Mark Madden's Hot Take: If you don't like soccer, go watch the boring NFL

The United States tied England in World Cup group play 0-0. The usual American outrage immediately began to flow.

It mostly revolves around not enough goals and a game concluding in a tie. “Why would I watch a game that ends 0-0?”

The easy answer: don’t.

Soccer is popular far beyond having to proselytize. You don’t like it? Don’t watch.

There’s no reason for soccer to please America. America is a second-rate soccer nation. It’s one of very few countries where the best athletes don’t play soccer.

If Cristiano Ronaldo had been born in the U.S., he’d be a safety in the NFL.

There’s no reason for soccer to consider anything America’s soccer-ignorant public wants.

Related

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Friday’s 0-0 draw between the U.S. and England had considerably more action than an NFL game. The average NFL game has just 18 minutes of action. (There’s even less activity than that when the Steelers offense has the ball.)

In soccer, the ball moves for 90 minutes. If play is halted because of injury or substitution, that time is tacked onto the end of the corresponding half.

Let’s see some big fatso NFL lineman move for 90 minutes plus added time.

The U.S. likely will never break through at soccer’s international level because, as noted, the best American athletes don’t play soccer and never will.

But the deadlock with England was a decent showing.

We overrate Christian Pulisic because he’s the best American player. But he doesn’t even start for his club team, Chelsea of England’s Premier League.

But Pulisic had an electric performance against England, blasting the ball off the crossbar and leading the American line with energy, skill and savvy. Midfielder Weston McKennie was a rock, often controlling play.

Despite defending cautiously, the U.S. had the ball for 45% of the match and often looked dangerous on the counterattack.

The U.S. obviously would have won if, say, T.J. Watt played soccer. Except he’d probably be hurt.

If you don’t like soccer, don’t watch. At any rate, shut up about how you think soccer should be.

Soccer has been around for more than 150 years. It doesn’t need advice from those who watch every four years for the sake of complaining. Go watch the NFL and keep telling yourself you’re not bored.