Is Anyone Watching the World Cup?

Where are all the Livingston soccer fans hiding?

Team USA's impressive World Cup run in South Africa, and the fact that one of the star players, Jozy Altidore, was born in Livingston, doesn't seem to be enough to inspire locals to jump on the soccer bandwagon.

If it is, they must be watching in the comfort of home or in other towns.

"We had about 20 people in here for [Wednesday's] USA game," says "Ozzie," the owner of the Landmark in town. That's nothing compared to a typical football crowd. When Team USA isn't playing, no one is paying attention to the games.

He added that the crowd has increased with each USA game, but it is tough because many of the games are during the workday.

"The group on Wednesday was a bunch of young guys, who really knew their soccer. Some of them had played in college," he said.

Aside from former soccer players, he isn't convinced Americans love soccer. Personally, he compared the sport to "watching paint dry."

"I can appreciate it on this level, but otherwise, it's so boring!" he said with a chuckle.

Tony Giorgano of Pizzeta Enotecca agrees.

"There are so many sports in the U.S., soccer just isn't as popular as in other countries," he said. He added that no one has been coming out to watch the games. Neither establishment is offering World Cup specials, as many bars across the country have been doing throughout the month-long Cup.

Perhaps the fan base will increase now that the young U.S. squad has advanced to the elimination round, which starts Saturday.  They are back in the the round of 16 for the first time since 2002, after failing to advance in 2006. In the '02 World Cup, they made it to the quaterfinal round. The best U.S. finish was in 1930, when the team finished third in the inaugural World Cup.

Danielle Elliot recently returned home after atttending the World Cup in South Africa.