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Originally Posted by loochy

By the way, we shouldn't feel so bad that we missed the World Cup.

Perennial powerhouses Netherlands and Italy didn't make the cut either.
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It's a bad thing from the perspective of trying to grow the sport in the US. The young kids don't get to see their American idols out there to inspire them to take up the sport. Soccer in Italy and the Netherlands is already firmly established, so I don't think it will effect them as much.

But Italy and the Netherlands missing out actually hurts American viewership. There are a bunch of Italy fans in the US who tune in to watch them. It's kind of like having a Superbowl between the Browns and the Panthers. It would be a ratings disaster.