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History Of Soccer In The US
by: Niv Orlian

Although soccer is not THE sport in the US, the history of soccer in US is one of the longest around, right next to that of the English or the Scottish. After the English set out to form a set of rules for the game of soccer, these were soon taken to the new World, where Americans learned to love this rising sport, right next to another game that grew strong roots in the US back then: baseball. Actually, the American Football Association is the second oldest sports league in America, after the Major League Baseball one. Obviously, the history of soccer in US didn't start with a professional league though (in terms of what we call professional today). The American Football Association, started out in 1884, was a semi-professional competition involving New England and some Midwest areas and it was a rather chaotic environment to play soccer in, but nevertheless it was there and progressing with each year. A parallel soccer organization, the American Amateur Football Association was founded around the same time and the two coexisted until 1913, when they merged into the US Football Association, the first fully professional soccer organization throughout the history of soccer in the US. The US football association (or USFA) was one of the first to join FIFA and as such, the United States team participated in the early World Cups, although the game was beginning to become outshined by baseball or basketball. With American football also on the rise, the organization adopted a new name to avoid any confusion and called itself the US Soccer Football Association. However, the US soccer history would soon witness a new change in its governing body's name in 1974, when the USSFA dropped "Football" from its tag and instead adopted the title of United States Soccer Federation, which is still used today. So many will wonder, if the history of soccer in US starts out so early, how come soccer is not the main sport in USA? Well the truth is that the rather modest performances from the men's national side early on in the 20th century, combined with the high rise of baseball, basketball, football and hockey, meant that the nation soon lost interest in soccer and since American kids had so many alternatives, soccer slowly went out of fashion. However, with the increasingly good performances from the US men's soccer team and the huge success of the women's soccer team (who managed to bring in the first trophies in the history of soccer in US and is still one of the world powers in the game today), soccer is climbing back to its rightful place and with more and more American kids favoring it in school as a start-up sport, things look bright for the future of US soccer.
About The Author
Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of http://www.soccer-fans-info.com a website that provides information on various topics related to soccer. Find out more info on the history of soccer at http://www.soccer-fans-info.com/history-of-soccer.html

Soccer Positions
by: Gavin Sanderson

As with basketball, soccer is a game with players who perform a specific role. A team is comprised of eleven positions. There is one goalkeeper or goalie, and ten others who have to defend attack or take up midfield positions. Each role has a specific set of skills and a specific area to deal with. Goalie or Goalkeeper It is the goalie’s who has to prevent the opponents from scoring a goal. This person is the only one who can touch the ball with their hands and they can only move within a certain area of the field. Defenders or Defensive Positions These positions help the goalie prevent opponents from scoring a goal. Like the goalie, they are restricted to a certain area of the field. *Centerback-the centerbacks try to stop the opponents particularly the strikers of the opposing team from scoring. They try to keep to ball out of the penalty areas. *Sweepers- sweepers go after anyone from the opposing team who breaks through the defense line. A sweeper should be able to control the ball and pass it well and counter any moves that the attacking team brings. *Fullback- These players try to prevent the ball from entering the penalty areas Midfielders These players are located between the strikers and the defenders. They try to get the ball from the defenders on the opposing team and pass it to their strikers. This is a position that requires a lot of energy because they have to keep an eye on many things at once. They can be switched from a defensive stance to attacking pose at any time during the game. *Defensive midfield- the purpose of this role is to get the ball from the attackers on the opposing team *Attack midfield- these players must try to open avenues for their team to score goals Strikers or Attackers or Forward These team members are located close to the opposing team’s goal. They are the ones who score goals. Another role they play is to try and help others on their team score a goal. Most familiar soccer players are found in this position because they score the most goals.
About The Author
Gavin Sanderson provides articles on http://www.online-atv.com. Visit " target=new>http://www.soccer-kick.com/a> to find more of his work.