Predictions for the 2011 Football Season
The 2011 football season has much in store for fans the world over. The popularity of the game is soaring after the 2010 World Cup - even if the same cannot be said of the zuzuvela - and the spread of the game's influence into the U.S. market continues unabated. Standing on the doorstep of 2011, fans can expect any number of developments to quench their thirst for the sport.
Changing of the Guard
In Europe, expect the heavyweights to remain standing among the pro clubs. Inter Milan, with Leonardo coming over from rival AC Milan, promises to have an exciting season (however successful). Real Madrid expects to be better. Stars such as Edin Dzeko are changing teams and perhaps shifting the balance of power from continental Europe over to England, where fans expect and will accept nothing less.
Coming to America
With no National Football League (as in pads and helmets and an oblong ball) team in Los Angeles, futbol is taking over. Always more popular in big cities with diverse populations, "soccer" is finally becoming an economically viable business entity in the United States. Not only does L.A. host the star-studded Galaxy, whose roster includes World Cup star Landon Donovan and - at times - the mercurial David Beckham, the city will also host several games played between European powers, some of which already train at UCLA's facilities part of the year.
Even in the U.S., matches between Central American teams are heated affairs. They create grand television revenues on the broadcast end, and are a magnetic draw for any venue with the good sense to put a TV set above the bar. Fans are so involved that they seem to be embracing more than a sporting event. It becomes more like a soap opera, with emotional storylines, more so than any comparable American sport.
Looking for football games online?
Changing of the Guard
In Europe, expect the heavyweights to remain standing among the pro clubs. Inter Milan, with Leonardo coming over from rival AC Milan, promises to have an exciting season (however successful). Real Madrid expects to be better. Stars such as Edin Dzeko are changing teams and perhaps shifting the balance of power from continental Europe over to England, where fans expect and will accept nothing less.
Coming to America
With no National Football League (as in pads and helmets and an oblong ball) team in Los Angeles, futbol is taking over. Always more popular in big cities with diverse populations, "soccer" is finally becoming an economically viable business entity in the United States. Not only does L.A. host the star-studded Galaxy, whose roster includes World Cup star Landon Donovan and - at times - the mercurial David Beckham, the city will also host several games played between European powers, some of which already train at UCLA's facilities part of the year.
Even in the U.S., matches between Central American teams are heated affairs. They create grand television revenues on the broadcast end, and are a magnetic draw for any venue with the good sense to put a TV set above the bar. Fans are so involved that they seem to be embracing more than a sporting event. It becomes more like a soap opera, with emotional storylines, more so than any comparable American sport.
Looking for football games online?
