Fireworks exploded all over Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, car horns blared non-stop throughout the neighborhood and people were running through the streets.

Italy had just netted the final penalty kick to seal the 2006 World Cup title, and the Italian neighborhood was euphoric.

It was unlike any passion I’d ever seen for a U.S. national team.

But the celebration only lasted so long.

Now the competition of international soccer is on a long vacation, sending American soccer fans that only come out every four years back into hibernation and leaving the true fans with the MLS-which is like taking a man’s Blue Moon and handing him a Keystone Light.

Yeah, it’s still soccer, but is it as satisfying?

Some options exist to quench one’s thirst for world-class soccer, one being the Fox Soccer Channel. But the channel broadcasts the best games during the middle of the day because we’re a time zone behind good soccer-literally and figuratively.

The American game is criticized and disrespected by many in the international soccer community for knocking long balls for players to run under (nicknamed the ‘boom ball’) instead of playing a creative team game like many of the European and South American teams.

I figured since I miss most of the games on FSC, I’d attend a Syracuse soccer game to see if it filled the soccer void in my heart. On a wet and cold night last Wednesday I went to see the Orange take on Binghamton.

As I walked into Syracuse Soccer Stadium-horribly named, even naming it the Juice Box would be better-something caught my eyes: the level of play. It peaked at the end of the game when SU’s Richard Asante launched a 35-yarder into the upper corner of the net-a highlight reel goal.

I played high school soccer and know the game well but was not expecting such solid footwork and creativity. I was even more surprised when I found out the team on the field wasn’t the normal starting 11.

Even though the team tired toward the end and didn’t always play the smart ball, it still played soccer the right way. It knocked the ball around with short passes, went on good runs into space, communicated and showed outstanding skills. Despite the team’s current 4-5 record, I was impressed.

Syracuse isn’t better than an MLS team, but being able to walk down the street and see soccer played the right way was satisfying.

Scott Fiello, head coach of Henninger High School boy’s soccer team, brings his squad to each game to watch the Orange.

‘I think Syracuse plays a very nice game,’ Fiello said. ‘They move the ball in the back well. It’s nice seeing the whole team playing together.’

Wednesday’s game showed the advancement of soccer in the United States. The men’s national team qualified for the World Cup the past five tournaments after having a 40-year drought. The women’s team has fared better, winning Olympic gold in 2004. But despite the development, the game hasn’t been accepted by the American masses like it has across the world. It almost succeeded with the North American Soccer League in the late ’70s and early ’80s, but it turned out to be just a fad.

Some countries during the Cup reduced most of their power consumption so citizens could have enough to watch their nation’s game. In America, you’d look twice after seeing a car with a U.S. flag hanging off it.

This gap of acceptance was blatantly evident during this year’s Cup. While there was an increase of American fans, more attention was paid to how to spice the game up to suit the American public. We need fast paced scoring, tackling and points lighting up a scoreboard each minute. Most of us are horribly impatient, and that’s keeping us from enjoying a game the rest of the world has fallen in love with.

‘We’re too lazy to watch soccer,’ Fiello said. ‘If people had more knowledge, they’d appreciate it.’

Justin Van Houten, a junior who was on the SU team last year but is not playing this year to focus on his studies, agrees that soccer doesn’t get enough attention.

‘People don’t really respect soccer,’ Van Houten said. ‘It’s so much more than kicking and running. Once you play the game you understand.’

Thankfully, more people are playing. The U.S. Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million registered youth players between 5 and 19 years old. With more kids involved, the younger generation should have not only increased skills but an appreciation and respect for the game.

But for those who are a little too old to suit up for USYSA, don’t wait another four years to appreciate soccer again. While the MLS needs to do a better job of signing popular players (as they have started by trying to lure Ronaldo), you should still come to a SU game or watch a match on Fox Soccer Channel.

‘It’s a beautiful game, one goal means so much,’ Fiello said. ‘It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Everyone else in the world loves the game, what does that say about us? Maybe we’re a little too impatient.’

We’ve been missing out.