What effects if any, will the Rapids’ MLS Cup victory have on you?
Artwork by Ed Gloor
On November 21, 2010 at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada, the Colorado Rapids defeated FC Dallas 2-1 to win the MLS Cup.
Yes that’s correct, unheard of by most Coloradans, the Rapids brought a championship back to the Mile High City.
Since the Rapids began in the MLS in 1996, they have never won an MLS cup. However in the 1997 season they reached the Cup finals and fell to D.C. United, 2-1. This year the Rapids came into the game being the clear underdogs once again, as they have been throughout the entire playoffs. The week before defeating FC Dallas, Dallas defeated the LA Galaxy, who were the playoff favorite and winner of the Supporter’s Shield, which is awarded to the team with the best overall season record. After beating LA 3-0, FC Dallas’s confidence level was at an all time high, even going as far as to make statements saying that that their game versus the Galaxy was the real championship and, in beating LA, they had already won the cup. But the Rapids had confidence too; they were the underdogs, and in this years tournament, the underdog reigned supreme.
But what does this mean for Colorado? And further, what does this mean for U.S. Soccer? Even though November 22, 2010 was declared Rapids day in the state of Colorado, how much did the victory really matter to the state overall? If the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup this year, there will be a full page spread, on the front page of the Denver Post. The Rapids, however, didn’t get the same respect, only receiving a small paragraph on the first page, with the rest of their story continuing on the 12th page of the sports section. It just goes to show how little soccer actually matters in the United States. People all over the world say time and time again that the MLS could never compete with European leagues, such as the English Premiere League. This isn’t true, though. It’s not that the MLS could never compete, it’s the fans who could never compete, and it is the fans that make leagues like the English Premiere League so great. Not to say that MLS fans aren’t dedicated; in fact, I actually think they are the best fans in U.S. sports, but there simply aren’t enough of them. To grow, the MLS needs money. The more fans who attend games and buy merchandise, the more money they will make. With more money, the MLS can start looking towards adding better players from all across the world. When the better players start to come to the MLS, the league will make even more money, and more good players will start to seriously consider the MLS when looking for a new team to sign with. Then the MLS could compete with the Premiere League, and then maybe the U.S. soccer scene could grow into something great. But it all comes down to the fans.
Why don’t people from the U.S. like to watch soccer? Many complain that there isn’t enough scoring, that the games are too slow. Those complaints are due to the fact that people don’t really understand soccer; they don’t really understand how hard it actually is to score a goal. As a soccer player myself, I understand the pace of the game; there are no stoppages besides half time, so the game can’t be played at an extreme pace the entire time. It really shows how Americans are all about instant gratification, and in soccer, that just doesn’t happen. Much of the time the ball is played backwards, or it is passed between players multiple times before the ball even changes position on the field. Many people find this boring, because in popular American games like football, when the ball goes backwards that’s a bad thing, and every play is supposed to be explosive, ending with the ball crossing the goal line for a touchdown. In basketball, the teams regularly score over 100 points in one game. It’s no wonder that soccer games that can often end in a 0-0 tie, which bores most Americans that are watching. Americans just haven’t been trained to be patient while watching sports.
Soccer is a beautiful game, but most people from the States just see it as boring. Next season, go to a Rapids game; the tickets aren’t expensive, most tickets range from $20-$80, and see the beauty that the rest of the world sees. You will not regret it.
Plus, you don’t have to worry about the Rapids playing badly, they are the defending champions; they must be doing something right. So go check them out at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, or you will miss out.
