Tony C..
the reason South Florida lost its MLS team is exactly what I'm talking about...
Think about it...why on Earth would a professional soccer team play in such a puny little dirt field as Lockhart?
Have you ever been there? Even the poorest of teams back in my country play in better fields than that so called "stadium"...
It's 45 minutes away from Miami, where the majority of the immigrant soccer fans live, plus tolls, parking, entrance, food and drinks...that makes it not only expensive...its crazy!
Watch next weekend, June 16...River vs. Boca at the Orange Bowl...more than 30,000 people are expected! 'Cause it's right in the middle of the action!
The money people don't want soccer/f?tbol to succeed...period!
And something else, the majority of people in South Florida are becoming so desilusioned about the whole sports scene here...(Marlins, Heat, Dolphins) that if it wasn't for the money behind it...all those teams would dissappear also!
"Today's youth want instant gratification in everything in their lives including sports. They want their sports fast and with lots of action"...do you want more action and a faster sport than soccer/f?tbol? You try running non-stop for 45 minutes...
Do you think any baseball player would ever be able to do that?
Today's youth in the United States is very spoiled...and the way they teach them to play the game takes all the fun out of it!
All the uniforms, rules and regulations, coaches and organizations will never produce any Francescolis, Peles, Maradonas, Beckmans, Petits, etc.
Let the US kids play without shoes, or even a real ball...in the dirt...or on the streets...like most of the kids around the world learn to play the sport...and then maybe we'll see a winning team in the USA.
Don't get me wrong now...my kids grew up playing soccer here...(even my daughter!) but they also played in Uruguay and Chile...so they know the difference...and all modesty aside...they were much better players than their counterparts...
Having said all that...GO U.S.A. I think they have an even better chance of advancing to the next round than my beloved Uruguay!