Make way as soccer fanatics all over the world are gearing up for the 2010 World Cup finals.  As the most popular sport on earth, the game is played by roughly 500 million men, women and children every day.  All you need is a pair of feet, good coordination skills and a willingness to work with others.

Better known as football or futbol in just about every land other than America, the game has an extraordinary ability to bring people together, regardless of cultural barriers.  Its popularity is on the rise as new generations are turned on to this team sport.  Not only does it provide an avenue of inspiration to deprived youth from every corner of the world, but it offers a chance to succeed for anyone with talent.  Fanatics will tell you that soccer represents a feeling of belonging, of striving for something  of greatness as a group. 

Fans of Team Italy at the World Cup Semi-finals

Soccer has been embraced all over the world for centuries. It’s as near and dear to the hearts of people in Europe in a way similar to the likes of fashion. The first recorded game took place as early as A.D. 217 in England. It was part of a grand festival celebrated by the locals after a victory over the Romans. England set the tradition of having annual soccer events ever since.

The FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) was established in 1904 as a governing force of all the International games.  A recent count of the countries who belong to FIFA is also rumored to outnumber the members of the United Nations.  Quite a popular sport indeed!  Here in America we tend to embrace the big league sports we can claim as our own, such as American Football, Baseball and Basketball.  But soccer is undeniably gaining momentum in the U.S. 

Ghana took us by storm a few weeks ago in the men’s league, but we still have a chance to make our mark at the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Germany.  The U.S. women’s team has actually proven stronger on the playing field, with more wins than the men.  In the first Women’s World Cup in 1991, the U.S. team took home the trophy.  With a little more media attention and support, I think we can do it again.     

With such a diverse fan base and players, it’s no wonder that soccer is the fastest growing sport worldwide.  It’s time to join the party.  If you haven’t followed the sport this far, it’s not too late to see what all the hype is about. Grab your friends, head out to a local establishment, down your pint of ale and join the crowd as the 2010 World Cup spices up the crowd this weekend as the final score will be between Spain and the Netherlands.

The European style Porto Vista Hotel in Little Italy will play host to the World Cup game at the Glass Door restaurant and lounge.  So if you are looking for a great place to see the game, share a bucket of Heinekens or sip on some Sangria, come join the fun!  With multiple flat screen TV’s, gorgeous bay views, drink specials galore and a full brunch menu to match the authentic cuisine of the teams, it’s a score for every fan!

Tags: 2010, Best place to watch the game, Soccer, Soccer San Diego, Womens World Cup, World Cup, World Cup San Diego

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 4:43 am and is filed under Sports Enthusiast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.