U.S. World Cup bid falls short

ESPN ^ | 12/2/10 | ESPN.com news services

[Obadiah]

Qatar was selected as host of the 2022 World Cup, beating out a bid by the United States to bring soccer's showcase back to America for the first time since 1994.

FIFA's executive committee choose Qatar over the U.S., Australia, Japan and South Korea in a secret vote Thursday.

Minutes earlier, Russia was announced as host of the 2018 tournament. It was chosen over England and joint bids by Spain-Portugal and Netherlands-Belgium.

Qatar, the smallest nation to host the World Cup, used its 30-minute presentation to underline how the tournament could unify a region ravaged by conflict. Presenters also promised to overcome summer heat of up to 130 degrees by air conditioning outdoor stadiums it will build, then dismantle and give to needy nations.

"Thank you for believing in change, thank you for believing in expanding the game, thank you for giving Qatar a chance," said Sheikh Mohammad bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar's bid chairman. "We will not let you down. Youu will be proud of us, you will be proud of the Middle East and I promise you this."

[Alberta's Child]

Good question. I think soccer in Canada is very similar to the U.S. in a lot of ways: popular among kids and pretty popular among young adults, but not nearly as much appeal as a professional sport. I think MLS has a couple of franchises in Canada, and the old North American Soccer League had a number of Canadian teams in major cities.

Believe it or not, there are actually far more Canadian kids playing soccer these days than ice hockey.

[Alberta's Child]

Good one. LOL!

The infamous "hand of God" . . .

[copaliscrossing]

FC Barcelona was mesmerizing the other day as they carved up Real Madrid, that was fun to watch.

I’m much more into the UEFA Champions League now.

A well played match is very fun to watch. When the passing is crisp and the play is executed with precision it can be a thing of beauty. Unfortunately there is a lot of sloppy soccer out there too which can be rather "ugly" so to speak. A good overlap "give and go" play is pretty exciting.

[dfwgator]

I just wish we could have more players today, like King Cantona or Georgie Best, when I watch highlights on YouTube of some of their plays, my jaw drops to the floor. It seems that, maybe outside of Messi, there are few players today who have that flair.

[mikrofon]

More recently, an older (and larger) Maradonna after the Argentine loss to the Germans...

[Defiant]

If soccer ever becomes a major sport here, that will be a sign that the wussification is complete. Canada will then invade.

[Obadiah]

Believe it or not, there are actually far more Canadian kids playing soccer these days than ice hockey.

Believe it or not, but there are more kids in the US playing organized soccer than any other sport in the country.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Yes, the kids love to play it, but for all but a few, that’s where it ends it seems. What’s ironic, is that soccer having originated in England, yet outside of them, the rest of the English speaking cow tries have something else as the favorite sport. Canada- hockey, US - NFL, Aus and NZ - rugby...toss in India and I think cricket is the king there. Weird.