Soccer in the States

Soccer in the United States is no longer just a sport you signed your kids up to do on a Saturday morning when the seasons of the year was good. Right now everyone is taking notice of the popularity of the World Cup being held in Russia. Soccer fans call it a beautiful game. Nowadays you don’t have to travel far to witness the excitement from the fans at these competitions. Media brings it all right to our homes. It is clear that the soccer fan is the most excitable fan in the world over a game. The excitement isn’t just in South America or Europe. The contagious energy has spilled over to America. American soccer fans are glued to these games joining fans around the world. Somehow sports unites the world as seen in this past year’s Winter Olympics.

A billion people are expected to view the finals of the World Cup in Russia today. That is ten times the viewers who watched the Super Bowl in America. America has finally joined that party. Here in America only baseball and basketball attract more kids to play a sport than soccer. The professional soccer league in America is up in interest over 60% over the past 20 years. Yet soccer in this country has a long history of false starts. But starting with the 1994 Men’s World Cup interest increased when 9 different cities in America hosted the games. In 1999 the United States hosted the Women’s World Cup to sold out games everywhere. Who can forget Brandi Chastain’s   gender bending moment when she took off her tee shirt to reveal her sports bra in her happiness after scoring an important goal?

Here we are now nearly two decades later and the number of girls playing soccer has soared nearly 50%. So, soccer’s future is set here in America. It is undeniable that media is the key to increased interest in any sport. When the National Football League broadcasted all the games on television everyone was watching. Now we have to give credit to the internet that provides us with soccer games being shared from all over the world in real time right on our cell phones that we carry with us everywhere we go. Highlights of stunning goals are being shared on the internet in a way that couldn’t have happened in the past ten years. The emergence of social media on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and You Tube brings the most exciting plays instantly to our finger tips. Soccer is a dominant sport now because it is a global sport.

Soccer video games is now even a competitive sport within itself. Teams and fans are connected from every inch of the globe. There is so much excitement in America meanwhile the States didn’t even have a National Team to root for in this year’s World Cup Competition.  Okay well then maybe it is just another excuse to enjoy beer, wings and chips while getting excited over a game. The ritual of enjoyment over a game is very American.

Somehow the United States squad failed to qualify in this year’s World Cup competition yet the cheering momentum never stopped. In 2026 the World Cup will be very American because America has been named to co-host the Competition and with that honor along with Canada and Mexico, an American team is guaranteed to compete with automatic entry into the Competition. So. America kick that ball get that goal and be ready for this country to explode with home grown pride in 2026.