The Growth of Soccer in the US

Soccer in the United States has become a great deal. Having been overpowered by American football, basketball, baseball, golf, and hockey for a long time, soccer is finally getting its well-deserved shot at being a major sport in the US. The growth of soccer in USA is starting to become a big thing.

The game of soccer has come a long way in US. The Oneidas of Boston, is the first ever soccer club in the US. It was founded by Gerritt Miller Smith in 1862. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was formed in 1904, and just a year later on April 1, 1905, Haverford College and Harvard University engaged in the first modern-day intercollegiate soccer match.

In 1921, the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) was founded just in time to help talented, young American players train for the 1930 World Cup. The US came in 3rd place in the 1930 World Cup.

In 1950, Joe Gaetjens scored the goal that led the US to a 1-0 win over England in the World Cup in Brazil. This is widely known as the biggest upset in soccer history, although there have been many notable underdog stories in the past years, that was one of the greatest. In 1961, The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), the governing body of soccer in the Americas, was recognized by FIFA. This was the catalyst that teams like the United States, Mexico, and other countries in Northern and Central America needed to become contenders on the world stage.

America hosted the 1994 World Cup which was the most successful World Cup tournament in history. Over 3.5 million attended matches, breaking the record of attendees by over 1 million previously held by Italy just 4 years prior. The US made it out of the group stage for the first time in 64 years only to lose their round-of-16 match to eventual champions Brazil. In Ontario, California, a 12 year old named Landon Donovan was watching and dreaming of the future.

In 2002, the US shocked the World, making it to the World Cup quarter finals before losing to Germany. They beat Portugal 3-2 along the way and put a beatdown on Mexico in their round-of-16 matchup.

The most recent history of the US soccer you may already know. In the last two World Cups, the US has made it out of extremely difficult groups with the help of players like previously mentioned Landon, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Michael Beasley, Jozy Altidore, and a host of other talented players.

Where will the US go from here? Nobody can really tell, but with the talent we have in our youth system in Major League Soccer as well as top leagues around the world, the future of the growth of soccer in the US is bright.