It was a good day (USA Football photo)Coming into the IFAF Junior Championships, there was a feeling around the US team that their two seed was not a reflection of reality. On Sunday afternoon against the top-seeded Canadians, they overwhelmingly proved that case.
Soon to be Buckeye legend (we're sure of this) Storm Klein intercepted a pass on the second play of the game, returning it 16 yards to the Canada 17 and one play later the good guys we're up six. From there, it only got worse. Future Baylor Bear Bryce Petty went 14 for 14 for 190 yards and three touchdowns and tourney MVP David Wilson added another rushing touchdown on the way to a 41-3 victory.
The win capped a dominating run out of Team USA. The defense was stingy, allowing just the three points to Canada and Chuck Kyle's team actually racked up more penalty yards than his defense allowed over the course of the three games.
So football-crazy Canton got a rare summer fix, a couple of Buckeyes got additional reps and game experience and we all got some trash-talking ammo to use on our fine Canadian friends (Michiganders count here as well). Though it's noteworthy today, I'm excited for what the future might hold in international American football.
There's just something about international competition and cheering on the United States. It's a big reason why I like international footy, but have no real interest in the MLS. Beat Spain and take delight in the fact that there are Spaniards too distraught to actually go to work the next day. Does it make you want to see the US soccer team hammer Mexico any harder next month at Azteca when you consider that just three years after 9/11, some Mexican fans chanted "Osama, Osama" during a match with the United States? Exactly.
The players certainly get something out of it as well. They were given a chance to represent their country and responded with a gold medal in an international competition. Laugh at Team France all you want, but do you have a gold medal? In anything?
Speaking of talent gaps, it wasn't too long ago that the Dream Team was light years ahead of the competition on the hardcourt. A little over fifteen years later and we were in such a spot that we needed the Redeem Team to restore some pride in that sport. The rest of the world will close the gap, which will only make it better.
The NFL is doing its part. The league is going back to Wembley in late October1 and the Bills play a game in Toronto each season. There's even talk that if the league does expand to 17 games, the extra game will be played outside the United States.
Though there are certain financial concerns that may keep elite American players out of the IFAF's senior circuit2, the United States should embrace the junior national team and more top coaches need to follow Jim Tressel and Frank Beamer's lead by sending their incoming freshman off to play in these events.
2012 will be here before we know it.
This is definitely the year we're going to use them. Maybe. Ken Gordon wrote one of those pieces that manages to both anger and excite you with an update of Jake Stoneburner's progress at tight end.
On one hand, we get the news that Stoneburner's 6-5 frame has filled out to 243, instantly conjuring Winslow and Keller comparisons. There's even the quote or two about how many balls the tight ends were thrown during spring practice. But, facts are facts and they say that Nicol and Ballard combined for just 11 receptions last year and not since 2003 has a Buckeye tight end caught more than 16 passes.
1 Bill Belichick will not be honoring the dress code. The Brits, incidentally, are bonkers for Yank football. The Beckhamization of Tom Brady is coming soon.
2 Or the pros -- responsible for FIFA's World Cup in soccer -- and any type of football equivalent.
Comments
J Leman mullet photo for the epic win. USA! USA! USA!
Let the countdown continue boys......
I never heard about the Osama chant.... now the Mexicans are on par with the French as far as I am concerned....
Is the year 2012 a reference to the end of the world, or the beginning of life without Pryor?
hahaha
The Osama chant, if I am correct, had been done more than once.
they do it a lot. for those unfamiliar with soccer in the Americas, the mexicans are pretty much universally hated by almost every other country for being douchebags and having terrible fans. mexico is a fading soccer power, and they know it. if we manage to beat them in estadio azteca, they're gonna burn that place to the ground
I think this article is positive. It sounds like Stoneburner still wants to be a guy who catches passes. In an offense with a guy like Pryor, if you have countless weapons on the field, isn't that a good thing? They should definitely use the TE more. They need to confuse opposing defenses more.
Margaritas are good.
Cheap shots, burning Donavon's effigy (sp), all that. Recently, they handed out Landon Donavon vodoo dolls, but mistakenly put 01 instead of 10. Classic.
Dont forget how diligently Roger Goodell is working to hold a Super Bowl in Europe, London I think.
Of course this will come on the heels of pay-per view Super Bowls, thus ending my interest in the NFL all together. Hopefully this doesnt catch on in CFB. How many crazy Buckeye fans would pay $40 a pop to watch LIC?
I think it would be a crying shame to do either.
on the surface of it, a super bowl in europe sounds dumb as hell, but as it stands right now it's not like your average fan gets to go to it anyway.
(it's still dumb as hell)
I think it's a joke anyway. Seriously, American football is not that popular world wide. Maybe they'll have some high school teams around the world, but anytime they try a league that would include the rest of the world it fails. The World Football League failed, NFL Europe was a joke. In England, Rugby will always be more popular. Japan, football will never be more popular than baseball.
That is exactly why I think a Superbowl in London is the dumbest idea ever. I know they sell out the NFL games that get scheduled in London, but why would you move the biggest event in your sport to a place that is 1000's of miles from it's actual fan base. Sure, the Superbowl would sell out, but who cares, most of the people there are celebrities and bigwigs from sponsors. American football may be the biggest sport here, but the other big sports from America are much more popular internationally.
You damn-ass, all the guys that were on US team they play in the MLS, for your information. Stop putting MLS down, if it wasn't for MLS there be no US team. Get your facts right.
"Hopefully this doesnt catch on in CFB. How many crazy Buckeye fans would pay $40 a pop to watch LIC?"
http://www.stubhub.com/search/...
Umm, in Jason's defense, he just said he didn't like it. Where was the put down? Also, if I am correct, the US National Team has been around a few decades longer than he MLS, right? Now, you are right in the fact the the MLS does make a stronger, more experienced National Team. But jeez, he just said he didn't like it.
Ah, it's cool. There are some passionate MLS fans out there. Though I would question the statement that all the guys that were on the US team play in the MLS.
Of course you know I meant on TV. I wish I could get a ticket for $40. Hell, I wish I could get a ticket, period.
Soccer sucks, no really, its okay and all, but all our best athletes play football and bball. Could you imagine LeBron as a goalie? Or Ted Ginn playing left wing? We'd kick the shit out of all the pansy teams in the world. And Im tired of Burkenstock boy telling me soccer is rougher than football, dude, football is so violent they made them wear pads, go toke your hooka.
the internet would suck if it didn't provide ample opportunity to be a snarky prick.
hahaha what?
i don't think anyone in their right mind would claim soccer is rougher than football, but soccer is a ridiculously demanding sport with some incredible athletes. plus, like every other major sport, it's a skill sport. you couldn't just stick teddy ginn or bron bron out there and expect them to be any good at it immediately (and no, we wouldn't "kick the shit out of all the pansy teams in the world," the rest of the world develops soccer players the same way we develop football players).
right now the best player in the world is a teeny argentinian who is probably 150 pounds soaking wet, but plays like he's got the ball on a string and has an absolutely unending motor.
i don't even know why people bother comparing soccer and football, aside from the shared names they're completely different sports.
11w.com, where we cover everything from Ohio State to the SEC to Mexican soccer. Gotta love it!
Ya, not even close to all the guys on the US team play in the MLS... there are quite a few that play in France, Portugal, Germany, England, Norway and probably a few other leagues... just wrong.
It was a reference to the next IFAF World Junior Championship, but now you have me all depressed thinking about Pryor leaving.
Soccer does have pretty spectacular athletes. They do a ton of running, far more than our football players do in a given game.
I just can't take the low-scoring nature of soccer, nor it's propensity for referees dictating games and a continuous stream of phantom fouls. Sure, basketball has the charge, but blocking fouls are called more often than the charge...it often has to be a perfect, straight up-and-down, feet-set situation for the charge to work. Hockey is low scoring, but at least when a penalty is called on a hockey player, his team won't miss THE REST OF THE GAME...that, and it's played on ice!
When the USA beat #1 Spain, they're saying its a new era in American soccer. Spain outshot the US 21-7 (counting corner kicks). I mean, for a team to dominate a game and still lose is like turning the ball over inside your opponent's 10 yard line 6 times in one game. The best team THAT DAY by far did not win. That's what's so stupid about soccer. It'd be like outgaining your opponent 600 yards to 200, and losing 6-0.
Either way, eff Mexico, hope to see a US victory, but I won't be watching the game.
spain had a ton of shots that game, but far fewer of those were actually on goal. we played spectacular defense against probably the world's best offense, and was also helped by the fact that we've got one of the best goalies in the world. the other thing is that the US plays a goofy and physical counterattack and melee kind of soccer that frustrates the hell out of finesse teams.
the other other thing is that you can't just look at the shot total and say that spain dominated the game. the US never allowed them to get into any kind of offensive rhythm; having a ton of shots means nothing if the majority of them were 40 yard rip-it-and-pray type shots. spain still is the better team overall, but anyone who knows anything about soccer and saw that match would agree that the US earned that win. there was no fluke there; just amazing defensive play and pure grit. 8 times out of 10 the US loses though.
if you're going to make a football comparison, it's like a run option team with smaller players trying to minimize their size and talent differential against a bigger and stronger team. spain just could not make the kind of adjustments to their game they needed to make to beat the US. basically the exact same thing happened against brazil, except brazil made their adjustments, with predictable results.
lastly, yeah, soccer can be tough to watch, especially for people raised on football. diving is inexcusable and i'm glad the US team doesn't buy into that BS for the most part.
Honestly, soccer is never going to really be huge in this country. Our national team backed into the final in that confederations cup and then caught Spain sleeping. The fact of the matter is soccer isn't that popular here. Kids play football, baseball, and basketball more than soccer. I even think that kids play golf, run track, tennis, and swim more than soccer in this country. Also, youth soccer isn't that competitive. The don't keep score, they have team names like The Tropical Fish, and I saw a team of 10 year old boys wearing hot pink uniforms. I'm not knocking the game, but it's presented as weak in America. Now when you get to high school it's muchdifferent but at that point, even the good soccer players are usually consider themselves basketball players or the run track, but soccer keeps them busy in the fall.
As for the MLS, it's not good soccer. The teams here would never compete with the leagues in Europe. It's like watching rookie ball for the major league, or the CBA, or Canadian Football
One, our national team hardly backed in. They horse whipped a damn good Egyptian team which did what the US couldn't: beat the defending World Cup champs heads up. Saying they backed in is like saying Ohio State backed into the title game in 07 after beating Michigan, or the Big Ten championship in 08 after winning out after a defensive struggle against the Nittany Lions. It's also worth noting that soccer is the most played sport in this country and it isn't even close. Do a lot of athletes switch to pursue other interests in high school in high school? Absolutely. But is the quality of the athletes or of our primary pro-league, which per your own metaphor, is far more like AA than Rookie League, the cause? No. If anyhting, it's been shortfalls in our developmental system, which to be fair, has been in a huge overhaul process for the better part of the past decade. TWWL's been investing big time in securing the rights to broadcast both La Ligue and the EPL, so you can expect to see more and more matches in the future. If this isn't proof the popularity is growing I don't know what it is. While obviously it's incredibly unlikely it will ever surpass American Football, baseball, or basketball and the like, there's no good reason it can't rival hockey, golf, and tennis as a popular fringe sport and a damn good reason for ESPN to realize its ratings potential. If you don't like it, more power to you. There are plenty of other options to fill your spare time.
"Also, youth soccer isn’t that competitive. The don’t keep score, they have team names like The Tropical Fish, and I saw a team of 10 year old boys wearing hot pink uniforms."
i agree with you in general that we don't take soccer nearly as seriously in the US as in other countries, but youth soccer is still a massively popular sport (probably moreso than *gasp* football). there are over 3,000,000 kids registered in the US Youth Soccer Association, and another 650,000 in the American Youth Soccer Organization.
also, having played soccer for 14 years and refereed it for 5, i can't ever remember a game involving kids older than 5 that didn't keep score. i don't know where you're getting that.
you're also way off about high school soccer players, most of the kids who play on high school teams that are powerhouses in the sport have been playing soccer (and usually only soccer) on club teams for years and years. dayton carroll, for instance, literally has a "junior" varsity comprised almost entirely of juniors who couldn't make varsity. that's how competitive spots are on the team.
seriously, how many high school FOOTBALL teams have a webpage like this one: http://www.carrollsoccer.com/h...
the point is that soccer is extremely popular (and again, probably more kids play it than football, and DEFINITELY more kids play it than golf or track or tennis or swimming) and well developed in the US among kids, but there is little to no incentive for them to continue it past high school, unlike in other countries. it's not that all our good athletes play other sports, it's we've got no real equivalent to the league system they have in europe, and that hurts development of great players.
whoops, that last one was me
pop warner youth football registration numbers: 425,000 (the largest youth football organization in the US)
US youth soccer association registration numbers: 3.2 million
'nuff said.
There is no law preventing Americans from playing in Europe, there are simply not that many American players good enough. In fact, the few good American players are encouraged to play over seas instead of staying in the MLS. Actually, I believe one of the best Spanish players was born in New Jersey.
Its going to take a great leap in interest for soccer to take off in the US. Even guys like Bup who actually admit the played soccer (kidding), would much rather turn on a Buckeye football game than the Crew.
And to follow up my LeBron and Ginn playing soccer comment, my point is that type of athleticism taught to play soccer from a young age certainly would bode well for US soccer success. Now I dont think a guy LeBrons size could actually do well in soccer, but Ted Ginn is 5'10 180, or for that matter how about Barry Sanders playing soccer?
"but Ted Ginn is 5?10 180, or for that matter how about Barry Sanders playing soccer?"
my problem with saying this is goes back to my original point: soccer and football are incredibly different sports. teddy and sanders are both physical freaks of nature and would likely be good at almost any sport they tried and were raised on. but again, soccer is a skill sport, and there's no reason to think that any random elite athlete would be great at soccer if they just tried really hard.
that's like saying michael phelps would be a great b-ball player simply because he's tall, has huge hands and incredible endurance
There are actually are laws restricting players from signing in Europe. A number of leagues have restrictions on the number of non-EU country of origin roster spots per team, so if these Americans aren't the most elite of the elite, they could easily get passed over in favor of players from Africa, the Pacific Rim, or South America.
You know what i like about soccer? No commercials. Adverts, yes, but no commercials every fooking thirty seconds like football. Drives me nuts. That said, it seems odd we don't have enough room in some of our hearts to love multiple sports and appreciate the skill and nuance required for each. I'm going to do some work on the laptop and watch the US National team beat the tar out of Honduras tonight.
If we beat USC though, I'll forget about soccer for a month straight. MUST WIN.
Soccer sucks. :D