The vast majority of questions and concerns over the past month in the American soccer viewing world have nearly all been centered on the availability of Fox Soccer Channel in High Definition. With today’s reported release of Fox Soccer Channel in HD on Dish Network, soccer fans in America are either fuming or cheering, depending on who your cable/satellite provider is.

So, while most of us are hating all you Dish subscribers right about now, what’s a soccer fan in America to do? Here’s my advice. I’d love to hear yours!

Chill out (but not too much!). Just because Dish has FSC in HD today doesn’t mean DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, etc. won’t have it sometime soon. It also doesn’t mean that they will have it soon, if at all. Personally, I have DirecTV and since they sponsor just about everything on FSC, and since they seem to hate Dish, I’m expecting it to be showing up in my living room in HD sometime before the next EPL season starts.

Contact someone at your service provider. However, don’t expect them to give you too much information. Customer Service Representatives (CSR’s) cannot and will not give you information on HD channels that may or may not get released “in the future.” They’re going to give you some standard response about how they “have no plans to offer FSC in HD at this time but we are constantly updating our HD lineup to make viewers like you happy.” And don’t forget the “check our website at www.yourproviderhere.com/hd for updated information.” Or the best one: “I have forwarded your comments along to our Programming Department for review.” These types of responses are borderline hilarious, and to be expected, but that doesn’t mean you can’t call or email 47 times each day and annoy the crap out of these people. All I’m saying is that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Use logic. Okay follow me here, Fox Soccer Match Day is “presented” by DirecTV. DirecTV shows UEFA Champions League AND Europa League in HD on dedicated HD channels every match day. DirecTV hates Dish Network, obviously. As of today, everybody on Dish is watching FSC in HD (still “presented” by DirecTV). Do you really think DirecTV won’t be offering this channel in HD at some point in the future? I think we’ll be fine.

Use logic again. I know, I know; all you cable people are saying “but I will never get FSC in HD because I have cable and my provider sucks.” Yes, you may be somewhat correct based on your past experiences but there is hope! Time Warner (just an example) offers multiple channels in HD that DirecTV doesn’t (or that DirecTV doesn’t offer at all, like Versus). Call your cable provider and complain or just switch (if you can!).

Don’t rush to judgment. If you are calling up Dish Network right now just so you can get FSC in HD, hang up the phone. Set a reasonable goal for getting FSC in HD on your provider. My personal goal is August 1, 2010. That’s just before the start of the 2010-2011 Premier League campaign. Yes, it will suck if I don’t have it between now and then but the season is coming to an end and ESPN/ABC will be carrying every World Cup match in HD (and possibly 3D) this summer. I’ll make it until then. But after that, all bets are off.

Now, if we could just get some info on Fox Soccer Plus!