World Striker: The Soccer Manifesto

Welcome to World Striker, New York's first multilingual newspaper.

Our newspaper’s release coincides with what is possibly the greatest wave of soccer interest this country has ever seen. Some claim that soccer is finally arriving, while others believe that it is already here. I would argue that it is already here. As ESPN’s Tommy Smyth told me, soccer “is everywhere,” and that all one has to do, is “look around.”

            

Soccer is here. The problem is – at least in New York City - that our soccer culture is concealed, hidden behind television and computer screens, clustered in neighborhoods that are, for the most part, disconnected from each other. There are only a few hubs where fans of all different backgrounds congregate to watch games, and enjoy the game that manages to bring the world together every four years, during the world cup.

           

It was exactly last year’s world cup that proved that there is indeed an enormous fan base in this country, and that it is hungry for a more overt soccer culture. Fans want and need to see each other, in order to celebrate, debate, and commiserate about the beautiful game. World Striker aims to support these fans, and ultimately help the sport to grow even further.

Of course, there are those who will tell you that a newspaper like ours cannot survive in an age where the Internet has all but rendered print obsolete. Perhaps they are right. But while the Internet is a wonderful tool that supplies us with soccer information at the click of a button, it robs us of a community of fans that is essential to making soccer a part of our mainstream.

I can’t think of a better time to be a soccer fan than now. In FC Barcelona we are witnessing a team that is quite possibly the best ever; Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are waging a two-man battle that could propel them to the level of Pele and Maradona; the Cosmos are fashioning the most unlikely of comebacks; and the MLS is expanding to cater to an ever-growing audience.

World Striker will cover these stories, and many more. We will offer analysis ranging from the world’s best leagues, to local youth events, and we will spotlight the sport’s biggest stars, as well as the city’s emerging talent. We also want you, our readers, to contribute to our publication by submitting letters expressing your views on the issues we cover.

We hope that you will join us on this adventure, and look forward to your readership.