World Cup failure seen as catalyst for country
If anyone knows how much soccer has grown in the United States, it’s Brian Ching.
The former Dynamo star just has to look across the street from his newly opened bar, Pitch 25, to see the evidence.
BBVA Compass Stadium — the 22,000-seat venue that opened to host the Dynamo in 2012 — is one of the soccer-specific stadiums in the country. When he started playing in Major League Soccer in 2001, there were just 10 teams, and only one (Columbus Crew) had its own stadium.
Now there are 23 MLS teams, and most have their own venues.
As much progress as Ching has seen when it comes to soccer in the United States, though, he is one of many worried the sport
might take a hit this year when the biggest soccer event in the world starts this week without the U.S., which failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
The absence of the U.S. is upsetting, but the appeal of the World Cup remains — especially in a city like Houston with so much culture and diversity. It’s an event that unites fans from all over the world.
Ching has seen it as a player and a fan. This year, he has a new perspective: bar owner. His new venture will be open for just about every game, but he hasn’t decided yet about Saturday’s 5 a.m. match between France and Australia. He knows he will see a ton of fans, regardless of the matchup.
Ching, who played with the U.S. soccer team from 2003-2010, said he went through a range of emotions when the Americans fell to Trinidad and Tobago in October and were eliminated from World Cup qualification.
“Anger, frustration, sadness,” Ching said. “As a former player, I was embarrassed we didn’t make it. As a fan, I was mad and outright shocked.”
The fact he was surprised says a lot about the growth of the sport here, though. People expect the national team to qualify for the 32-nation World Cup. That means soccer has come a long way in the last three decades.
Germany’s 10-year plan
What Ching and other soccer enthusiasts hope is the country will take its absence from the world’s most popular sporting event seriously so it won’t feel this way again.
After Germany lost to Croatia in the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup and didn’t get out of the group stage at the 2002 and 2004 Euro tournament, “they put together a 10-year plan,” Ching said. “They turned it around, and look at them now.”
The Germans won the 2014 World Cup and are among the favorites to win this year.
The plan Ching is referring to included developing youth soccer and growing the sport internationally.
Ching hopes the U.S. will do the same. He said it’s time to move past the disappointment and look ahead.
“This is an opportunity to move forward and in the right way and how do we change the programs that aren’t working,” he said. “There is a real opportunity for us to make those changes.”
In the meantime, the allure of soccer isn’t likely to fade in America due to the lack of a team in the World Cup.
Every four years when the tournament is played, fans are enthralled because of the excitement, the drama and the topnotch competition.
Cultures coming together
This year will be no different. “In this political climate, the way things are all over the world, it’s great to have a sporting event like the World Cup that brings so many people from all over the world together to cheer on their teams, their countries,” Ching said.
As the matches start this week (Russia and Saudi Arabia play in the opener Thursday morning in Moscow), that’s one of the things he will look forward to: watching fans from different cultures coming together to watch their favorite sport.
“There are large groups coming out for the Germanys, the Mexicos, the Spains, the Brazils,” he said. “It is the largest sporting event in the world. Each game can be equated to the Super Bowl.
“It’s amazing to see. One of the best experiences was going to Germany in 2006 and seeing how people came from all over the world to meet people and have a good time.”
The United States might have failed to make the field this year, but fans here can get a lot out of watching the tournament.
“Sports bring everyone together,” Ching said. “Hopefully, the World Cup will do that for our country.”