. . . . . . The Daily Soccer . . . . . .

With the World Cup less than a month away, the fever pitch is growing every day for soccer lovers. But inside this bubble, it's hard to gauge if soccer is making a dent into the casual sports fan's brain. The quick answer is, "no, the average sports fan will rarely care about soccer, and will only turn up at an MLS game if a friend promises free hot dogs or beer." But there are some encouraging signs that soccer may start slowly moving up the sports ladder...

Better Promotion: Many a great/cynical mind has said it all begins and ends with marketing. And, finally, the soccer world is starting to benefit from better advertising. Anyone who has seen the recent Gatorade "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" ad or the FIFA/Bono/U2 "Every Four Years a Round Ball Does What Politicians Can Never Do" spot knows that these 30 second testimonials to the beautiful game are not done on the cheap and likely leave the viewer with a positive impression of soccer.

Better Attendance: Season ticket sales are up for MLS. While this only means a few more people will see MLS games, it does show that the league is growing, instead of shrinking. Before the last World Cup, MLS was faced with contracting the South Florida teams to put them out of their misery.

Better Play: Next year, there could be over a dozen U.S. born players that ply their trade in the English Premiership. While our best players continue to go overseas, they eventually do return and are bound to be better for the experience. Even young players who don't "make it" in a top-flight overseas league (Kenny Cooper of FC Dallas, for example) are now returning to MLS as they see the league as a viable option to playing in a second-tier European league. Does the average fan care if play is a bit better? Probably not. But every bit counts.

Better Finances: With adidas, Nike, RedBull and many others continuing to pour significant money into soccer in the U.S., they are proving that there is money to be made. But the real test lies with RedBull. They are banking on a single MLS team and it will be a bit scary to watch and see if they can turn a profit in the Big Apple. How long will they endure losses? Will they see a positive spillover effect into their core business?

Better Ambiance: I've said it many times before, but the Soccer Specific Stadiums (built for concerts as well) are a huge improvement over NFL style stadia. Their impact cannot be underestimated. Not only does the game improve for those in attendance, but more importantly, it looks better for those watching at home. And that's where the real advertising dollars lie.

World Cup Independent: MLS commissioner Don Garber likes to posit the theory that MLS is not dependent on a good run for the U.S. in this World Cup. I would actually tend to agree. But we can't stink it up and if we do well, it will have a significant impact back home. Fans might learn players names. And some of those players likely will be coming to an MLS city near you later this summer.

The soccer world is growing in the country. How much is up for debate. And soccer is still far down the ladder behind the NFL, MLB and the rest. But we're definitley not going away. Not by a long shot. (Bostrom)