This is 99% invisible. I'm Roman Mars.

The most popular sport in the world has been relatively slow to catch on here in the United States.

There's this episode of The Simpsons that I think captures the disdain with which some Americans regard

the rest of humanity's favorite game. It starts with the family watching TV.

Open wide for some soccer!

The Caminetto Soccer Association is coming to Springfield. It's all here. Fast kickin, low scortin,

and ties. You bet.

Hey Dad, how come you never taken us to see a soccer game?

I don't know. So The Simpsons decide to go to the game and the stands are packed.

But the fans' enthusiasm quickly evaporates as the game gets going.

Halfback passes to the center. Back to the wing. Back to the center. Center holds it.

Holds it.

I think it's fair to say that Homer and crusty the clown are echoing a common complaint about soccer

that you hear in the United States a lot. That it's not exciting enough.

They don't score enough points to let these narrow-minded touchdown lovers.

I completely disagree with this perspective, but even I have to admit that soccer can be a low

scoring affair. Professional teams routinely win games one to nothing, or worse yet,

battle for 90 minutes and settle for a zero-zero draw. But whatever your feelings about the

relative excitement of the beautiful game, soccer was undoubtedly more boring 30 years ago.

The world was in general agreement that the game was too slow, and it needs to be made more dynamic.

This is soccer writer, or football writer, Adam Hurrey, and Adam says that the main culprit

slowing the game down was the goalkeeper. So the goalkeeper became very useful in controlling

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