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Aussie and American "soccer" fans...

2K views 26 replies 23 participants last post by  Shepard 
#1 ·
I know you all like watching European football but do any of you follow your national leagues? If so what team do you support and which European club can they relate to most? Who are the biggest clubs in terms of fanbase and why? If you don't, why not?

Genuinely interested.

Just for the record, I used inverted commas because I hate the word "soccer".
 
#2 ·
Just for the record, its called football in Australia.

I loosely follow Sydney FC and i say loosely as the season runs in a bit of a parallel with rugby league and rugby union which will always remain a higher preference for me. So if my league team, and my union team aren't playing at the same time then i'll watch. Don't attend many games as the stadium is a bitch to get to from my place and the standard is pretty hopeless.
 
#25 ·
Just for the record, its called football in Australia.

I loosely follow Sydney FC and i say loosely as the season runs in a bit of a parallel with rugby league and rugby union which will always remain a higher preference for me. So if my league team, and my union team aren't playing at the same time then i'll watch. Don't attend many games as the stadium is a bitch to get to from my place and the standard is pretty hopeless.
Um no, it's called soccer here. Even our national team is called Socceroos.
 
#5 ·
I think the reason some countries call it soccer as opposed to football is they have their own football codes e.g. in America the NFL and to call more than one sport "Football" is too damn confusing.
In saying that though it is the true form of football, as it is played predominantly with the feet.

Anyway, I follow Victory in the A league. They are also the biggest club and consistently pull the biggest crowds.

It's not the prettiest football in the world, but it's not the worst either. The standard has improved over the years, though obviously it's no where near the standard of the European leagues.
 
#10 ·
I watch MLS somewhat regularly , and strongly support the LA Galaxy. The problem with MLS is the broadcasting is all over the place. Games aren't shown at a standard schedule or on a regular network so it makes it hard to follow at times; also I don't think the MLS has banned Vuvuzelvas in their arenas. UGH.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Big Melbourne Victory fan. I go to all the home games and have done quite a few interstate away games. I also try to watch as many games as i can. In terms of fan bases, Victory and Sydney FC are the most consistent in terms of average crowd sizes, followed by Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and Wellington Phoenix. In terms of playing, Brisbane and the Central Coast Mariners have been the most consistent in the last two seasons.

The league is basically a retirement/development league at the moment. You get young kids starting in the A-League before getting picked up by big overseas clubs (ie Curtis Good to Newcastle in the Premier League, Mitch Langerak at Borussia Dortmund) and you get the the big names nearing the end of their careers coming ie Robbie Fowler, Dwight Yorke, Harry Kewell, Alessandro Del Piero and Brett Emerton. It's not the best league in terms of playing standards, especially with already having 3 clubs go belly up in the 8 seasons, but it's a start. It's a far better standard of league compared to the old NSL.
 
#12 ·
I dont really watch the MLS. I don't really have a favorite club. I more watch for players.

I think the quality of play has improved tremendously since the inception of the league...and even since five years ago. Before it was pretty bad, but now, it's really not. Even so, it's hard to watch it after watching the Prem.

To be fair, I don't watch much of the other major Euro leagues as well. It's pretty much Prem or bust for me. In fact, I would say that the MLS is my second most watched league.

i should find a team to cheer on..but meh.
 
#13 ·
I've been watching soccer since the early 90s when here in NYC they used to show the Italian Serie A on some public access channel in the morning.

While I am Croatia fan first and like the European leagues better, I still do follow the MLS and go to a few Red Bulls games a season. Though I do not support the national team in all honesty, a lot of USNT fans (especially the younger ones) are very delusional
 
#14 ·
Sorry for bumping an old(ish) thread, I haven't been on here for a couple or three months and I actually forgot about it.

Anyway, I am quite surprised at some of the comments made here. Basically stating that you don't follow your national league and/or a specific team because of the low standard. So that begs the question, as some of you have "chosen" to support teams that you have no affiliation or connection with, what would you do if "your team" suddenly went up sh*t creek and got relegated a couple of divisions. What if you couldn't follow them as much as you do now because coverage of League 1 and 2 isn't as widely available? Would you suddenly change teams and support someone else or would you still try and keep up to date albeit with less interest?

For those of you that don't know, my team is Man City (genuine fan, season ticket holder since a young age, go to away games and to Euro aways before anyone asks or comments) and I know for a fact that if the core following City had through the dark days in the 90's didn't stand firm then City wouldn't be experiencing what they have experienced over the past few years as they certainly wouldn't have been able to find their way back to the big time so rapidly.

Other big clubs have also fallen on hard times (Leeds, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and going back even further Man Utd and Chelsea) so it certainly isn't beyond the impossible although the game has changed drastically.

This is all hypothetical of course but interesting nonetheless.

By the way, Kudos to the few of you that back your local sides and leagues. Remember to ALWAYS keep the faith and your loyal support will eventually be rewarded one day.
 
#17 ·
Southampton fan for many years and followed them through the multiple relegations. Up all night on a live score website and the Saints forum. Would make sure to watch the very few League 1 or Championship matches I could.

As for in Australia, Victory fan. Got to the odd match, watch the rest. Was actually just at the Melbourne Derby, great night :D. I follow the A-League, standard is obviously not super high but I loved watching Brisbane the last two years who legit played some great stuff at times and now Ang is hopefully turning the Victory into that side.
 
#16 ·
Keenan is back here now, playing at semi-pro level. I've had a chat with big before and he told me John Terry is a cunt.
 
#23 ·
I'm not crazy about Major League Soccer, just not good enough soccer for me. It's difficult to see much Premier League or La Liga, Bundesliga, etc.

Whenever the Euros or World Cup are on, I make a point to watch most matches, save for some of the jobber countries.
 
#24 ·
I've been a Chelsea fan for longer than the A-League has existed. I grew up supporting them. It's hard to drum up the same level of support for a club that has been around for less than ten years. That said, I have been enjoying watching Melbourne Victory more and more as this season has gone on. They play some very nice football at times and my interest is increasing over time.
 
#27 ·
I'm not actually from Australia but I've followed the Central Coast Mariners since I went out there in about 2006 and caught a couple games. Since I started watching the quality has definitely improved. It's not great but I enjoy it whenever I watch it.
 
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