Rudy Fuller on the MLS and the future of American soccer

During my interview with Penn men's soccer Head Coach Rudy Fuller for my article which appeared in yesterday's paper, Fuller shared with me his views on the future of American soccer. As a rabid American soccer fan, I was very disappointed when America was unsuccessful in its bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

Why the selection committee chose to have the world's greatest sporting event in a country most of the world hasn't heard of is beyond me. (I guess Bill Clinton's famous charm did not work as well on the selection committee as it did in other arenas...) Still Coach Fuller doesn't believe losing out on the world cup will affect the future of American soccer.

"It would have been great to get the World Cup but that's not the end all be all," Fuller explained. "I don't think that [not getting the bid] impacts American soccer in the grand scheme. It's going to continue growing."

Fuller explained that the future of American soccer is directly related to the success of the MLS. The coach is very bullish about the future prospects of the league. He cited the growth of soccer-specific stadiums being built by MLS teams as the best way "to gauge the health of the league overall and the health of the game in this country." Currently, nine of the MLS's 18 teams have soccer-specific stadiums and five more teams are in the process of building them. Until 2005, only two teams had their own stadiums. Whereas I have always found soccer-specific stadiums to be an excuse to hide the tiny crowds that attend MLS games, these stadiums have actually proven to be quite profitable for MLS teams.

Unlike many soccer commentators, Fuller is opposed to the influx of big name European players. Although many female fans may pay to see David Beckham take off his shirt after an MLS game, Fuller does not believe that bringing in over-the-hill superstars will help the league's reputation. "We don't want to become a league of guys who finished playing overseas and are washed up that come to America to collect a paycheck," Fuller said.

For those of you that don't think that soccer can make it in America, consider this: 13 million viewers tuned into the U.S.-England World Cup game this summer or about 1.5 million viewers more than Game 3 of the World Series. With that said, there is no reason why soccer can't be the next "American pastime"