Your Game: Street Soccer

March 12, 2007

Street Soccer, originally uploaded by Luís Vieira.

So the last couple of weeks we have been focusing on 4 v 4 games. Well, I wanted to take a break from the organized game and talk a bit about where we as a country just need to get out and play the game more. We just don’t play enough pick-up games or street ball in the American soccer culture.

We need to really consider the opportunities that local neighborhood pick-up games can have on our growth as an American soccer culture. After all, what you only really need is a ball, a few friends and surface and a desire to have fun.

Unfortunately, our culture is so focused around creating organized sport that it is ridiculous. The Brazilian’s are sooo goood because the game is a natural part of their culture as many other countries, Italy, Mexico, England, etc. You get out and play anywhere you can because its fun and a way to express yourself just because you love to play.

I can remember growing up playing American football in my backyard and the alley ways with friends. Any chance we had we were out there playing until I a friend introduce me to a real football and that was the end of American Football for me. The only problem was I had to go somewhere to practice with lots of kids and because other kids did not grow as passionate about soccer as I did there were not many friends to play with so I ended up playing on my own until my little brother could play and talk about some interesting one-on-one matches and dented car doors.

Still, we were part of a select few in the neighborhood that enjoyed playing soccer and could not wait to go to soccer practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. And talk about the disappointment of games on Saturday being rained in, what a huge let down.

I think it is a pretty fair assessment to say the popularity of American Football and Basketball today is because of the street cred these sports have. It takes consistent exposure for something to become popular and it has taken years for these sports to become fabrics of our society.

So, for our sport to grow and for our skill as a country to grow in order to compete at the World Cup level we need to get out and play more and more. I guess umm, that I might start talking about some street games that are fun that kids can easily go out and do.

Thoughts? I would love to hear about some games you have played 1 v 1, 2 v 2, with garbage cans as goals. Maybe you set-up a couple of T-Shirts on the curb and played 3 v 3 to 11 or 1 on 1 with the first person getting to 21 wins.

Your Game: Street Soccer

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