Soccer: New dawn for soccer in the USA

SEOUL - After beating Mexico to go further at the cup than any American team since 1930, the United States hope they can conquer an even tougher opponent - their country's indifference to soccer.

In a country where soccer is pipped in popularity by almost every other sport, this tournament has also had to battle time zones and major tournaments in basketball, ice hockey and golf.

But the American team who upset Mexico 2-0 on Monday night to advance to a quarter-final against Germany say a new day may be dawning.

"Everybody I'm speaking to - I know they're biased opinions because they're my friends - said they haven't seen coverage like this, even when it was in the States," goalkeeper Brad Friedel said.

The United States hosted the finals in 1994. At the last cup in 1998, they lost all three matches and looked out of their depth.

Landon Donovan, man-of-the-match against Mexico after scoring his team's second goal, said increasing interest in his homeland was "absolutely critical" for the future of soccer in America.

"If nobody cares about us, we're not going to grow," he said.

"If we beat a team like Germany, it will do more to open people's eyes to us."

- REUTERS

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