? The World Cup is over... but soccer still goes on. First start right here... You may choose Brazil over Spain, but Wolverine pride takes precedent over all. There are still five home games left in the Big Ten Conference, and student tickets are free! Sun., Oct. 3, Penn State Sat., Oct. 6, Cincinnati Wed. Oct. 13, Valparaiso Wed., Oct. 27, Blowing Green Sat., Oct. 30, Michigan State International Tournaments to follow: --Europe Championship through UEFA held every four years, next one in 2012 --Europe Championship qualifiers --2014 World Cup Qualifiers After watching the World Cup, how do you choose which leagues and clubs to follow? First, choose your favorite national team, then follow their players' clubs and leagues. Here are some popular players from this World Cup. National team: Spain >Player: David Villa >>Club: FC Barcelona >>>League: La Liga National team: Germany > Player: Thomas Muller >>Club: FC Bayern Munich >>>League: German Bundesliga 1 National team: U.S.A. > Player: Landon Donovan >>Club: Los Angeles Galaxy >>>League: Major League Soccer >>>>Teammate:David Beckham (England) National team:Ivory Coast >Player: Didier Drogba >>Club:Chelsea FC >>> League:Premier League >>>>Plays against: Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC/Spain) National team:England >Player: Wayne Rooney >>Club:Manchester United >>> League:Premier League >>>>Plays against: Tim Howard (Everton FC / U.S.A.) |