⚽ Soccer or football? Let's settle this debate

It's not an American thing. As a word, "soccer" is as English as a pint of warm ale. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The debate over the proper use of the terms soccer and football continues to rage. But there’s a clear answer in history … Have the Packers turned things around after their rocky stretch? … and more! The last time England met the United States in the World Cup, the ingenious types at The Sun, Britain’s largest tabloid newspaper, quickly got their minds together for a suitably jingoistic headline. "Here’s hopin’ that England United Shoot Some Totally Awesome Strikes Past The Goaltender In the Soccerball World Series today," the paper screamed from its front page, back in summer of 2010, ahead of a 1-1 draw between the teams in South Africa. It was tongue-in-cheek, of course, but the underlying implication was clear. Silly old Americans, they don’t even call the sport by its proper name. It’s not soccer, say the English. It is football. To most of the rest of the world, the activity that will transfix millions when it is beamed from Qatar over the next month is, indeed, football. In this country, obviously, it is soccer, a convention largely necessitated because what we call football is that game where Tom Brady never gets old, Justin Jefferson makes ridiculous catches, and colleges have stadiums bigger than the population of their town. And where, if it’s a fall Friday, the high school lights are always on. How it came to pass that soccer became embedded in the sporting lexicon actually has some pretty intriguing history behind it, and we will get into all that, but first let’s take note of the reality that the "soccer or football" debate is one that causes the American soccer diehard to dive for the aspirin. As The Sun headline indicated, the fact that we call the game something different is taken by some snooty Brits as proof that the U.S. has an inferior culture when it comes to the beautiful game. "It’s nonsense," said Clive Toye, a former British journalist-turned-executive who had a pioneering role in setting up the North American Soccer League (including Pele and other world stars) five decades ago, when I phoned him last week. "It is quite infuriating. Young people in England think soccer is that American term and that football is the only thing they’ve ever called it in England. But they couldn’t be more wrong. Set them straight, would you?" Delighted to do so, Clive, and here comes the rub. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - The Vikings are for real and Justin Jefferson is putting together an award-worthy season. Plus [are the Packers back]( Carmen Vitali has the answers. - With a shake up near the top of the rankings, [where do the Bills land]( How high do the Dolphins go? Bucky Brooks ranks the league after Week 10. - Team unity has underpinned the [modern history of the USMNT](. Doug McIntyre breaks down how Gregg Berhalter got it back. - With [Clayton Kershaw expected back]( in the fold, the Dodgers now turn their attention to adding more depth to the rotation, Rowan Kavner writes. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Memphis Grizzlies at New Orleans Pelicans (TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET) Ja Morant and the Grizzlies head to New Orleans to take on Brandon Ingram and the high-flying Pelicans. No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks (ESPN, 9:30 p.m. ET) The defending national champion Jayhawks welcome the Duke Blue Devils to Allen Fieldhouse in a battle of unbeaten teams. Brooklyn Nets at Sacramento Kings (TNT, 10 p.m. ET) Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets travel out west to battle De’Aaron Fox and the high-scoring Sacramento Kings. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( No. 7 USC Trojans at No. 16 UCLA Bruins: UCLA Bruins (-105) to win outright From FOX Sports Analyst Geoff Schwartz: This will be the biggest game in this rivalry since 2005 when both teams were ranked in the top 11 with a title game berth on the line for the Trojans. Similar to 2005, the Trojans could potentially be playing for a national championship; USC is ranked in the top six and needs to win out for a chance at a CFP berth. After an embarrassing loss to Arizona on Saturday, UCLA still has plenty to play for in this Victory Bell game. A win by the Bruins knocks their rival out of the playoff discussion while propelling the Bruins one game closer to a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance. The Bruins have not played in a Rose Bowl since 1998. You need to excuse the Bruins' performance on Saturday against Arizona when I discuss this game. It was an embarrassing loss and reeked of a team looking ahead to USC. Yes, it was disappointing, but it doesn’t have much weight on this weekend. UCLA will play to its full potential, and a Bruin team that does that is a Bruin team that will cover against 'SC. These teams are remarkably similar. USC’s offense ranks second in points per drive, while UCLA’s offense is sixth. USC’s defense ranks 88th in points per drive, and UCLA’s defense is 91st. The big difference in this game will be UCLA’s defense. The Bruins do not allow big plays, but USC allows very quick scores. UCLA’s defense ranks second at limited offensive plays over 20 yards, and its general explosive play rate on defense ranks 42nd. Meanwhile, USC is 112th in explosive play rate and 101st in plays allowed over 20 yards. Because of this difference, I see UCLA winning this game. If the Bruins can force a few field goals or turnovers on downs, their rushing attack will control this matchup. USC has seven conference wins against teams with a combined 14 wins in conference play. UCLA has beaten Utah and Washington in the Rose Bowl. Blue and gold is ready for this cross-town battle. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2022 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. 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