While football, or as Americans stubbornly call it, soccer, may be a global game, one needs to experience it in its birthplace of England to truly appreciate it. After seeing an English football match, one will truly realize why in England people refer to it as "the beautiful game."
I had the chance to attend a Carling Cup game between the Fulham FC and the Bolton Wanderers. The Carling Cup is a relatively minor tournament held annually in which all the English league teams play a single-elimination contest alongside their usual regular season.
It was weird to attend the competition; it seemed as though it was going to be more of an exhibition than a real game. I did not have high exceptions heading into the match. However, the game turned out to be amazing, completely different from anything I had ever seen in the United States. There were three major aspects that proved that football around the world is light-years ahead of the soccer played in the United States.
The first thing that surprised me was the atmosphere created by the people sitting in the stands. I didn't know much about English football fans before heading into the match. In fact, the only thing I had really heard about the fans was that they were rowdy and constantly breaking into fights. Yet, it was different at this match - everybody was very well-behaved.
From the chants of "Come on Fulham," pronounced "Full-em" in the English accent, to singing and rhythmic clapping, the stadium was very fan-friendly. Granted, it was only a minor English cup game, not a rivalry game on par with Yankee-Red Sox or Dodgers-Giants games, but still, it was pleasant.
Adding to the ambiance was the stadium. Fulham's home park, called Craven Cottage, is the quintessential English football stadium. Built in 1896, the park has a very homely feel, complete with old wooden seats and poles barely holding up the roof. With only one scoreboard and very little advertising, the park is a throwback to the good old days. There's something comforting in knowing that even today, sports can be played without tons of corporate sponsorship.
The best part of the experience was the quality of play on the pitch. It is completely different from the type of game seen in Major League Soccer in the United States. Between the footwork, the passing and the shots on goal, the English display a much cleaner game of football.
Even the Americans who played in the game were able to hold their own. Fulham employed three Yanks in its 11-man starting lineup, including National Team members Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller, while naming former National Team star Brian McBride as its captain.
Dempsey, Keller and McBride are living proof that Americans can play this global game like English pros, if only given a chance to compete against the best in the world. Hopefully, some day MLS in the United States will be able to provide that opportunity and let a little kid growing up in the Unites States live out his dream of playing soccer with the best of the best.
