Anyone who knows me knows that I am not particularly a fan of the English Premier League. In fact, I just do not like the EPL.
The EPL is often touted as the greatest football (soccer for those who might be confused) league in the world. Yes, historically it has been a dominating league. But to call it the greatest in the face of today’s soccer world is a stretch. In my opinion, I believe the German Bundesliga would give the EPL a run for its money, and you can never rule out Italy’s Serie A.
With that being said, today I will let go of my dislike to discuss the EPL and mention it here. For the purpose of this column, I am going to talk about the Tottenham Hotspur-Manchester United game from this past Saturday.
First off, Tottenham is one of the more likeable teams in the EPL, and Manchester United is one of the least likeable teams in the EPL. So, if I had any rooting interest in this game, it would be for Tottenham.
Now, I did not watch this game, and why would I? But when I saw the result of the game, and who had scored ultimately the deciding goal, I became interested in the result.
Tottenham walked away from Old Trafford with a 3-2 victory, its first win at Manchester United since 1989. I do not care much about Tottenham breaking a two-decade-old streak. What I do care about is the game-winning goal scored by United States international Clint Dempsey.
The goal itself was not anything spectacular, but it was a textbook play. Dempsey was in the right place at the right time to collect the rebound off a shot from his teammate and make a strike toward the net.
The goal was the first for Dempsey in the 2012-’13 campaign and for Tottenham. More importantly, though, it was another sign the sport of soccer is growing in the United States.
The United States is probably the last country in the world to embrace the beautiful game, and even though we are not completely there yet, the sport’s popularity is on the rise. The recent success of both the men’s and women’s national teams has many Americans catching the soccer bug.
If you do not believe the sport is catching on, open your eyes. The markets that support Major League Soccer franchises are crazy about soccer. Teams like the New York Red Bulls, Seattle Sounders, L.A. Galaxy and Real Salt Lake have fan bases that are approaching the size of other pro sports teams.
If you ask me, I think it took too long for soccer to really start to grow in the United States. But then again, Americans like to do things their own way and insist on being different from the rest of the world (why can’t we just use the metric system? It is so much easier).
When I see a U.S. international like Clint Dempsey playing in Europe and succeeding, I get excited about the future of soccer in the United States. As one of the top scorers in the EPL last season with 23 goals for Fulham in all league play, Dempsey added his name to the list of American products to play in Europe, a list that continues to grow.
It is those players like Dempsey, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard that are inspiring young kids from across the United States to play soccer. Their popularity both domestically and internationally is helping to boost the prominence of American soccer, a trend that I believe will undoubtedly continue into the future.
Have you caught the soccer bug? How popular do you think the sport is in the United States? Email sports@dailycardinal to let Matt know what you think.
