There Ain't Room for the Two of Us

          Saturday, one of the most significant games of the Barclay’s Premier League season took place. It was the second Manchester derby of the year. The game was the second meeting of Manchester United and hated rivals Manchester City. After the first meeting, at Eastlands, ended in a nil – nil draw both teams were hungry for a win. After battling back and forth for the entire game and at its climax was the amazing score by Wayne Rooney. The goal was quickly touted as one of if not the best goal of the season so far.

            The goal came as the Portuguese winger, Nani came driving up field and sent a cross into the waiting Rooney. Seeing that he was not in the right position to head the ball in, Rooney instead jumped in the air, throwing his legs over his head and executing an absolutely beautiful bicycle kick that found its way almost in the upper 90 of the goal. Rooney seemed as if he was a trapeze artist flipping through the air with ease, seemingly suspended over the field and making the amazing finish look effortless.

            So the true reason why this is important comes from my experience later last night. While enjoying a beer and listening to some music, my friend and I happened to notice that the ESPN program SportsCenter was on and it was the best part of the program, Top Plays. Before the first play could come on the screen I looked to my friend and said, “Rooney is number one!” We watched with general disinterest as dunk after dunk consumed numbers ten through two. With joy I started into a Wayne Rooney chant as I saw the amazing goal gracing the number one spot. Just as my friend and I had begun to cheer our “glory glory Man United,” my friend comes up and says, “What the fuck is soccer doing on my top plays?”  The mood was crushed.

            This is a common scene for many soccer fans and especially myself on my campus. A large number of people just don’t see the value in soccer. To put it in perspective it is kind of like how my friends and I view curling during the winter Olympics. Its funny to watch but I don’t exactly enjoy it. So the question must be asked, is there a place for soccer in the United States?