IN THE OLD DAYS, YOU MIGHT AS
WELL HAVE CALLED IT THE AREST OF
THE -- THE REST OF THE WORLD
CUP, GIVEN AMERICANS
INDIFFERENCE TO SOCCER.
BUT NOW THE GLOBAL GAME MAY
FINALLY BE CATCHING ON HERE.
AND WHY NOT?
PEOPLE WHO KNOW THE SPORT BEST
SAY IT BRINGS DIFFERENT PEOPLE
TOGETHER IN WAY THAT'S UNIQUELY
AMERICAN.
THIS WEEKEND, THE SPORT OF
SOCCER BROUGHT TOGETHER PLAYERS
FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE, COMPETING
FOR THE RIGHT TO BE CALLED THE
BEST AND THAT WAS JUST IN
LEXINGTON.
>> THE ENGLISH GENTLEMEN,
ITALIAN, SPANISH, JAMAICA.
>> WE'VE GOT PEOPLE FROM SAUDI
ARABIA.
>> Emily: THIS IS THE NEW
ENGLAND OVER THE HILL SOCCER
LEAGUE, THE LARGEST AMATEUR
SOCCER LEAGUE IN THE U.S.
AS THE WORLD WAS WATCHING THE
WORLD CUP, PLAYERS HERE SET
THEIR DVR'S AND COMPETED FOR
CHAMPIONSHIPS OF THEIR OWN.
ORGANIZATIONIZE INNER SAYS BOTH
EVENTS CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER
LIKE NO OTHER SPORT.
>> IT ALLOWS YOU TO LEARN THE
CULTURES OF THE OTHER PEOPLE AND
WATCHING THE BRAZILIANS DOING
THEIR BARBECUES AFTER THE MATCH
AND ALL, THAT SORT OF STUFF.
>> Emily: BUT PLAYERS SAY THAT
THE LEAGUE ISN'T A PLACE TO
LEARN ABOUT OTHERS, IT'S ALSO AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE A LITTLE
BIT OF THEMSELVES.
>> I MEAN, WE'RE NOT ALL
TERRORISTS.
THIS GIVES ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO
TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE ON THE
SAID LINES, ALL THE TIME.
TALK TO IRANIANS AND THE
MUSLIMS.
>> Emily: AND AMERICANS ARE NOW
CATCHING ON THE FACT THAT SOCCER
IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE FOR
THOSE THAT LOVE THE GAME.
>> IT'S A NICE THING, IT'S AN
AMERICAN THING WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT IT.
THAT'S AMERICAN, RIGHT?
WE ARE WITH THE BIG MELTING POT.
>> Emily: HE SAYS RECORD U.S. TV
RATINGS FOR THE WORLD CUP PROVE
IT.
IF AMERICANS AND THE WORLD CAN
ACCEPT OTHER CULTURES THE WAY
THEY'RE EMBRACING SOCCER WHO
KNOWS WHAT CAN HAPPEN?
>> MAYBE SOME DAY IN THE PERFECT
WORLD WE'LL SETTLE ALL DISPUTES
BY A SOCCER MATCH.
>> Emily: NOT A BAD GOAL.
JOINING ME ARE NOW ARE CEZAR
WISLOCKI-WASECKI, THE PRESIDENT
OF THE AMATEUR SOCCER
ASSOCIATION AND BRIAN O'DONOVAN,
FAMILIAR TO OUR AUDIENCE FOR "A
CELTIC SOJOURN" AND HE'S ALSO AN
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER EXPERT AND
HE WAS THE FIRST GENERAL MANAGER
OF THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION.
WELCOME TO BOTH OF YOU.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> Emily: CEZAR, DID YOU REALLY
SET YOUR VCR'S?
>> DVR.
>> Emily: DURING THE AMERICANS,
YOU WEREN'T WATCHING IT?
>> DURING THE AMERICANS, I HAD
IT ON MY COMPUTER.
I WORK AND I SEE THE GAMES GOING
ON AND THEN I WORK.
>> Emily: HAS THE LEAGUE BEEN
GOING FULL BORE LIKE THIS ALL
ALONG OR A NEW ENTHUSIASM --
>> IT HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 15
OR 20 YEARS AND IT'S GROWN AND
TAKEN OFF EVERY YEAR.
IT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT 6,000
MEMBERS NOW AND WE HAVE IN
MASSACHUSETTS 13,000.
>> Emily: I NOTICED ONE OF THE
TEAMS AT FRAMINGHAM IS IT TEAMS
BY CITY, TOWN OR CAN BY BE
ANYTHING?
>> IT CAN BE ANYTHING.
IT COULD BE CITY OR TOWN.
>> Emily: COULD BE AFTER A GAS
STATION.
>> AND THEY HAVE THE MULTIPLE
TEAMS AND BACKGROUNDS TOO.
>> Emily: BRIAN, WHEN YOU WERE
WITH THE REVOLUTION, WASN'T IT A
HECK OF A JOB TO GET PEOPLE
INTERESTED IN IT AND WERE THEY?
>> WELL, OBVIOUSLY, PROMOTION OF
SOCCER IS A KEY THING.
WE'RE UP AGAINST FOUR GIGANTIC
SPORTS.
HUGE MARKETING MACHINES BEHIND
THEM.
>> Emily: ESPECIALLY IN BOSTON.
>> AND WITH THE SUCCESS OF THE
TEAMS AS OF LATE.
WE REALLY LAUNCHED THE
REVOLUTION AND LAUNCHED MAJOR
LEAGUE SOCCER AS A POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN.
>> Emily: I REMEMBER WHEN YOU
FIRST LAUNCHED IT, IT GOT
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PUBLICITY.
BUT DID THAT BRING THE AUDIENCE
IN?
>> IT REALLY DID.
IN FIRST YEARS, WE WENT AFTER
WHAT WAS CALLED THEN A NEWLY
COINED TERM, THE SOCCER MOMS.
WE WENT AFTER A LOT OF SUBURBAN
KIDS.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACT
SENTS LIKE US, THEY WERE
WATCHING US AND THEN THEY GOT
MORE AND MORE INTERESTED.
THAT CONTINUED TO BUILD.
IT WAXES AND WANES ALONG WITH
THE PEOPLE AND WITH THE WORLD
CUP, REALLY HAS A BIG EFFECT ON
US.
BUT BY AND LARGE, THE FACT THAT
AMERICAN LEAGUE SOCCER HAS
EXISTED AND CONTINUED TO EXIST
AND EVEN EXPAND DURING THE TOUGH
YEARS, CHALLENGING YEARS FOR
ANYTHING AND DISCRETIONARY
SPENDING, SPORTS AND
ENTERTAINMENT, I THINK IS A
TESTAMENT TO THE STAYING POWER.
I GET A SENSE IT'S A HUGE LEAP
FORWARD FOR INTERESTED
AMERICANS.
>> Emily: I HAVE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
HASN'T BEEN ON THE RADAR SCREEN.
IT'S INTERESTING TO ME THAT YOU
HAVE ALL OF THE NATIONALITIES
MIXED IN ON TEAMS AND
EVERYTHING.
WE THINK OF MOST SPORTS AS BEING
AS NATIONALISTIC OR, YOU KNOW,
THE HOME TEAM, THAT KIND OF
THING.
MUCH MORE PAROCHIAL THAN
INTERNATIONAL EVENTS.
YOU ROOT FOR THE HOMETOWN GUYS.
>> I THINK I WOULD AGREE WITH
BRIAN.
THE WORLD CUP IN THE U.S. AND
THE INTERNATIONAL SPIRIT, THAT'S
THE ONE TIME YOU CAN WATCH THE
GAME AND YOU LOOK AT THE GAME
AND YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR
COUNTRY.
THAT'S THE ONE THING -- IN THE
WORLD CUP.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVE GOT A THEORY ACTUALLY
THAT ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT
THINGS THAT'S EVER HAPPENED IN
WORLD CUP SOCCER IN THIS
COUNTRY, THE AMERICAN EFFORT TO
BUILD INTEREST IN SOCCER HAS
BEEN THE GOAL THAT WAS
DISALLOWED AT THE END OF THE
SLOVENIAN GAME.
I THINK THERE WAS AN
UNBELIEVABLE POWER OF UNITY IN
THE WE WAS ROBBED PHENOMENON.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, PEOPLE WHO
HAVE INTEREST IN THEIR OWN
TEAMS, WE WAS ROBBED.
THIS TEAM FOUGHT BACK --
>> Emily: DID YOU FEEL THAT WAY?
BRIAN, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT.
PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE
TAKING ABOUT -- TALKING ABOUT.
THEY DON'T MAKE IT CLEAR IN
SOCCER.
THEY DON'T TELL YOU WHY THEY
MADE A RULING AND WE'RE NOT USED
TO THAT.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I THINK IT WAS SHOWN SO MUCH
OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND PEOPLE
BELIEVE WHAT THEY HEAR ON
TELEVISION AND ON RADIO.
AND I THINK THAT ECHOING SHOUT
THAT WE WAS ROBBED HAS BEEN A
UNIFYING CALL FOR SUPPORT OF
AMERICAN SOCCER.
>> Emily: ALL RIGHT.
HERE'S A QUESTION.
SUPPOSED TO GET 400 MILLION
INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION VIEWERS
FOR THE FINAL.
WHEN IS THE FINAL?
>> NOT THIS SUNDAY, BUT THE
FOLLOWING SUNDAY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Emily: WILL AMERICANS WATCH?
>> OH, DEFINITELY.
I THINK, OH, YEAH.
DEFINITELY.
>> Emily: EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT
IN IT?
>> I THINK THEY WILL.
I THINK THE DRAMA THAT'S BUILD
THROUGH THIS WORLD CUP WILL KEEP
PEOPLE INTERESTED.
AMERICANS ALWAYS ARE INTERESTED
IN SOMETHING THAT IS OF
COMPELLING NATURE.
NO MATTER WHAT THE SPORTING
EVENT.
AND I THINK THEY KNOW TOP CLASS
SPORTING ENDEAVOR WHEN THEY SEE
IT.
RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE TEAMS LIKE
HOLLAND AND BRAZIL AND THEN
UNDERDOGS STILL IN THE CUP.
FOR EXAMPLE, GHANA.
IF THAT GETS THROUGH LATER ON, I
THINK THAT WILL CREATE A LOT OF
UNDERDOG INTEREST.
AND THE EVENTS, THIS WORLD CUP
HAS BEEN OF PARTICULAR INTEREST.
>> Emily: ARE THERE -- I KNOW
EVERYONE KNOWS THE NAME PELE,
BUT ARE THERE STARS NOW OF THAT
CALIBER THAT ARE IN THERE THAT
WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE?
>> FOR THE BRAZILIANS.
THEY HAVE 11 OF THEM.
>> YEAH.
>> THIS AFTERNOON I WAS WATCHING
THEM TOO.
>> Emily: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY
THAT?
>> THEY'RE A PHENOMENAL TEAM.
THEY INDICATED THIS AFTERNOON,
IT WAS KIND OF SCARY TO WATCH.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE COME ALIVE IN
THIS PARTICULAR GAME.
>> THEY WERE DOING WHAT THEY
WANTED.
I MEAN, LOOK AT FABIANO, THEY
START PLAYING AND CHILI WAS A
VERY GOOD TEAM.
>> Emily: BUT VERY FEW HAVE
ENTERED THE LEXICON, LIKE MICKEY
MANTLE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
PELE.
HAS THERE EVER BEEN ONE?
NO.
YOU CAN'T THINK OF ONE.
>> BECKET -- BECKONBAR HAD THE
SAME LEVEL, FROM ENGLAND.
BUT THEY WERE ALL FROM THAT ERA.
I THINK THAT THESE ARE COMMON
NAMES, FROM PORTUGAL, FROM
BRAZIL.
HUGE PLAYERS IN THE WORLD BUT AS
AMERICAN PLAYERS, AS ICONS,
ESSENTIALLY LANDON DONOVAN HAS
COME AS CLOSE TO THAT AS WE HAVE
HAD.
AND IN THE EARLY DAYS OF
AMERICAN SOCCER COMING INTO ITS
OWN, BECAUSE OF HIS LONG HAIR
AND BECAUSE OF HIS ROCK STAR
IMAGE, AS MUCH AS FOR HIS
UNFIELDABILITY.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.
I THINK WITH MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
THE FACT THAT THE LEAGUE EXISTS
I THINK IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART
OF THIS STORY.
THE LEAGUE EXISTS NOW FOR 16 OR
MORE YEARS.
AND IT'S WAITING FOR SOMETHING
TO HAPPEN.
SOMEBODY TO COME IN LIKE LARRY
BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON DID WITH
THE NBA.
LIKE WAYNE GRETZKY DID FOR
HOCKEY.
AND EVEN IN FOOTBALL, FRANK
GIFFORD, THE HARBINGER OF THE
MODERN DAY NFL.
AND I THINK THE FACT THAT IT
EXISTS IS WAITING FOR SOMETHING
TO HAPPEN THAT'S UNEXPECTED.
>> Emily: SEE WHAT HAPPENS IN
THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF FUN.
THE OVER THE HILL LEAGUE.
NO WOMEN THOUGH.
>> THERE ARE.
>> Emily: OH, THERE ARE?
WHEN WE CONTINUE, IS THE
INTERNET HURTING OUR BRAINS?