http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/136/india/2012/05/12/3096861/being-numero-uno-in-cricket-doesnt-make-us-great-among-a<br><br>Couldn't be happier about this public statement of his, hope more realize that, ESPECIALLY YOU GUYS IN DELHI, MUMBAI, BANGALORE AND HYDERABAD, ARE YOU LISTENING ???<br><br>Having lived close to a decade abroad, I can vouch for this. Lucky that I could play soccer, I made so many friends internationally, off course if you wanna mix with various cultures and enrich your experience, which most Indians (lived a major part of their lives in India) internationally. in my observation shy away from, prefer to keep themselves in their comfortable cocoon of Bollywood and cricket. I was a part of the international team in Chicago amateur league, those seasons I could make time off work. Soccer is the easiest way to connect internationally.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>Totally agree with you. When I arrived in US, the first thing I looked for was a soccer league in my college UNC in north carolina and played in a local Chinese team. Only soccer can bind us across the globe, nothing else can and thanks for the article.</div>
<br><br>Which UNC do you go to ? The chapel hill, raleigh or the durham one. Not sure about college towns (unless it's like Ann Arbor, the most ethnically diverse school in the US, the only city in the US till date where there's a football pitch almost everywhere, let alone in the school campus) but big cities like Chicago, DC etc. have amateur soccer leagues and there's an international team with representations from all over the world. The best players in our team were European, there was this German guy who was in the US for a couple years to do some practical training at treating the differently abled, he used to play striker for us, he was not only a great guy, but very skillful at his game. The second best were African, who not that skillful but had the physical advantage to hold on to the ball. I used to be the lone Indian, played right wing back (my preferred position). A couple white American guys used to play for us, they were not bad at all. <br><br>Yep I played with Mexicans too but they kinda kept to themselves and had their own teams, never took enough initiative to be a part of the international team. Also the players were all born and spent their teenage years in their country of origin. Most ethnically diverse non white folks born in the US prefer hanging out between themselves (off course there are rare exceptions like arsenalfan etc. ) so they never wanted to be on our team, I guess. <br>
I went to UNC Chapel Hill and fortunately they have a pretty good soccer team, both men and women so as a whole soccer is pretty popular although basketball is the main sports. We had several amature leagues playing during the evening/night in the school field. So in spite of being a small town I was lucky to play with these people.
I went to UNC Chapel Hill and fortunately they have a pretty good soccer team, both men and women so as a whole soccer is pretty popular although basketball is the main sports. We had several amature leagues playing during the evening/night in the school field. So in spite of being a small town I was lucky to play with these people.
<br><br>wow ! UNC and Maryland are up there in college football, I know. I watched them whenever they were on TV. Standard of college football in the US sucks, though. While I'd love to play with them, honestly I think they are comparable to CFL standard, off course with much superior infrastructure.<br>
Oh yes definitely, I was so jealous (and lucky) seeing their ground and it was not even their main field. If our teens could get an opportunity to play in those conditions from an early age we could have done so much better. Yes the standard might be like CFL but I think they are getting better with days with more exposure and all. I'm pretty sure in coming days US soccer team will be getting quite a few of their players from the top college teams and NCAA champions.
Oh yes definitely, I was so jealous (and lucky) seeing their ground and it was not even their main field. If our teens could get an opportunity to play in those conditions from an early age we could have done so much better. Yes the standard might be like CFL but I think they are getting better with days with more exposure and all. I'm pretty sure in coming days US soccer team will be getting quite a few of their players from the top college teams and NCAA champions.
<br><br>I am enjoying this discussion so much, amazed what social internet media can do. Unimaginable that i would ever discuss US college football with another Indian, my first time doing it.<br>
Oh yes definitely, I was so jealous (and lucky) seeing their ground and it was not even their main field. If our teens could get an opportunity to play in those conditions from an early age we could have done so much better. Yes the standard might be like CFL but I think they are getting better with days with more exposure and all. I'm pretty sure in coming days US soccer team will be getting quite a few of their players from the top college teams and NCAA champions.
<br><div><br></div><div>What are you talking about. Almost 90% of US Soccer Players come out of the college system. That is how good it is. Even Clint Dempsey who is currently one of the top players in MLS came out of the college system. Of course it is only now that the college system is dying but I think it can still serve US Soccer big time.</div><div><br></div><div>North Carolina has a great soccer culture. I know a girl there who to plays for her women's school team there and she loves it.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadly MLS is not considering them. Although you guys have the Carolina Railhawks FC of the NASL.</div>
Oh yes definitely, I was so jealous (and lucky) seeing their ground and it was not even their main field. If our teens could get an opportunity to play in those conditions from an early age we could have done so much better. Yes the standard might be like CFL but I think they are getting better with days with more exposure and all. I'm pretty sure in coming days US soccer team will be getting quite a few of their players from the top college teams and NCAA champions.
<br><br>I am enjoying this discussion so much, amazed what social internet media can do. Unimaginable that i would ever discuss US college football with another Indian, my first time doing it.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>Same mate. I dont even talk about any soccer at school. My school is almost 100% American Football, Ice Hockey and Baseball than soccer. Even the Chelsea fans at my school are not real fans.</div>
<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana">So true. My Red Bulls is such a diverse team. All of us were born here but our roots are scattered. I am the only Indian origin player at the team. I am also 1 of 3 teams of English decent. We also got a mix of a ton of Mexicans, and Columbian, a Togolese, French, Canadian and Italians. To be honest I was expecting more Asian (Japan, South Koreans on the team as well but there is a South Korean on my school team). </font>
<br><br>The more I am getting to know arsenalfan, the more awestruck I am. Unimaginable that someone born and raised in the US would take so much interest in crappy Indian football. Some of us, especially in Calcutta do it because we were born and raised with it, football is very very integral to Bengali culture, barring the americanized (and they could have never even visited or lived in the US for a single day, only exposure being through electronic media) ones though. <br>
Same here, since childhood days I had been deprived of discussing football with my cricket-crazy friends so I used to sit down and make my preferred East Bengal team for next season and their probable signing amount at the back of my home work books and almost 15-16 years from then I am getting this unique opportunity to discuss football with all these knowledgeable people who are helping me to know more about Indian football and football overall and I'm so happy to share my two cents. Thanks to the likes of projenator, arsenalfan (man you have earned so much respect from me), shankar, somesh, archak, imsourav and others for bringing smile to my face.
Comments
<br><br>Which UNC do you go to ? The chapel hill, raleigh or the durham one. Not sure about college towns (unless it's like Ann Arbor, the most ethnically diverse school in the US, the only city in the US till date where there's a football pitch almost everywhere, let alone in the school campus) but big cities like Chicago, DC etc. have amateur soccer leagues and there's an international team with representations from all over the world. The best players in our team were European, there was this German guy who was in the US for a couple years to do some practical training at treating the differently abled, he used to play striker for us, he was not only a great guy, but very skillful at his game. The second best were African, who not that skillful but had the physical advantage to hold on to the ball. I used to be the lone Indian, played right wing back (my preferred position). A couple white American guys used to play for us, they were not bad at all. <br><br>Yep I played with Mexicans too but they kinda kept to themselves and had their own teams, never took enough initiative to be a part of the international team. Also the players were all born and spent their teenage years in their country of origin. Most ethnically diverse non white folks born in the US prefer hanging out between themselves (off course there are rare exceptions like arsenalfan etc. ) so they never wanted to be on our team, I guess. <br>
<br><br>wow ! UNC and Maryland are up there in college football, I know. I watched them whenever they were on TV. Standard of college football in the US sucks, though. While I'd love to play with them, honestly I think they are comparable to CFL standard, off course with much superior infrastructure.<br>
<br><br>I am enjoying this discussion so much, amazed what social internet media can do. Unimaginable that i would ever discuss US college football with another Indian, my first time doing it.<br>
<br><div><br></div><div>What are you talking about. Almost 90% of US Soccer Players come out of the college system. That is how good it is. Even Clint Dempsey who is currently one of the top players in MLS came out of the college system. Of course it is only now that the college system is dying but I think it can still serve US Soccer big time.</div><div><br></div><div>North Carolina has a great soccer culture. I know a girl there who to plays for her women's school team there and she loves it.</div><div><br></div><div>Sadly MLS is not considering them. Although you guys have the Carolina Railhawks FC of the NASL.</div>
<br><div><br></div><div>Same mate. I dont even talk about any soccer at school. My school is almost 100% American Football, Ice Hockey and Baseball than soccer. Even the Chelsea fans at my school are not real fans.</div>
<br><br>The more I am getting to know arsenalfan, the more awestruck I am. Unimaginable that someone born and raised in the US would take so much interest in crappy Indian football. Some of us, especially in Calcutta do it because we were born and raised with it, football is very very integral to Bengali culture, barring the americanized (and they could have never even visited or lived in the US for a single day, only exposure being through electronic media) ones though. <br>