As soccer continues to grow in America, we are seeing more of a commitment to the sport on and off the field. One aspect of this is how the sport is covered by the media, and in an ever changing media world, the future of how the sport is reported is changing as new technologies push out traditional print journalism. I recently had a chance to sit down with Martin Rogers from Yahoo! Sports. Martin is a seasoned soccer journalist who came to the US around the same time that David Beckham did. Hit the jump for more from my conversation with Martin.

Thanks for taking the time to sit and chat with us. Can you tell everyone a little bit about yourself, your background and how you ended up at Yahoo! Sports?

No problem. I came over at the same time as David Beckham’s arrival. Yahoo! decided they wanted an English person to write about soccer upon Beckham’s arrival and they got in contact and I came over for a three month trial period. They wanted to see if they were happy with me and if I was comfortable with the lifestyle and the work environment I’ve been here ever since.  It’s been fantastic and interesting to see the growth of US Soccer in the initial time since I’ve been here, and I think that will only continue.

What are some changes that you have had to deal with in terms of covering the sport in a country like England where it is so popular and the way in which you cover it in the US?

It is very, very different from a number of angles. The journalism itself is different. In England I worked with the Daily Mirror, which is kind of a tabloid paper. It’s a much more aggressive style of journalism and a much different emphasis on things. It’s a much more combat approach to covering the sport. Over here, one of the big positives is the access you are able to get in terms of MLS players, US National team players, managers, etc. It’s very easy to get a hold of who you need to speak to. It helps you put together better stories. In England, it’s very restricted in terms of access to players, managers, coaches, etc. Typically they do one general press conference a week, and in terms of getting access to players you have to put in special requests and the answer is typically no. That was a frustrating element of covering the sport in England. I’ve found it very pleasant dealing with the PR people in MLS and they are much more helpful and open. I think they realize, as with most American sports, that the power the medial has to play in the growth and development of sports.

In terms of the popularity of the sport it can be frustrating. When you are a football writer in England you know you are covering a sport that is the number one sport and the overriding passion of so many English people. In the States it’s very different. It’s a challenge trying to get the sport to a greater level of interest and I think everyone plays a part in that. From the players and administrators to the soccer press.

You touched on the access that MLS players, clubs and coaches typically offer. People often talk about this access and how refreshing it is. How important do you find that in terms of growing the sport here?

I think it’s massively important. I think you really want to have a positive fan experience, and I think the fans get a lot from these players. It makes it easier to show the players in a greater capacity than just as players. Being able to show the players off the field is important. As soccer in America continues to get more popular, I think it’s something they have to focus on and continue to do. As MLS continues to grow, they need to make sure that they don’t become isolated from the fans, This has happened in England with the EPL players and their has been criticism about this. There has been a backlash about the amount of money that players are making, the price of tickets, the cost of cable packages and all that. A lot of fans feel that they don’t get a lot back from the players and that they are out of touch with the common fan. I think that’s a sad thing that has happened with English football and it is something that the American game would do very well to take heed to.

You mentioned the importance of showcasing the players as more than just what you see on the filed, but giving fans a glimpse into the players away from the field as well. The lifestyle element is something that we obviously focus on and  I think that highlighting a players personalities and allowing fans to have glimpses into who the players are is really important.

Definitely. That’s a really interesting point. If a player wants to be more visible and engage with the fans more, than it increases their marketability and it increases their image and potentially their popularity. And I think it’s a nice way for the fans to interact and for the fans to feel that they are getting more of an experience as a soccer fan than what they see for the 90 minutes during the game. I think MLS has done a pretty good job with this and something that they should continue to do. I have criticized MLS at times, but I feel that they have done a good job of this. I’m a journalist and I cover the game, but I want to hear about this side of players as well.

I also think that for the American audience it can be difficult for a non soccer fan to sit down and watch a game for 90 minutes because they are not accustomed to that. But these brief glimpses into players personalities can provide a nice platform to digest things a bit easier.

I absolutely think so. There are a lot of challenges that the American sports fan faces with soccer. With all of these other sports there are so many breaks and interruptions. With the NFL you have a three hour telecast but only 60 minutes of action. With soccer you don’t get that, so many American fans aren’t really used to that. I think the American fan is being converted to soccer and there might be some alterations that have to be made in this process. They might not always be comfortable with what they are seeing or what they are missing. I think anything that helps break down some of the natural barriers that people have towards the sport is a good thing.

When I first came over here I got so many emails saying people were bored because of the score line with soccer and there was resistance to the sport because of this. But I have seen that wane a bit since I have been over here. People seem to be getting into the sport. With the World Cup next year, show me a sports fan who can’t get excited about that!

Touching on the World Cup, I think that the US v England game couldn’t be happening at a better time for soccer in America. Since the group stages have been announced, it seems that this particular game has people really excited. How important do you think this particular fixture is for the continued growth of the sport here.

It’s massively important. In many ways it’s the perfect group. The US has two games that they can definitely win against Algeria and Slovenia. I think this is a great group for the US to continue building the game here. There are so many links between English soccer and American soccer. American players go to England to play in the Premier League. David Beckham came to the US to play. So many ex-Pats involved in coaching and administration in the game in the USA. I don’t think there is another game that would generate this kind of interest. It’s the first game of the group, it’s on a Saturday afternoon, it’s the second day of the World Cup and I believe it will be on network TV. It really is going to get the juices flowing. Six months out and I can’t wait for the game!

I think the closer we get to the tournament that the interest is only going to grow. And that’s a fantastic thing for soccer. This game is going to be the biggest sporting event in the US on that day. Despite it being in the middle of baseball season. Despite the NBA playoffs. I just think it’s fantastic. We’re already seeing huge interest on the site. We had fantastic response to the World Cup draw coverage. In terms of the actual journalism, our national columnist is going to be making his first appearance at a World Cup and I think that’s quite an important thing in itself for a senior writer from a site or newspaper to devote a couple of weeks of his year to covering this tournament when there is so much else going on in the other big US sports. This shows that soccer is on the map and its only going to continue to grow.

I’ve read some stuff coming out of the English press where they are completely looking past the group stages. What is your take away from this?

Certainly they see this as a very easy draw. The US doesn’t hold any fears for England. The Confederations Cup was broadcast in England, but because England wasn’t in it, a lot of English people never saw the Americans performances over there. All people in England really remember about this current US side is the timid and awful performance they put in at Wembley in May 2008 or whatever it was. Bob Bradley’s team really had nothing to offer that night and it was a really disappointing performance. I think people in England are already looking past this group stage and I think they consider that England will top this group. I think it’s a little bit dangerous thinking. I’m obviously English and I want England to do as well as anyone, but I think there are some tough matchups. Obviously the draw could have been a hold lot harder for the English. I think they will probably go through as group winners, but I don’t think it will be as easy as some people are suspecting.

I also feel that this is probably one of the few overall groups where every team feels they can advance from.

Definitely. You can’t write off Slovenia. They did very, very well in qualifying. They really put together a fantastic run towards the backend of the calendar and carried that momentum in to the playoffs. I think they are a real dark horse to look out for as the tournament advances. You can’t write off momentum in a World Cup, and Slovenia and Algeria both came through emotional, tense and tricky playoffs will really give them an extra boost going ion to the tournament. Having said that, I feel England and the US are the two toughest teams in the group. I think that anything other than qualification to the last 16 for the US has to be looked at as a failure.

I think this sort of outlook, where we expect our team to advance is new for many American soccer fans. Those expectations are great to have now.

That’s what you want isn’t it? It shows that your making progress. People are no longer happy to just see the US qualify for the World Cup and turn up and put in a couple of ok performances in defeat against better teams. People now want and expect for the team to go there and make some waves. I think the Confederations Cup had a big part to play in that. People saw that on the day, this team has the ability to beat the best teams in the world. I don’t think anyone in their right mind expect for the US to go and win the World Cup or make the finals. But people want to see this team perform to its potential, and its potential is big. This team has a big upside and if they get things together, then the team can match up with the best on their day. I think if the US makes it to the quarterfinals then that would be a fair representation of this team.

I’m going to change topics real quick as I really wanted to touch base with you on the Internet. Soccer in the US seems to be the perfect sport for the Internet. I think part of this  is because of the limited coverage that we as American fans had of the sport for so long and this led us to searching out information however we could find it. This caused our consumption of the sport to gravitate towards the Internet. With you now being at such a prominent Internet company, do you see this specifically with US soccer fans and is the Internet vital to the growth of the sport?

I definitely do. I think there are a couple of factors that contribute to this even more. The way that the newspaper industry is going, sadly continuing to dwindle over the last couple of years has something to do with that. No longer are major newspapers able to commit resources to sending journalists all over the country or the world to cover teams. I also think that the Internet is great for soccer fans as it allows that element of feedback where the readers can go back and forth with other people. That gets great response, especially with something like the World Cup. Everyone has their own opinion and everyone thinks they are right and I do think the Internet will be increasingly important. I was speaking with someone earlier today and they were talking about the number of Internet journalists that will be accredited for the World Cup and how it far outstrips what we’ve seen for any other World Cup. They told me they were surprised by just how much some of the bigger Internet companies are willing to invest in soccer. It’s a two way situation. I think Internet companies are good for soccer, and I think soccer is good for us. It certainly drives our audience and most specifically on the big events and big talking points. I hope it continues and I’m fairly certain that it will.

With the location of the 2010 World Cup being so far away for so many people, do you think the Internet might play an even more prominent role as this may be an even bigger conduit for people to connect with the tournament?

I think so. Some of the timing of games will be slightly awkward for people. You will get people following it during their work hours or trying to catch up on it when they get home for the day. I do think that the Internet is a great way for people to follow along to everything that is going on with the World Cup at all times. I think this is the kind of World Cup where very few of traditional print media can keep pace. These games are happening very close to deadlines for many newspaper reporters, so by the time their story gets printed, it might be many hours or even a day late. That’s why I think some of the American papers have scaled back from the people they are regularly sending to events like this. Conversely, Internet companies are beefing up their coverage.

Speaking of technology, the Thierry Henry handball has been such a huge talking point. I’ve talked with people about how current technology allows fans to see so many different angles of a play. Viral videos get shot around the Internet almost instantly and missed or wrong calls get dissected more so than ever before because of the technology that the viewer now has. Do you think that because fans have so much access to see missed calls and missed goals and what not, that FIFA and leagues around the world need to start looking into incorporating technology to making sure major calls aren’t missed?

I do, it’s just a tricky case of how you do it with interrupting the flow of the game. I’m not a huge fan of new technology coming into the sport that would change the game. But I think one thing that could work is if you only used the technology for something that led directly to a goal or penalty or led directly to a red card. These are game changing plays and big enough calls where it is worth perhaps stopping the game for a minute or two minutes to make sure the call was got right. I think anything other than that makes it difficult. I think double checking to see if the ball crossed the line is a valid time to take a second look. I don’t know if the Henry thing would be covered by that, although it did lead to a goal. I guess I would like to see the option for some of this in some form, but I think we have to be very careful of it going too far. I certainly wouldn’t want to see the kind of situation like they have in the NFL where the game is stopped for five minutes at a time multiple times throughout the game. I just think that slows the game down too much and you would turn off a lot of traditional soccer fans.

It’s certainly a slippery slope. I don’t know if there is an easy answer to this, but at the very least it’s an interesting conversation.

I definitely agree with you.

You mentioned that you came over at the same time as David Beckham, and it’s obviously been a few years since then. Can you talk a little bit about what you have seen from the sport and whether you believe soccer and MLS have grown or remained static.

I think a little bit of both. Some of the figures for MLS TV viewer ship haven’t been great and haven’t really reflected huge growth in the game. But I do sense a real sort of increased interest. I think some of the people who are turning in now are more of what might be considered a traditional kind of soccer fan. I think what we are seeing in places like Toronto and Seattle are really exciting and represent a more European or South American soccer viewing experience. I think that’s a very good thing. I also think that so many of the soccer fans I speak to are mainly fans of European soccer. There are so many English games or Spanish games, international matches on TV all the time. A lot of them seem to have more interest in these leagues than MLS. That’s obviously not a fantastic thing for MLS, but I think what’s most important is that the interest in the game continues to grow and this will help to have a more positive future for American soccer ahead of us.

The amount of soccer that is on TV now is incredible. I guess the main point is that people in the US are watching games, regardless of what league that may be, although getting them to watch MLS games is hugely important. Hopefully at some point there is a trickle down effect where some of these people who are watching foreign leagues might end up watching MLS games because the interest in the game is already there. At least I hope that’s the case.

I really do think that. I think that’s something that’s going to take time, but I believe that there is an ongoing process of reform, and I think MLS will have a central part of this. It may take five or ten years, but I think it is going to happen. It is inevitable that there is a tipping point and that is already being reached. Things aren’t going to go back to the bad days of post NASL when soccer died.

I agree. I think the future looks bright. Going back to Yahoo!, are there any specific initiatives that you guys have planned for the World Cup that people can look forward to?

We’re going to have a nine man team out there, which includes a five man video crew. We’re going to have more and better coverage than we have ever had for this kind of event. The numbers we had for the Olympic games were off the charts. More page views than any website has ever had for a major event and we are expecting the same for the World Cup. It has already started with the draw and it’s already exceeding all of our expectations. I’ll be out there along with Dan Wetzel who will also be doing some human interest stuff. The video stuff is a really interesting component, We’re going to be out and about in South Africa. At training grounds, on the streets with fans. It’s a lot of things that traditional newspapers are unable to do. We’ll have updated stories regularly and we’ll be giving US fans a 24/7 World Cup experience.

I think that’s great, especially the video content. And the inclusion of human interest stories and the cultural things taking place in South Africa should be great. More telling for me is that a company like Yahoo! is investing the time, resources and energy to send nine people to the World Cup to cover the event. I think if you are looking for an indicator of how soccer is doing and how it translates to the online world, that is a huge indicator.

Yeah! It really boils down to money, and for us clicks equal money. If people are interested enough and are going to devote their time into what we are doing, then we are going to invest the resources and give it back. This is a big enough event and soccer is now big enough in the US that it will generate the kind of audience we want and need to justify the expenditure. I think it’s great and I’m already looking forward to 2014. We have nine people going to 2010, so what will the coverage look like in 2014.

Absolutely! Ill end this by asking what your thoughts are in terms of the continued development for the sport going forward in the US?

I think its going to be more of the same. More steady growth. The good thing MLS is doing is they are getting the right markets and right ownership groups and there are people dedicated to investing in the sport. They are finding these parts of the country where there is enough hard core support. I think it just has to be a steady process. I think they need to increase the salary cap and get rid of some of the embarrassingly low wages. I think we will see more people continuing to tune in to MLS and foreign leagues. If the US national team can go and give a great performance then that will really kick things off. Who knows, this time next year we could be talking about a successful US hosting World Cup bid. I think if the US gets the rights to 2018 or 2022, then that could take things to a whole new stratosphere. It went from nothing before 1994 to what we have today, so imagine what a World Cup could do coming from this kind of platform we now have.

I agree. Lots of exciting times ahead! I’m looking forward to seeing where its all headed. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat.

Anytime mate, I really enjoyed it.