Good for Akron and good for the MAC!! Yes, to me a 48 year old, soccer's not on my sports radar. But to the 99% of the world's population it's a big deal, so good for Akron.
If you've ever had the chance to
watch soccer in a country where it's the national sport, your tune would change. Had the chance to watch pro soccer in Europe twice. It's pretty darn good stuff.
Agree entirely, Alan. For me the first such opportunity was in 1990 when I had a free Sunday in London and went to see Queens Park Rangers host Crystal Palace in a First Division (pre-Premier designation) game. Site was Loftus Road Stadium out on London's fringe. Took the tube as far as it went and then had to walk a good bit. It was worth every step. The action was furious, with Crystal Palace scoring in the last couple minutes to prevail 2-1. Loved how the crowd got "into it" well before kickoff.
I still have two heavy cotton QPR shirts I bought after the game.
A bit of perspective. For many Americans, soccer is akin to standing on the ground and watching a jet sliding across the sky at 35,000 feet. The plane, though traveling at perhaps 500 mph, looks to be gliding in near slow-motion. Because of the panoramic shots that prevail during TV coverage of soccer, the game looks slow and genteel. Were you to watch top level college or pro games up close, you would see a game that is fast and physical.
I coached club soccer for a dozen years. I had some players on my team for as many as 7 consecutive years as we moved through age groups. My U-16 team won a state title. A dozen of my players went on to play college soccer, from Princeton to Trinity, TX. How physical was the game? I lost one player to a broken arm, another to a cracked pelvis, still another to a high ankle sprain and, well, as I used to tell players and parents before a season began: "If you go down and it ain't bleeding or broken, I expect you to get up."