A couple folks have already picked up today’s article in the Post on the growth of soccer in the States and its an excellent look at the health of the game here. The World Cup is certainly a good time to look at how soccer is doing, it’s enough time to pick out overall trends without being distracted by recent events (omg – they kill San Jose!). Goff and Powell present a lot of reassuring data on the stability and long-term potential of pro-soccer. To a great extent, the national team and Major League Soccer are two different beasts with their own challenges and constraints, but there is also a symbiotic relationship between the two that can’t be ignored.
More than 50 U.S. media outlets sent correspondents to the national
team’s training camp in Cary, N.C., last month, double the number that
attended in 2002. The number of U.S. media requests for credentials to
cover the tournament has reached an all-time high, according to Jim
Moorhouse, the soccer federation’s director of communications. At least
32 daily newspapers will send reporters to Germany.