By VictorM:

John Feinstein takes a stroll down memory lane to the days when he was covering the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), which for a few years in the late 70's seemed to be on the verge of making it in the US.

There are many lessons to learn from those days, some of which the current Major League Soccer (MLS) seems keenly aware, but there is one thing in the article that I hope today's soccer fans learn.

Remembering Gordon Bradley, who made his name as a coach in the league, and Johan Cryuff, one of the greatest players of all times who finished his career in the USA, we have this:

What made Bradley and Cruyff great to deal with is that neither ever acted as if you had to love soccer. They both loved it, had grown up with it -- Gordon in England; Johan in Holland -- but they knew it was going to be an acquired taste in the U.S.

That's right! No one has to love the sport and soccer fans secure enough about the game should be able to accept that.

For those who grew up without it and have enjoyed other sports, becoming a soccer lover isn't likely to be in the cards. And that's fine. The empty seats around me at some games are better company than those who sit there asking why a goal isn't worth 7 points and offering suggestions to "fix" the world's most popular and loved sport even when this is their first ever soccer game.