For the next month the World Cup will be rockin’ South Africa and it seems that every nation in the tournament is rooting for their country, except here in the states. There are lots of us who are supporting the stars and stripes and many of us believe that the US has a fighting chance in leaving the group stage and finally making our well-deserved mark in this competition. But there seems to be more and more people in the US that don’t like the game, don’t care for the game and are actually rooting against their own country. Well, I’m here to tell you all why I think football/soccer is one of the best games in the world.

There are a lot of reasons people don’t like the game; it’s too slow, nobody scores, why does the clock count upwards? And the most common one I hear, ‘it’s not a real sport if you can’t use your hands.’  But, to me, the game is fast paced, exciting and the players are some of the most skilled athletes in the world. And this is why soccer is one of the greatest sports I’ve ever learned and played. Where I grew up (Hamburg, Minnesota represent!), soccer was just something the foreigners played. We only cared about baseball, basketball, football and of course hockey  – which blows my mind because soccer is hockey, just without the sticks and with more teeth.

Last night we sat in a sea of soccer headed 8-15 year-olds watching the documentary Pelada.  And tomorrow morning my friends and I will get up at 6 am, put on our US Soccer shirts and head to the Globe Pub to watch not one, not two, but three soccer matches.  From 6 am – 3pm we will be glued to a bar stool, staring at TV and watching countries from all over the world compete with a passion that is hard to explain. In 2 minutes you go from excited to anticipation to frustration to pride and back to excitement. When was the last time you an American sport did that for you?

You can walk up to any pick up game anywhere in the world and chances are whoever is playing will let you get in on their game. Most of the time your skill level won’t matter. Soccer brings the world together; it is one of those things that I hope Americans will take an interest in. My soccer team, Pork Chop Sandwiches! FC, is a football melting pot of Colombians, Costa Ricans, Mexicans, Ukranians, Irish, English, Spanish and, of course, Americans. My best friends have come about through playing and watching soccer. The game and people I’ve met through the game, have shown me more about the world than I could have ever imagined.

So, go on boys, make us proud, show the states why we all love this game. And most importantly, bring the cup home.

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