Rise of USA will prove good for football

A highlight of this World Cup has been the way the American public has embraced the competition like never before.

There have been record television viewing and streaming figures. Screenings in major cities have played to packed stadiums.

Even President Obama has been a fan, personally calling up Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard to thank them for their efforts after the country’s exit. When that happens you know something big has happened.

The players more than deserved it. Under manager Jurgen Klinsmann’s charge the US have become a talented, athletic side with a superb work ethic.

Inevitably their progress has led to two familiar questions being posed.

Will the explosion of interest be sustained? And, if America grows to be a major player in the world game, will their influence be a positive one?

I believe football is already moving in a direction that will make it more acceptable to sports fans across the Atlantic. We have seen the advent of goal-line technology which ensures the correct decision can be delivered time after time. We have likewise seen a softening in FIFA’s mantra there should be as few interruptions to play as possible.

Water breaks have been introduced to allow players a chance to rehydrate when the temperature reaches 32 degrees C. This is an entirely sensible measure, one which was quite possibly made with an eye to Qatar in 2022. Quite simply the game can’t afford to jeopardise the health of the players.

When I was in Australia I witnessed games where they were given water breaks every 15 minutes and they were none the worse for them.

For the record I don’t believe we will see a World Cup in Qatar, certainly not a summer World Cup. Sky-high temperatures are not a problem we have to worry about over here but it is an issue for the game at the highest level and will continue to be so.

And if you are going to have three-minute water breaks then, logic suggests, these will eventually be filled by advert breaks.

The lack of opportunities for such revenue making opportunities has long been seen as one of soccer’s shortcomings by broadcasters in the States. And just as the sport is becoming more US friendly so its support at a grass-roots level is growing, suggesting this is no summer fad.

Women’s football is, and has long been, enormously popular, thanks in part to the country’s success on the world stage.

Thanks to the strength of the men’s MLS, in which Seattle Sounders regularly attract crowds of over 40,000, a generation of young fans believe the sport is every bit as valid as American football, basketball, baseball and ice-hockey. While the big four all have established power bases in place there is plenty of room for everyone.

And personally, I think that could prove to be a very good thing.

One of the most interesting things about the new fans America has brought to football has been the incomprehension at the amount of diving that takes place. They simply can’t understand that such blatant cheating would be tolerated.

Something is wrong when we have Arjen Robben, a world star of great talent, freely admitting to having dived in a crucial game.

America have already added extra passion and colour to football. If they can also help rid the game of one its biggest blights so much the better.