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Message: [QUOTE="arrow2arinzesknee, post: 208212, member: 1876"] Trying to explain why yesterdays win was significant to someone who doesn't get or follow soccer would be next to impossible. But Italy is a preeminent world power in soccer, sure they are a little down but they did win the world cup very recently. The talent pool to choose from Italy vs. USA for soccer is completely different, some of Italy's players who are cut from or don't sniff the national team would be leaders and our best players. Soccer just isn't as popular, mainly due to the lack of a consistent world-class mass marketed professional league which the MLS is trying to become. Now Imagine that for 88 years the Kansas hasn't lost at the Phog, that even though some games were close, even though not every year did they have top notch teams, but they still defended the arena and never lost there. Now Imagine an improving out of conference squad from a mid-major conference on the rise like maybe a Memphis or a Xavier or Gonzaga, a team that has had moments of brilliance, are always the top dogs of the mid-majors, but still not on the level of the Jay-hawks as a dominant top 5 program. Now lets say Gonzaga goes into the 88 year old stronghold and wins, wouldn't that be of note? International play has very few competitions that pit teams from other regions against each other, so in a way each individual game is in and of itself its own single game championship. what kills me is that Italy has played there 88 straight years without a loss, our national team is trying to get into elite status, and we have what was once considered an elite coach in the sport leading us to a major road win against a top flight international squad. This one win won't legitimize US soccer to those who don't love or follow the sport, but it will continue to allow the sport to grow and shows the world that the USA intends to compete at the highest level. I would say the World Cup win over Portugal and tying England are big moments as well, but this is for sure a marquee win on their resume, something no team for nearly a century has been able to claim [/QUOTE]

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