European Soccer Players Are Also Actors

Between loyally watching Team USA Soccer and now following the new Seattle Sounders FC MLS team, I'm really starting to dig soccer. It's not on par with college football or basketball for me, but it's a cool sport with a lot to offer. Did you see how Team USA just beat the best national team in the world? Team Spain. That was cool.

However, while I'm no expert on soccer (or "football" as it's accurately called everywhere in the world but the U.S.), I do have eyes and after seeing a lot of soccer over the last few years, I've come to the conclusion that...

European soccer players are pussies. Yep, you hear me. Wimps.

No, I don't mean they're not athletic or talented. Clearly they are - more so than most players in the USA or other parts of the world. I'm not talking about talent or results. I'm talking about that time honored (and very accepted) practice in soccer of players absolutely flopping - rolling around in agony on the pitch as if injured at the slightest touch from an opposing player in hopes of drawing a foul. Its epidemic and I see it most with European players. Not exclusively mind you, but mostly.

In the NBA, they have flopping too, and it's bad. But, it's usually only the stars that benefit from this. This is not great OK, but when you compare it to soccer...it's a different story. Any fool out on the soccer field can fake an injury to draw a foul and it happens a lot.

What's funniest is when one of these jokers fake a horrific injury, rolling around like someone cut their leg off from the shin down - sometimes even being carried off the field on a stretcher - they suddenly and miraculously get better and are again charging around like nothing happened within a minute or two. What a farce!

OK, rant over. I still like soccer a lot and I'm eager to see how the Sounders and Team USA do this year and next as World Cup 2010 arrives.