FIFA, how I love thee.

FIFA has taught me all that I know about soccer, what everyone outside of America calls football.

I am "the sporty boy next door," as my girlfriend likes to describe me, because sports are completely up my alley. I love sports, and all competition, for that matter. Shoot, get a beer pong tournament together, and I'm there.

I am in love with the NFL and NBA, have a fascination with the MLB, enjoy the NHL, and PGA tour, and can stand NASCAR, MMA, college sports, tennis, and cricket, but didn't know a single thing about soccer. That is, pre-FIFA days.

FIFA, for those of you that don't know, is an extremely addictive soccer video game that is completely and specifically devoted to the replication of soccer at its best, put out by EA Sports. The FIFA I am describing is FIFA '08 on the Playstation 3 (My roommate's).

When playing FIFA, you can play as the very bad Colorado Rapids, or the great Barcelona, or Chelsea teams. Due to FIFA, I now understand who those great teams are, and why they are among the elite in the world.

What is amazing about soccer is that there are exceptionally talented soccer players on almost any team out there. From Ronaldinho, to Villa, to Fernandez, a FIFA player can try all these big names' skills out for themselves.

Probably the most stunning aspect about soccer that I have learned from FIFA is that literally EVERYONE in the world plays it! A player of FIFA can play as Poland, USA, or some abstract Brazilian team. If you can imagine the match up, FIFA can bring it to you.

FIFA makes a layman fan of soccer realize it really is "The World's Game."

FIFA has also introduced me to certain aspects of soccer that I had previously not known.

The cross is an awesomely effective offensive play, in which the offender attempts to head in a score.

Offside is running past all the defenders, which, unlike basketball, is a bad thing in soccer. Most of all, there is only one referee that calls penalties, the other two just call offside.

Playing FIFA and accordingly, watching real soccer, has opened my eyes to why international NBA players flop so much. Soccer players can get fouls on almost no contact at all, similar to the NBA in 2009.

The last great thing about FIFA is that it translates into the user becoming a fan of the real sport.

I, along with my roommates, find ourselves watching Fox's soccer channel, tuning into UEFA and much lesser games alike. We enjoy watching soccer, now that we understand better what is actually going on.

This may be where soccer lacks in the US, commentators and the media need to explain soccer better to Joe six-pack. They need to break it down, much like commentators on the NFL on CBS, or NBC in John Madden.

That, and the MLS is horrible compared to any other soccer league on the planet.

If the MLS can attract bigger named players like it did with Beckham, and creates a competitive league, soccer has a future in the US.

If it continues on the road it is now, America will miss out on a great spectacle, "The World's Game."

Source: Click Here