Soccer in the United States
Encyclopedia
Football (word)
The English language word football may mean any one of several team sports , depending on the national or regional origin and location of the person using the word....
and Names for association football#North America for more detailed explanations of the differing names for soccer. has long been a popular sport in the United States. As a spectator sport it is overshadowed and not considered by many to be among the "big four" major-league team sports.
Overview
Professional association football has been less popular in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
than most other parts of the world. Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, the United States' professional first-division league, is not, in general, as well-attended as the major leagues of American football
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. But a recent review of attendance shows that Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
is enjoying higher per game attendance than basketball
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and ice hockey
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Although MLS is also much younger than most other countries' first divisions, and has 18 teams in 2011, it is already the 12th most-attended premier division in the entire world. In 2006 MLS broke its all-time record for attendance at a regular-season match, which saw 92,650 spectators fill the Los Angeles Coliseum on a Sunday in August; although that claim is somewhat misattributed to the MLS game as it was one of two games played that night, the second being a match between two power-houses of the Spanish speaking world: Spain's Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and Mexico's Guadalajara
C.D. Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara , is a Mexican professional football club based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Guadalajara plays in the Primera División de México and is the most successful club in Mexican football, having won 11 First Division titles, 7 Campeón de Campeones and 2 Copa México...
. On August 1, 2009, a friendly match between the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
and Barcelona at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
, drew a crowd of 93,137 fans. The last time a soccer match drew that many people in the United States was during the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
.
Since 2007, with the arrival of international superstars such as David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, and the Mexican idol Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
Cuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo is a Mexican professional footballer currently signed for Irapuato in the Mexican Liga de Ascenso.Known for his aggressive yet charismatic personality on the field, playing most of his career as a deep-lying forward and his last years as an attacking midfielder...
, attendance records for specific MLS teams and stadiums continue to rise. Additionally, the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
and Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
national teams have been playing in front of crowds in excess of 60,000 in the U.S. in recent years. Television viewership of club and international soccer in the U.S. is at an all-time high, with major sports networks regularly covering games in some fashion and several other channels dedicated mostly or entirely to the rules the club used, and it broke up within the space of a few years. According to Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
, the club is often credited with inventing the "Boston Game", which both allowed players to kick a round ball along the ground, and to pick it up and run with it. The first U.S. match
1869 college football season
The 1869 college football season was the first season of intercollegiate football. It is considered the inaugural college football season, and consisted of only two total games, both of which occurred between the and ; The first was played on November 6 at Rutgers' campus, and the second was...
known to have been inspired by FA rules was a game between Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
on November 6, 1869, which was won by Rutgers 6-4. The FA rules were followed in the Princeton-Rutgers contest: participants were only allowed to kick the ball and each side had 25 players. Other colleges emulated this development, but all of these were converted to rugby by the mid-1870s and would soon become famous as early bastions of American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
American Football Association
American Football Association was the first attempt in the United States to form an organizing soccer body. It is best known for being the second oldest sports league to form, behind Major League Baseball in 1876, as well as being the oldest soccer league in the United States. The Association was...
(AFA) was incarnated. The AFA sought to standardize rules for the local soccer teams based in the Northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, particularly in northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and southern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state. By 1886, the AFA had spread in influence into Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. With the creation, the AFA created the first non-league cup in American soccer history, known as the American Cup
American Cup
The American Cup was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually declined in importance with the establishment of the National Challenge Cup...
. For the first dozen years, clubs from New Jersey and Massachusetts dominated the competition. The tournament set a foundation for a new, rival association to rival the AFA, known as the American Amateur Football Association (AAFA). Founded in October 1911, the association began creating its own soccer tournament, known as the American Amateur Football Association Cup
American Amateur Football Association Cup
The American Amateur Football Association Cup was an American soccer competition open to amateur teams affiliated with the American Amateur Football Association . It played only two years, 1912 and 1913 before being superseded by the National Challenge Cup, now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S...
, and in 1913, both the AAFA and AFA applied for membership in FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the international governing body for soccer.
Within a year of its founding, the AFA organized the first non-league cup in U.S. soccer history, known as the American Cup
American Cup
The American Cup was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually declined in importance with the establishment of the National Challenge Cup...
. Clubs from New Jersey and Massachusetts dominated the first twelve years. It would not be until 1897 that a club from outside those two states won the American Cup
American Cup
The American Cup was the first major U.S. soccer competition open to teams beyond a single league. It was first held in 1885. In the 1910s, it gradually declined in importance with the establishment of the National Challenge Cup...
. Philadelphia Manz brought the title to Pennsylvania for the first time. Due to internal conflicts within the AFA, the cup was suspended in 1899, and it was not resumed until 1906. The conflicts within the AFA led to a movement to create a truly national body to oversee American soccer. Drawing on both its position as the oldest soccer organization and the status of the American Cup, the AFA argued that it should be the nationally recognized body.
Early soccer leagues in the U.S. mostly used the name "football," for example: the American Football Association
American Football Association
American Football Association was the first attempt in the United States to form an organizing soccer body. It is best known for being the second oldest sports league to form, behind Major League Baseball in 1876, as well as being the oldest soccer league in the United States. The Association was...
(founded in 1884), the American Amateur Football Association (1893), the American League of Professional Football
American League of Professional Football
American League of Professional Football was the first professional soccer league in the United States, existing for one season in 1894. It was also one of the earliest professional leagues in the world...
(1894), the National Association Foot Ball League (1895), and the Southern New England Football League (1914).
In October 1911, a competing body, the American Amateur Football Association (AAFA) was created. The association quickly spread outside of the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and created its own cup in 1912, the American Amateur Football Association Cup
American Amateur Football Association Cup
The American Amateur Football Association Cup was an American soccer competition open to amateur teams affiliated with the American Amateur Football Association . It played only two years, 1912 and 1913 before being superseded by the National Challenge Cup, now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S...
. In 1913, both the AFA and AAFA applied for membership in FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the international governing body for soccer. Later that year, the AAFA gained an edge over the AFA when several AFA organizations moved to the AAFA. On April 5, 1913, the AAFA reorganized as the United States Football Association (USFA), presently known as the United States Soccer Federation
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
. FIFA quickly granted a provisional membership and USFA began exerting its influence on the sport. This led to the establishment of the National Challenge Cup that fall. The National Challenge Cup quickly grew to overshadow the American Cup. However, both cups were played simultaneously for the next ten years. Declining respect for the AFA led to the withdrawal of several associations from its cup in 1917. Further competition came in 1924 when USFA created the National Amateur Cup
National Amateur Cup
The National Amateur Cup is an American soccer competition open to all amateur teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation...
. That spelled the death knell for the American Cup. It played its last season in 1924.
Common confusion between the terms "American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
" and "association football" eventually led to a more domestic widespread use of the term "soccer" to regard association football. Originally seen as a British slang term for "association football", the use of "soccer" began appearing in the late 1910s and early 1920s. A noticeable example was the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
(ASL), which formed in 1919. The governing body of the sport in the U.S. did not have the word soccer in its name until 1945, when it became the United States Soccer Football Association. It did not drop the word football from its name until 1974, when it became the United States Soccer Federation, often going simply as U.S. Soccer.
During the days of the ASL, the league was seen as widely popular, and considered to be the second most popular sports league in the United States, only behind Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. However, internal debates between the USFA and ASL led to a known "soccer war" and the demise of both the league and the sport in the United States, entering a prolonged time of obscurity.
What is now the United States Soccer Federation
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
was originally the United States Football Association, formed on April 5, 1913.
Two more soccer leagues were started in 1967, the United Soccer Association
United Soccer Association
The United Soccer Association is a former professional soccer league featuring teams from the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American Soccer League. All the teams in the league were imported...
and the National Professional Soccer League
National Professional Soccer League (1967)
The National Professional Soccer League was a North American professional soccer league that existed for only the 1967 season before merging with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. It had ten charter members, nine from the United States and one from Canada...
. These merged to form the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in 1968, which survived until 1984. The NASL also ran an indoor league in the latter years. Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
was a great success in the 1980s and 1990s, in part due to the effort of the NASL. When the NASL (both outdoor and indoor) folded, other leagues, including the Major Indoor Soccer League stepped in to meet the demand. Twenty-five years hence, the latest version of the MISL
Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008)
The Major Indoor Soccer League was the top professional indoor soccer league in the USA. The league was a member of both the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA. The MISL had replaced the NPSL which folded in 2001. According to MISL.net, the league has ceased operations as of May 31, 2008...
folded, and was replaced by the National Indoor Soccer League
National Indoor Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League , formerly known as the National Indoor Soccer League, is an indoor soccer league which began play in 2008. It is the third league to be known as the Major Indoor Soccer League...
, the Professional Arena Soccer League
Professional Arena Soccer League
The Professional Arena Soccer League is an North American indoor soccer league recognized by FIFRA ....
, and the Xtreme Soccer League
Xtreme Soccer League
The Xtreme Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season--- the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and New Jersey Ironmen...
.
By Kelvin O.
Soccer in the United States today
Interest in soccer within the United States has grown rapidly starting in the 1990s. This has been attributed to the fact that the 1994 FIFA World Cup1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
was played in the United States, the first time the event was held in the U.S. This won the sport more attention from both the media and casual sports fans. As part of the United States' bid to host the World Cup in 1994, U.S. Soccer pledged to create a professional outdoor league for the first time since the collapse of the NASL a decade earlier. That effort culminated in the launch of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
in 1996, which helped develop American players in a way that was not possible without a domestic league. Many of these players competed in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, where the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
did surprisingly well, finishing in the quarterfinals by beating archrivals Mexico
Mexico national football team
The Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
in the Round of 16 and narrowly losing to eventual runners-up Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the quarterfinals.
Unlike in most soccer playing nations, the growth of the women's game in the U.S.A. has helped increase overall interest in soccer in the United States. Both the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
FIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
s were held in the United States, and the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
has emerged as one of the best national teams in the world. They are currently ranked first in the FIFA Women's World Rankings
FIFA Women's World Rankings
The FIFA Women's World Rankings for football were introduced in 2003, with the first rankings published in March of that year, as a follow-on to the existing FIFA World Rankings for men...
, have won two of the five FIFA Women's World Cups held thus far (in 1991 and 1999), and have also won gold medals in three of the four Olympic women's football tournaments
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
held to date(1996, 2004, 2008).The Olympic tournament is far more prestigious in women's football than in the men's game, largely because the women's tournament is contested by full national sides without age restrictions. The men's tournament is generally restricted to under-23 players. The crowd of over 90,000 at the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl (stadium)
The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...
for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup remains the largest crowd in the world ever to witness any women's sporting event.
The professional first-division league in the United States is Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
, which as of the current 2011 season has 16 teams in the U.S. and two in Canada, with expansion planned to bring the league to 19 teams by the 2012 season (the Montreal Impact is the confirmed 19th team) and possibly a 20th team by 2013.
The second-tier league is a new incarnation of the North American Soccer League. This league was formed in late 2009, with plans to launch in the 2010 season, by disgruntled team owners from the former second-level league, the USL First Division
USL First Division
The United Soccer Leagues First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico....
, after Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
sold its stake in the latter league's parent corporation, the United Soccer Leagues
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
(USL). U.S. Soccer refused to sanction either the First Division or the new NASL for 2010, and the two groups eventually agreed to unite for 2010 only under the banner of USSF Division 2
USSF Division 2 Professional League
USSF Division 2 Professional League was a temporary professional soccer league created by the United States Soccer Federation in 2010 to last just one season. The twelve-team league was formed as a compromise between the feuding United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League...
, run directly by U.S. Soccer and including teams from both leagues. U.S. Soccer initially sanctioned the new NASL in November 2010, revoked its sanctioning in January 2011 due to financial issues surrounding the ownership of several teams, and re-sanctioned it in February 2011. The NASL launched with eight teams—five on the U.S. mainland, one in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(a U.S. possession that has its own national federation), and two in Canada.
Following the USL–NASL feud and a subsequent tightening of U.S. Soccer standards for owners of second-division teams, the USL folded its First and Second Division
USL Second Division
The United Soccer Leagues Second Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, part of the United Soccer Leagues league pyramid...
s into a new third-level league, USL Pro
USL Pro
The USL Professional Division, commonly known as USL Pro , is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011....
, which launched in 2011. It began with 15 teams—11 on the U.S. mainland, three in Puerto Rico, and one in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
country of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
—but due to issues with the health and finances of two of the Puerto Rican owners, the Puerto Rican teams were dropped from the league shortly after the beginning of its first season. The USL operates five leagues in all, spanning the lower divisions of men's professional soccer, as well as women's soccer and youth soccer.
Below USL Pro is the country's semi-professional fourth-division league, the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
, which has (as of the current 2011 season) 57 teams in the U.S., eight in Canada, and one in Bermuda. Though the PDL does have some paid players, it also has many teams that are made up entirely or almost entirely of college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
players who use the league as an opportunity to play competitive soccer in front of professional scouts during the summer, while retaining amateur status and NCAA eligibility.
In addition to MLS and the USL, the United States Adult Soccer Association governs amateur soccer competition for adults throughout the United States, which is effectively the amateur fifth division of soccer in the United States. The USASA sanctions regional tournaments that allow entry into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
, the oldest continuous soccer competition in the United States. This annual competition pits teams from all five levels of the American soccer pyramid
American Soccer Pyramid
The United States soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation , oversees the system but does not operate any of its component leagues—with one temporary...
against each other, similar to England's FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
.
Women's soccer in the United States is also played at the professional level. The professional first-division women's soccer league in the U.S. is Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
, which has operated exclusively in the United States since its launch in 2009 with seven teams. The league has experienced considerable instability in its first three seasons. One charter team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded after the inaugural 2009 season. The following year saw two charter teams fold—Saint Louis Athletica during the season, and 2010 champions FC Gold Pride
FC Gold Pride
FC Gold Pride was an American professional soccer club based in Santa Clara, California which participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association as the top-level women's soccer team in the San Francisco Bay Area...
after the season. A third charter team, the Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a American professional soccer club that is based in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois that participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2009-2010, the Red Stars played their home games at Toyota Park in the Womens Professional Soccer...
, could not meet financial criteria to remain in WPS after the 2010 season, and dropped (at least for the time being) to the second-tier Women's Premier Soccer League
Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
(WPSL). The league operated with six teams in 2011, with three charter teams joined by two 2010 newcomers and one 2011 newcomer. The season saw a boost following the women's national team's run in the 2011 Women's World Cup, but was also marked by conflict between the league and franchise owner Dan Borislow
Dan Borislow
Daniel M. Borislow is an American entrepreneur, sports team owner, inventor, and thoroughbred horse breeder. Originating in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, Borislow attended Widener University and worked in cable construction and landscaping before going into the telephone business. He...
. He had purchased the Washington Freedom
Washington Freedom
The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Germantown, Maryland that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
, charter league members, and moved the team to South Florida
South Florida metropolitan area
The South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S...
and renamed it magicJack
MagicJack (WPS)
MagicJack was an American professional soccer club based in Boca Raton, Florida. The team competed in Women's Professional Soccer. MagicJack was originally founded in 2001 as the Washington Freedom of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. In 2011, the team relocated to Boca Raton, Florida...
. The league accused Borislow of not meeting its standards for team operation and failing to pay team bills, while Borislow accused the league of misplaced priorities. After the 2011 season, WPS terminated the franchise.
Currently, two independent semi-professional leagues form the second tier of women's soccer—the USL's W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
and the WPSL, which broke from the W-League in 1997. As of 2011, the W-League has 19 U.S.-based teams and eight Canadian-based teams, while the WPSL has 65 teams in the U.S. only. Both leagues serve roughly the same purpose for women's soccer as the USL's PDL serves for men's soccer, in that they allow collegiate players to maintain NCAA eligibility while continuing to develop their game against quality opponents. There is no current equivalent to the U.S. Open Cup in the women's game.
Despite the growth of men's and women's professional soccer in the United States in the last few decades, by far the largest category of soccer in the United States, at least in terms of participation, is boys' and girls' youth soccer. Though organized locally by organizations all over the United States, there are three main youth soccer organizations working nationwide through affiliated local associations. The United States Youth Soccer Association
United States Youth Soccer Association
The United States Youth Soccer Association is the youth affiliate and largest member of U.S. Soccer, the governing body for soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer includes 55 state youth soccer associations, one per state except for California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, which...
boasts over three million players between the ages of five and 19, while American Youth Soccer Organization
American Youth Soccer Organization
The American Youth Soccer Organization is a non-profit soccer organization in the United States for children aged 4 through 19. Headquartered in Torrance, California, AYSO has local programs known as "regions" in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago...
has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19. Finally, the USL offers a number of youth leagues, including the Super-20 League
Super-20 League
The United Soccer Leagues Super-20 League is an American-Canadian soccer league for players 17 to 20 years of age. Introduced in 2006 it took the place of the U-19 age bracket in the Super Y-League....
and the Super Y-League
Super Y-League
The Super Y-League is the highest form of American and Canadian youth soccer. It consists of over 100 teams, many of which are operated by clubs from MLS to PDL.- Age groups :The Super Y-League has these following age groups:*U-12*U-13*U-14*U-15...
, which have almost 1,000 teams and tens of thousands of players from the ages of 13 to 20. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States.
The overall league structure in the United States is significantly different from that used in almost all the rest of the world, but similar to that used by other American team sports leagues, in that there is no system of promotion and relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
between lower and higher leagues, but rather a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
system. In addition, teams playing in American soccer leagues are not private clubs founded independently of the league that join a league in order to ensure regular fixtures, but are instead usually franchises of the league itself. Finally, the soccer leagues in the United States also incorporate features common to other American sports leagues, most notably the determination of champions by playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s between the top teams after the conclusion of a league season. Only recently has MLS moved to a balanced schedule and prior to then used an unbalanced schedule. There has been discussion of introducing promotion and relegation into MLS within the next 5–10 years. MLS would be the first notable American professional sports league to do so.
However, in several ways, American soccer leagues have become more similar to leagues in the rest of the world in recent years. MLS and USL now allow games to end in ties, which were initially avoided via a penalty shootout if scores were level at the end of play. This was done to avoid alienating mainstream American sports fans, who are not accustomed to tie games, but actually had the unintended consequence of alienating soccer purists who saw the change as an "Americanization" of the sport. MLS began allowing ties in the 2000 season. Additionally, MLS and USL now use upward-counting clocks that do not stop for stoppages in play, and instead add on time before half time and full time. A downward-counting clock that stops for dead balls and ends the game when it reaches zero is still in use in American high school and college soccer (except for private high schools in Texas
Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools
The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, or TAPPS, is an organization headquartered in Salado, Texas which creates rules for, and sometimes administers, almost all athletic and academic contests for non-public high schools in the American state of Texas...
, which use FIFA rules), as well as most other American sports, but was and is completely foreign to soccer played outside the United States. MLS adopted the international clock in 2000. Finally, until recently, the front of teams' shirts in MLS and the USL did not bear advertisements, as commercial uniform sponsorship is uncommon in American sports. However, starting in the mid 2000s, clubs were allowed to accept corporate sponsorship on the front of their shirts.
Popularity of soccer in the United States
Leagues outside the United States and international soccer have also become more popular in the last decade, largely due to increased television coverage of soccer from around the world in the United States. In addition to increased coverage from the traditional media, the U.S. has several national networks devoted mostly or completely to covering the sport. Soccer-specific channels like Fox Soccer and its spinoff channel Fox Soccer PlusFox Soccer Plus
Fox Soccer Plus is an American premium channel dedicated to soccer and rugby. It was formed as a spin-off of Fox Soccer when its owner Fox Entertainment Group re-acquired rights from competitor Setanta Sports USA in January 2010, putting the latter channel out of business...
(the latter not exclusively devoted to soccer), Gol TV
GOL TV
This article is about the American sports network. For the similarly named and themed network in Spain, see Gol Televisión.GOL TV is the first television network dedicated fully to soccer in the United States. It is based in North Bay Village, Florida and is owned by GOLTV Inc...
(available in both Spanish and English), Spanish-language channels like Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
, Telefutura
TeleFutura
TeleFutura is a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by Univision with headquarters in Miami, Florida.-Overview:TeleFutura Is America’s #2 Spanish-Language Network in prime time...
, Galavisión, ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...
, Fox Deportes and mainstream sports networks ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
, ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
, and Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
provide weekly coverage of England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, Italy's Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, Germany's Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
, the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, the UEFA Europa League, the CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region ....
, the SuperLiga
North American SuperLiga
The SuperLiga was an official North American association football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each country. The competition was sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
, and many more competitions. In addition, these networks also provide coverage of the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
, Copa América
Copa América
The Copa América —previously known as South American Championship—is an international football competition contested between the men's national teams of CONMEBOL, the sport's continental governing body...
, the CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
, the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, the FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
, United States men's
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, women's
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
, and youth national team matches when these events take place. Finally, in addition to matches, these channels provide news programs and other information previously unavailable to U.S. viewers. The rise of these media outlets means that soccer fans living in the United States now have near constant access to programming about the sport in a way comparable to those living in Europe or Latin America.
The English and Spanish-language telecasts of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Final
2006 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2006 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 9 July 2006 at the Olympiastadion, Berlin to determine the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Italy beat France on penalties after the match finished 1–1 after extra time...
combined to attract an estimated 16.9 million American viewers, comparable to the average viewership of the 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...
. Interestingly, Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
paid more than three times as much for the Spanish-language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
television rights for the 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
and 2014 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
s as ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
paid for the English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
rights to the same competitions. In 2007, the CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
attracted record television viewership, and in the case of one particular group stage match, it was the most-watched primetime program on any network that night among 18-49 males. The Univision telecast of the final between the United States and Mexico was the third-most watched Spanish-language program of all-time in the United States, beaten only by two FIFA World Cup finals matches.
Increasing numbers of Americans, having played the game in their youth, are now avid spectators. Soccer is popular primarily in warmer climates of the US where winter sport
Winter sport
A winter sport is a sport which is played on snow or ice. Most such sports are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally such sports were only played in cold areas during winter, but artificial snow and ice allow more flexibility...
s are not followed due to lack of interest, thus giving room for soccer's attention. Most cities with MLS teams have large fan bases, and cities with USL teams have support on par with minor league teams in other sports. In addition, as Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n immigration increases throughout the entire nation, so does the popularity of soccer.
In recent decades, more and more youth sports organizations have turned to soccer as either a supplement to or a replacement for American football in their programs. This is primarily for economic reasons, as cash-strapped programs find it more difficult to justify the high costs of American football, due to the large amount of expensive equipment required, while at the same time the insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
risks associated with American football are far greater. Simultaneously, with increased urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, American high schools have grown to the point where most offer both sports in their fall sports seasons. Due to the rising number of youths playing, the term soccer mom
Soccer mom
The phrase soccer mom broadly refers to a middle-class suburban woman who spends a significant amount of her time transporting her school-age children to their sporting events or other activities. Indices of American magazines and newspapers show relatively little usage of the term until a 1995...
is used in American social, cultural and political discourse, broadly referring to a middle- or upper-middle class woman working and having school-age children.
With careful cost controls, soccer-specific stadiums, and limited expansion, some MLS clubs became profitable for the first time in the mid 2000s, and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine found that three clubs were already valued at $40 million or more, with the Los Angeles Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
worth $100 million. The league's 2007 and 2009 expansion to Toronto and Seattle, respectively, have proven highly successful, with league-leading ticket and merchandise sales, capped by a sold-out attendances for friendlies against Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
of Spain and Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
of England. In addition, the 2009 World Football Challenge
World Football Challenge
The 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...
drew large crowds around the country. Chelsea's four-game stint in America drew record crowds for a visiting foreign team.
The United States has also shown a heightened interest in international soccer. UEFA Euro 2008 was highly successful, especially for a competition that did not feature the United States or David Beckham's England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
Final
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final was a football match to determine the winners of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The match was held at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, on 28 June 2009 and was contested by the United States and Brazil. Despite being two goals down at half-time,...
featuring the United States attracted almost 4 million viewers on ESPN, making it the fourth-most-watched U.S. men's national team game in the history of the network. The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth association football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested from 3 July to 26 July 2009 in the United States. This competition was the fourth tournament...
quarterfinal matches drew over 82,000 to Cowboys Stadium. In addition, the 2010 UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final was broadcast live on the Fox Network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, marking the first time in history that a match between two European club soccer teams was televised on American English-language broadcast television.
Landon Donovan
Landon Donovan
Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer in the United States. He usually plays as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing....
's dramatic game winning goal against Algeria that advanced the US team to the knockout stage
2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was the second and final stage of the World Cup, following the group stage. It began on 26 June with the round of 16 matches, and ended on 11 July with the final match of the tournament held at Soccer City, Johannesburg, in which Spain beat the...
of the 2010 World Cup resulted in jubilant celebrations across the United States and may lead to increased popularity of soccer in the nation. Also the 2010 World Cup final
2010 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2010 FIFA World Cup Final was a football match that took place on 11 July 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg, South Africa, to determine the winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain defeated the Netherlands 1–0 with a goal from Andrés Iniesta four minutes from the end of extra time...
game between Spain and the Netherlands drew 24 million people in the United States for viewership. More recently, the US played twice in East Rutherford, NJ, drawing 77,000 fans in attendance each game.
American men in foreign leagues
Since the early 1990s, many American men have found opportunities playing soccer at the highest levels of foreign leagues. Among the first Americans to become regulars in foreign leagues were John HarkesJohn Harkes
John Harkes is an American former soccer player. Harkes was the first American ever to play in the English Premier League, and the second American to score at Wembley Stadium. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He appeared in two FIFA World Cup tournaments, and won two MLS Cup...
at Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in England, Eric Wynalda
Eric Wynalda
Eric Boswell Wynalda is a retired American soccer player, and former sports broadcaster. He was the co-host of Fox Football Fone-In on Fox Soccer Channel and is currently employeed as the president of international operations at Mexican third division club Murcielagos.Wynalda scored the first goal...
at Saarbrücken in Germany, Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
at Millwall F.C.
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in England, and Earnie Stewart at NAC Breda
NAC Breda
NAC Breda , simply often known as NAC, is a Dutch professional football club, based in Breda, Netherlands. NAC Breda play in the Rat Verlegh Stadium, named after their most important player, Antoon 'Rat' Verlegh. They play in the Dutch Eredivisie and are known by the fierce and fanatic support of...
in the Netherlands (Stewart is a special case; he is the Netherlands-born son of American and Dutch parents, and grew up in the Dutch football system). Stewart is now one of two Americans who hold executive positions within Dutch football—Stewart with AZ, and American-born Alex Pama with SC Cambuur.
The following is a list of prominent Americans playing in foreign leagues:
In Austria's Erste Liga
Austrian Football First League
The Austrian Football First League is the second highest professional division in Austrian football. It contains 10 teams and is run in the same fashion as the Austrian Bundesliga...
- Shawn BarryShawn BarryShawn Maurice Barry is an American soccer player who currently plays for LASK Linz in the Austrian Football First League.-College and amateur:...
(LASK LinzLASK LinzLASK Linz is an Austrian association football club, from the Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club hailing from that region, and currently plays in the Austrian Football First League. The club's colours are black and white...
) - Seth Moses (SC Rheindorf AltachSC Rheindorf AltachSC Rheindorf Altach is an Austrian association football based in Altach, Vorarlberg. The club is currently also known as Cashpoint SC Rheindorf Altach due to sponsorship of Austrian sports betting company Cashpoint.- History :...
)
In Belgium's Pro League
- Sacha KljestanSacha KljestanSacha Kljestan is an American soccer player who currently plays for Anderlecht in the Belgian First Division.-Youth and College:...
(AnderlechtR.S.C. AnderlechtRoyal Sporting Club Anderlecht, usually known as Anderlecht or RSCA , is a Belgian professional football club based in Anderlecht in the Brussels Capital Region. Anderlecht plays in the Belgian Pro League and is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions as well as in the...
)
In Belgium's Second Division
Belgian Second Division
The Belgian Second Division is the second-highest division in the Belgian football league system after the Belgian Pro League. It was created by the Belgian Football Association in 1905. Between 2008 and 2010 it was named EXQI League after a television channel owned by the league main sponsor,...
- Tristan BowenTristan BowenTristan Bowen is an American soccer player who currently plays for K.S.V. Roeselare in the Belgian Second Division, on loan from Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth:...
(RoeselareK.S.V. RoeselareK.S.V. Roeselare is a Belgian football club, from the city of Roeselare in West Flanders. Its matricule is the n°134. It has last played in the Belgian Pro League from 2005-06 to 2009-10...
) - Devann Yao (Boussu Dour Borinage)
In Bosnia's Premier League
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the top football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the country's most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs with last two teams relegated at the end of every season....
- Danijal Brkovic (VeležFK Velež MostarFK Velež , successor of RŠD Velež, is a football club from Bosnia and Herzegovina, from the city of Mostar, founded on June 22, 1922....
)
In Colombia's Primera A
- Diego RestrepoDiego RestrepoDiego Restrepo , is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays professionally for América de Cali.-College and amateur:...
(América de CaliAmérica de CaliCorporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
) - Kevin Piedrahita (América de CaliAmérica de CaliCorporación Deportiva América, commonly known as América de Cali or simply América is a Colombian football club based in Cali. They currently play in the Categoría Primera A, the top-flight professional league in the country....
)
In the Czech Republic's Gambrinus liga
Gambrinus Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...
- Stefan JeromeStefan JeromeStefan Jerome is an American soccer player currently playing for Sigma Olomouc in the Gambrinus Liga on loan from Fort Lauderdale Strikers.-Club:...
(Sigma OlomoucSK Sigma OlomoucSK Sigma Olomouc is a Czech football club from the city of Olomouc. They reached the quarterfinals of the 1991-1992 UEFA Cup.Since 2011, Olomouc have had an agreement where FK SAN-JV Šumperk is acting as their farm team.- Historical names :...
) - on loan from Fort Lauderdale Strikers
In Denmark's Superliga
Danish Superliga
The Danish Superliga is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the...
- Clarence GoodsonClarence GoodsonClarence Goodson is an American professional soccer player who currently plays defender for Brøndby in Denmark, with whom he signed a three-year deal in November 2010.-Career:...
(BrøndbyBrøndby IFBrøndby IF is a Danish professional football club based in Brøndbyvester, Brøndby, on the western outskirts of Copenhagen and is the biggest football club in Denmark with almost 2000 members. The club is also known as Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening, or Brøndby and BIF for short...
) - Conor O'BrienConor O'Brien (soccer player)Conor Stephen O'Brien is an American soccer player who currently plays for the Danish Superliga side SønderjyskE.-External links:* at Bucknell Bisons website.*...
(SønderjyskESønderjyskESønderjyskE is a Danish sport club. They have two football teams , two handball teams and an ice hockey team based in Vojens. All the teams play in South Jutland...
) - Michael ParkhurstMichael ParkhurstMichael Parkhurst is an American soccer player. He plays primarily as center back for F.C. Nordsjælland in the Danish Superliga...
(NordsjællandFC NordsjællandFootball Club Nordsjælland is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum, Denmark. Founded as Farum Boldklub from the merger of the town's two football clubs Farum IK and Stavnsholt BK in 1991, the club changed its name to F.C...
) - Chris RolfeChris RolfeChris Rolfe is an American soccer player who currently plays for AaB in the Danish Superliga.-College:...
(Aalborg) - Brad RusinBrad RusinBradford Evan Rusin is an American soccer player currently playing for HB Køge in the Danish Superliga.-College and Amateur:...
(HB KøgeHB KøgeHB Køge is a professional Danish football club based primal in the town of Herfølge, and secondly in the town of Køge, both in the Køge Municipality, part of 'Region of Zealand', in the eastern part of Zealand, south of Copenhagen...
)
In Denmark's 1st Division
Danish 1st Division
The 1st Division has been the name of the second highest football league in Denmark since 1991. From 1945 to 1991 the 1st Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark...
- Babajide Ogunbiyi (ViborgViborg FFViborg FF is a Danish professional football club located in Viborg. The full name of the club is Viborg Fodsports Forening , but the name is frequently abbreviated as Viborg FF or VFF. The club was founded in 1896, but would have to wait more than a century before winning its only countrywide...
)
In England's Premier League
- Clint DempseyClint DempseyClinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. Dempsey usually plays as either an attacking midfielder, or a striker....
(FulhamFulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
) - Brad FriedelBrad FriedelBradley Howard Friedel is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League....
(Tottenham HotspurTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
) - Brad GuzanBrad GuzanBradley Edwin "Brad" Guzan is an American soccer player who plays for Aston Villa of the Premier League.-Early Career:...
(Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
) - Marcus HahnemannMarcus HahnemannMarcus Stephen Hahnemann is an American international soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Everton.Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and 1999 he turned out for the Colorado Rapids, signing with English club...
(EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
) - Stuart HoldenStuart HoldenStuart Alistair Holden is an American football player who currently plays as a midfielder for Bolton Wanderers in the English Premier League....
(Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
) - Tim HowardTim HowardTimothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team....
(EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
) - Eric LichajEric LichajEric Joseph Lichaj is an American soccer player who plays for Aston Villa. Lichaj also plays for the United States men's national team. He started his youth career playing for Chicago Magic and participated in the youth residency program at IMG Soccer Academy. He later played college soccer for...
(Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
) - Zak WhitbreadZak WhitbreadZak Benjamin Whitbread is an American soccer player who plays for English Premier League club Norwich City as a defender.-Early life:...
(Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
)
In England's Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
- Cody Cropper (Ipswich TownIpswich Town F.C.Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
) - Conor DoyleConor DoyleConor Doyle is an Irish-American soccer player who plays for Derby County.-Youth career:...
(Derby CountyDerby County F.C.Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
) - Robbie FindleyRobbie FindleyRobert "Robbie" Findley is an American international soccer player who plays professionally for English club Nottingham Forest...
(Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
) - Jonathan SpectorJonathan SpectorJonathan Michael Paul Spector is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Birmingham City. He started his professional career in England when he was signed by Manchester United as a teenager, but rarely appeared for the club...
(Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
)
In England's Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Mike GrellaMike GrellaMichael Grella is an American professional soccer player who plays for Brentford. He plays as a striker. He was a United States Under-20 International and a highly rated talent in USA...
(BrentfordBrentford F.C.Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
) - Anton PeterlinAnton Peterlin (soccer)Anton Alexander Peterlin is an American soccer player who plays for Football League One club Walsall as a midfielder, having previously played for San Francisco Seals, Ventura County Fusion, Everton and Plymouth Argyle....
(WalsallWalsall F.C.Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
) - Frank SimekFrank SimekFranklin Michael "Frank" Simek is an American soccer player who plays for English League One side Carlisle United.-Playing career:Born in St...
(Carlisle UnitedCarlisle United F.C.Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
)
In England's Football League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
- Jemal JohnsonJemal JohnsonJemal Jermaine Johnson is an Anglo-American soccer player who plays for English side Southend United in League Two.He started his career at Premier League Blackburn Rovers, making several appearances for the club between 2004 and 2006, having graduated through the club's academy. After a season at...
(Southend UnitedSouthend United F.C.Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
) - Jon-Paul PittmanJon-Paul PittmanJon-Paul Pittman is an American-born footballer, who plays as a forward for Oxford United but is currently on loan to Crawley Town.- Early career :...
(Crawley TownCrawley Town F.C.Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
)
In Finland's Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga
Veikkausliiga is the premier division of Finnish football, comprising the top 12 clubs of the country. Veikkausliiga is currently ranked as the 28th best league in Europe. Its main sponsor is the Finnish national betting agency Veikkaus, hence the league's name...
- Giuseppe FunicelloGiuseppe FunicelloGiuseppe "Joe" Funicello is an Italian-American football player who plays for Finnish club IFK Mariehamn.-Youth:...
(VPSVaasan PalloseuraVaasan Palloseura is a Finnish football club, based in Vaasa. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division . The club's manager is Tommi Pikkarainen and assistant manager is Petri Vuorinen. The club plays its home matches at Hietalahti...
) - Etchu TabeEtchu TabeEtchu Tabe is an American football player who currently plays in Veikkausliiga side RoPS. At 14, Tabe attended Baldwin High School after moving to Georgia from Buea, Cameroon where his father was a professional football player...
(RoPSRoPSRovaniemen Palloseura is a Finnish football club, founded in 1950 and based in the town of Rovaniemi. In 2009 RoPS played in the Finnish Premier Division but got relegated to Ykkönen after being the lowest-placed team in the end of the season...
) - Josh WicksJosh WicksJosh Wicks is an American soccer player who currently plays for IFK Mariehamn.-Early Life and Amateur:Wicks was born on a US Army base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Landstuhl, Germany, but grew up in San Bernardino, California...
(MariehamnIFK MariehamnIFK Mariehamn is a Finnish football club, based in Mariehamn, capital of the Åland Islands. It currently plays in the Finnish Premier Division . The club's manager is Pekka Lyyski, and it plays its home matches at Wiklöf Holding Arena....
)
In France's Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
- Quentin WestbergQuentin WestbergQuentin Westberg is a French-born American soccer player who plays for French club Évian in Ligue 1. He is a graduate of the Clairefontaine academy and previously served as the number one goalkeeper for Troyes...
(Évian)
In Germany's Fußball-Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
- Terrence BoydTerrence BoydTerrence Boyd is a German-American soccer player who currently plays for the reserve team of Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga.-Professional:...
(Borussia DortmundBorussia DortmundBallspielverein Borussia Dortmund, commonly BVB, are a German sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. Dortmund are one of the most successful clubs in German football history. Borussia Dortmund play in the Bundesliga, the top league of German football...
) - John Anthony Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
- Timothy ChandlerTimothy ChandlerTimothy "Timmy" Chandler is a German-born American soccer player who currently plays for Bundesliga side 1. FC Nuremberg.-Early life:...
(Nürnberg) - Steve CherundoloSteve CherundoloSteven Emil "Steve" Cherundolo is an American soccer defender who is the captain of Hannover 96 of the German Bundesliga, where he has spent his entire club career. He played for the United States men's national soccer team at the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.-Early life:Cherundolo grew up in...
(Hannover 96Hannover 96Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96, Hannover or simply 96, is a German association football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony.-Foundation to WWII:...
) - Fabian JohnsonFabian JohnsonFabian Johnson is a German-American soccer player who plays for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, mainly as a defender.- Career :...
(Hoffenheim) - Jermaine JonesJermaine JonesJermaine Jones is a German-born American soccer player who plays for Schalke 04.- Personal life :Jones grew up in Frankfurt-Bonames. His father is an African-American soldier who was stationed in Germany. As a child, Jones lived in Chicago and Greenwood, Mississippi in the U.S...
(Schalke 04FC Schalke 04Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
) - Alfredo MoralesAlfredo MoralesAlfredo Morales is a German-Peruvian-American soccer player, currently playing for Hertha BSC.-Youth:Morales began his career playing for several youth teams in Berlin-Pankow. On July 2000, he joined the junior section of Hertha BSC. In his new club, Morales could instantly gain acceptance as a...
(Hertha Berlin) - Daniel WilliamsDaniel Williams (footballer)Daniel Williams is a German-born American soccer player who plays for Bundesliga club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.- Career :...
(Hoffenheim) - David YelldellDavid YelldellDavid Yelldell is a German-born American soccer player who plays for Bayer Leverkusen of the Fußball-Bundesliga.-Club career:...
(Bayer Leverkusen)
In Germany's 2. Fußball-Bundesliga
2. Fußball-Bundesliga
- Changes in division set-up :* Number of clubs: currently 18. From 1974 to 1981 there were two conferences, each of 20 teams. In 1981–91 it had 20...
- Villyan Bijev (Fortuna DüsseldorfFortuna Düsseldorf' is a German association football club based in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the second tier of German league football, the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga...
) - on loan from LiverpoolLiverpool F.C.Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... - Edson BuddleEdson BuddleEdson Buddle is an American soccer player who currently plays for Ingolstadt 04 in Second Bundesliga, the second-highest level of competition of soccer in Germany. Buddle previously spent his entire career in North America, beginning in 2000 with the Long Island Rough Riders, who played in the USL...
(Ingolstadt 04FC Ingolstadt 04FC Ingolstadt 04 is a German football club based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. The club was founded in 2004 out of the merger of the football sides of two other clubs: ESV Ingolstadt and MTV Ingolstadt.-ESV Ingolstadt:...
) - Ricardo ClarkRicardo ClarkRicardo Clark is an American soccer player who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2. Fußball-Bundesliga.-High School and College:...
(Eintracht FrankfurtEintracht FrankfurtEintracht Frankfurt is a German sports club, based in Frankfurt, Hesse that is best known for its association football club.- Club origins :...
) - Luis RoblesLuis RoblesLuis Robles is an American soccer goalkeeper who currently plays for Karlsruher SC. He signed a two-year deal to play at the Wildparkstadion on August 8, 2010. He was given the number 32.- Career :...
(KarlsruheKarlsruher SCKarlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. KSC rose out of the consolidation of a number of predecessor clubs. They currently play in the 2...
) - Matt Taylor (SC Paderborn 07SC Paderborn 07SC Paderborn 07 is a German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia, currently playing in the 2. Bundesliga.-History:...
) - Bobby Wood (1860 MunichTSV 1860 MünchenTurn- und Sportverein München von 1860, commonly known as TSV 1860 München or 1860 Munich, is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. The club's football team plays in the Second Bundesliga, after relegation from the Bundesliga following the 2003–04 season...
)
In Germany's 3. Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
- Amaechi IgweAmaechi IgweAmaechi Igwe is an American soccer player who is currently playing for SV Babelsberg 03.-College:Igwe played college soccer at Santa Clara University, where he played forward and scored five goals and had three assists to finish third on the team in scoring. Both his sister, Chioma, and his older...
(SV Babelsberg 03SV Babelsberg 03SV Babelsberg 03 is a German association football club based in Potsdam-Babelsberg, on the outskirts of Berlin. The team was founded as Sport-Club Jugendkraft 1903 and again as SG Karl-Marx Babelsberg in 1948 as successor to the pre-war side SpVgg Potsdam 03.-History:Playing as SV Nowawes the team...
) - Preston ZimmermanPreston ZimmermanPreston Mark Zimmerman is an American soccer player, who plays for SV Darmstadt 98.-Personal life:Zimmerman was born in Auburn, Washington. He attended McLoughlin Middle School in Pasco, Washington.-Hamburg SV:...
(SV Darmstadt 98SV Darmstadt 98SV Darmstadt 98 is a German association football club based in Darmstadt, Hesse. The club was founded on 22 May 1898 as FC Olympia Darmstadt. Early in 1919 the association was briefly known as Rasen-Sportverein Olympia before merging with Darmstädter Sport Club 1905 on 11 November that year to...
)
In Israel's Ligat HaAl
- Leonard KrupnikLeonard KrupnikLeonard Krupnik is a Soviet-born American soccer player who currently plays for Maccabi Netanya in the Israeli Premier League.-Youth and College:...
(Maccabi NetanyaMaccabi NetanyaMaccabi Netanya F.C. is an Israeli football club based in Netanya. Established in 1934, the club were founding members of the Israeli League in 1949. After winning their first championship in 1970, the club's golden period lasted until the late 1980s, including four more league titles and a double...
) - Ryan Adeleye (Hapoel Beer Sheva)
- Bryan GerzicichBryan GerzicichBryan Paul Gerzičić is an American-Argentine professional football player at Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona.- Biography :Two years after leaving Hapoel Haifa for Hapoel Acre, Gerzičić rejoined Haifa.- Statistics :...
(Ironi Kiryat Shmona)
In Italy's Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
- Michael BradleyMichael Bradley (soccer)Michael Bradley is an American soccer player who currently plays as a central midfielder for Chievo Verona in Serie A and the United States national team, which was formerly coached by his father Bob Bradley.-Early life:...
(ChievoA.C. ChievoVeronaAssociazione Calcio Chievo Verona is a professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo...
)
In Mexico's Primera División
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
- DaMarcus BeasleyDaMarcus BeasleyDaMarcus Lamont Beasley is an American soccer player who plays for Puebla of the Mexican Primera División. He plays mainly as a winger on the left side of the midfield, but has also been used as a forward and fullback...
(Puebla) - Jonathan BornsteinJonathan BornsteinJonathan Rey Bornstein is an American soccer player who currently plays for UANL of the Primera División de México and for the United States national team.-Youth and College:...
(UANL) - Edgar Castillo (Club TijuanaClub TijuanaClub Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente is a Mexican football team from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Tijuana plays in the Primera División de México It was founded in January 2007. The colors that identify the club are red and black.-History:...
) - Joe Corona (Club TijuanaClub TijuanaClub Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente is a Mexican football team from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Tijuana plays in the Primera División de México It was founded in January 2007. The colors that identify the club are red and black.-History:...
) - Herculez GomezHerculez GomezHerculez Gomez Hurtado is an American soccer player who currently plays for Estudiantes Tecos in the Primera División de México.-Early life:...
(Estudiantes Tecos) - Sonny GuadarramaSonny GuadarramaSonny Alejandro Guadarrama Bermúdez is an American soccer midfielder who currently plays for Atlante in the Primera División de Mexico. Sonny played soccer for Campbell University before going pro. Sonny's brother, Willy played soccer for the Kansas City Wizards, an MLS team.-External links:...
(AtlanteAtlante F.C.Club de Fútbol Atlante, is a Mexican professional football club, currently playing in the Mexican First Division League. The club is based in Cancún, Mexico as of the start of the 2007-08 season, when they relocated from Mexico City, and plays its home games in Estadio Andrés Quintana Roo.-Domestic...
) - Ernest Nungaray (Morelia)
- Michael Orozco Fiscal (San Luis)
- Adrian RuelasGustavo RuelasGustavo Adrián Ruelas Aguilar is a Mexican-American footballer who plays as a forward for Jaguares de Chiapas on loan from Club Santos Laguna.-Club career:...
(JaguaresJaguares de ChiapasThe Club de Fútbol Jaguares de Chiapas, is a Mexican football club now based in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, in the state of Chiapas. They currently play in Primera División de México...
) - on loan from Santos Laguna - José Francisco TorresJosé Francisco TorresJosé Francisco Torres is an American soccer player. He currently plays as a midfielder for Pachuca in the Primera División de México and the United States national team.-Personal:...
(Pachuca)
In Mexico's Liga de Ascenso
Liga de Ascenso
The Liga de Ascenso is the second professional level of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition is promoted to the Primera División de México ....
- Marco VidalMarco VidalMarco Vidal is a Mexican-American professional footballer.Vidal has played for C.F. Ciudad Juárez in the Primera División de México, however he was unable to prevent the club from being relegated following the close of the 2010 tournament.-External links:...
(LeónClub LeónClub León, is a Mexican professional football club based in the city of León, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. They currently play in the Liga De Ascenso formerly known as "Primera A", the second tier of football in Mexico since their relegation from the Primera Division in 2002.León has won...
)
In the Netherlands' Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
- Jozy AltidoreJozy AltidoreJosmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American soccer player currently playing for Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar, and for the United States national team....
(AZ)
In the Netherlands' Eerste Divisie
Eerste Divisie
The Eerste Divisie is the second-highest division of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie via a promotion/relegation system. It is also known as the Jupiler League due to sponsorship, which is the same name as the top league in Belgium...
- Charles KazlauskasCharles KazlauskasCharles Kazlauskas is an American professional soccer player who plays for Helmond Sport in the Dutch Eerste Divisie, as a right back.- Career :...
(Helmond SportHelmond SportHelmond Sport is a Dutch football club, playing in the Dutch Eerste Divisie and located in Helmond, Noord-Brabant. The club was founded on July 27, 1967, as a breakaway from the local professional club Helmondia '55, which had gone bankrupt.-History:...
)
In Norway's Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen
Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Norwegian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The league is also unofficially known under its neutral name Eliteserien , although the name has never been official...
- Joseph BendikJoseph BendikJoseph T. Bendik is an American soccer player currently playing for Adeccoligaen club Sogndal.-Club career:After spending four years at Clemson University, Bendik signed with Norwegian club Sogndal...
(SogndalSogndal FotballSogndal Fotball is the association football section of Norwegian sports club Sogndal IL from Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane. The club was founded in 1926....
) - Sean Cunningham (Molde)
- Mikkel DiskerudMikkel DiskerudMikkel "Mix" Morgenstar Pålssønn Diskerud is a Norwegian-born American soccer player currently playing for Tippeligaen club Stabæk...
(Stabæk) - Josh GattJoshua GattJoshua Gatt is an American soccer player who currently plays for Molde in the Norwegian Tippeligaen.-High School:Played Varsity for four years at Catholic Central High School...
(Molde)
In Peru's Primera División
- Diego ChávarriDiego ChávarriDiego Ivan Chavarri Rodriguez is a Peruvian-American footballer who plays as defender and winger. He currently plays for Sporting Cristal.-Profile:...
(Sporting CristalSporting CristalClub Sporting Cristal is a Peruvian football team. Based in the Rímac District, in the department of Lima, it plays in the professional league known as the Peruvian First Division. Founded on November 16, 1926 in the Rimac District given its approval to the merger and Snuff Sporting merging with...
)
In Portugal's Primeira Liga
- Oguchi OnyewuOguchi OnyewuOguchialu Chijoke Onyewu also known as "Oguchi" Onyewu is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Sporting Clube de Portugal, in Primeira Liga, and the United States national team. Onyewu also holds a Belgian passport....
(Sporting)
In Portugal's Liga de Honra
Liga de Honra
The Liga de Honra , known for sponsorship reasons as the Liga Orangina, is the Portuguese second level football league. It was formerly called Segunda Divisão and Segunda Divisão de Honra . When the LPFP took control of the two nationwide levels, it was renamed Segunda Liga, before renaming it...
- Tony TaylorTony Taylor (soccer)Alejandro Antonio "Tony" Taylor , is an American footballer who currently plays for Atlético Clube de Portugal of the Portuguese Liga de Honra, -Youth and amateur:...
(AtléticoAtlético Clube de PortugalAtlético Clube de Portugal is a Portuguese football team from Alcântara, Lisbon, founded on 18 September 1942. The club was formed with the union of two clubs – Carcavelinhos Football Clube and União Foot-ball Lisboa. They currently play in the Liga de Honra after gaining promotion in the 2010-11...
)
In Russia's Premier League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...
- Eugene Starikov (Tom Tomsk) - on loan from Zenit Saint PetersburgFC Zenit Saint PetersburgFootball Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...
In Scotland's Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
- Alejandro BedoyaAlejandro BedoyaAlejandro Bedoya is an American soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League and the United States national team.- Background :...
(RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
) - Carlos BocanegraCarlos BocanegraCarlos Manuel Bocanegra is an American soccer player who plays for Scottish Premier League club Rangers and is the captain of the United States national team.-Chicago Fire:...
(RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
) - Maurice EduMaurice EduMaurice Edu is an American soccer player who plays for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League and the United States national team.- Early life :...
(RangersRangers F.C.Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
)
In Scotland's First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
- Dominic CerviDominic CerviDominic Cervi is an American soccer player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Football League First Division club Greenock Morton on loan from Scottish Premier League side Celtic.-Personal life:...
(Greenock MortonGreenock Morton F.C.Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
) - on loan from CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
In Sweden's Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
- Ryan Miller (HalmstadHalmstads BKHalmstads Bollklubb, also called HBK or just Halmstad, is a Swedish football club located in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. The club, formed 6 March 1914, competes in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, and has won 4 national championship titles and 1 national cup title...
) - Samuel PetroneSamuel PetroneSamuel Petrone is an American soccer player who currently plays for Mjällby AIF.-College and amateur:After graduating from Glen Rock High School in New Jersey, Petrone began his college career at Clemson University in 2007. However, he transferred to Seton Hall University in 2008 after he made...
(MjällbyMjällby AIFMjällby AIF is a Swedish football club located in Mjällby. The club, formed in 1939, won the title of Sweden's second-level of football Superettan in the 2009 season and thus gained promotion to the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan...
)
During 1990 Dale Mulholland
Dale Mulholland
Dale Mulholland grew up in Manitou, South Tacoma and is a former US professional soccer player who has had a gypsical career in soccer taking him all over the world starting back in 1985 with TSV Reichenbach 05 of West Germany...
played for Lokomotiv Moscow in 1 Soviet Football League. http://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/1996-08-14/2_4/, http://fclm.narod.ru/ussr/legends/dale.htm
U.S. women professional players today
The success of the women's national teamUnited States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
has not translated into success for women's professional soccer in the United States. The first attempt at a national women's soccer league was the Women's United Soccer Association
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
. It featured successful American players Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female,...
, and many other national team stars including Germany's Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz
Birgit Prinz is a former German female professional association football player. She last played for 1. FFC Frankfurt and the German national team. Prinz is one of the game's most prolific strikers and the FIFA Women's World Cup all-time leading scorer with 14 goals . She has been named FIFA...
. The WUSA ceased operation at the end of 2003. Many of those involved in the league worked to restart a professional women's league in 2009 under the banner of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
, initially with seven teams. The league started the 2010 season with eight teams, as one charter team, the Los Angeles Sol, folded and two new teams joined. However, another charter team, Saint Louis Athletica, folded during the season, bringing WPS back to its original number of seven teams. The 2009 season was successful, with Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC
Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....
winning the title in Cinderella fashion and the league met its financial goals. The 2010 season, however, saw considerably more instability. In addition to the in-season demise of Saint Louis Athletica, champions FC Gold Pride
FC Gold Pride
FC Gold Pride was an American professional soccer club based in Santa Clara, California which participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The club replaced the San Jose CyberRays of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association as the top-level women's soccer team in the San Francisco Bay Area...
folded after the season, and the Chicago Red Stars
Chicago Red Stars
The Chicago Red Stars are a American professional soccer club that is based in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, Illinois that participates in the Women's Premier Soccer League. From 2009-2010, the Red Stars played their home games at Toyota Park in the Womens Professional Soccer...
failed to meet financial requirements to stay in WPS and regrouped in the WPSL
Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
. The Western New York Flash joined in 2011, making WPS a six-team league operating entirely along the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. The W-League
W-League
The USL W-League is a national women's soccer league in the United States on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the Women's Premier Soccer League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
of the United Soccer Leagues
United Soccer Leagues
The United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
and the WPSL have also had some success with teams in cities all across the country.
America's approach to growing the game among women has served as a model for other countries' development programs for women at all levels. The relative lack of attention afforded the women's game in traditional soccer-playing countries may also have contributed to the United States' early dominance of the international women's game. Another contributing factor is the role of women within American society, which includes relative equality (especially rejecting hardened gender roles) for women in the United States relative to many other countries. This is also reflected in official government policy regarding women in athletics, specifically Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
, which requires college and public school athletics programs to support men's and women's athletics equally. A final factor is the lack of competition from American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
for female athletic talent; since American football is generally not played by females, far more high-caliber female athletes are available to play soccer.
American soccer leagues and associations
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
- United Soccer LeaguesUnited Soccer LeaguesThe United Soccer Leagues is the organizer of several soccer leagues with teams in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It includes men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Leagues currently organized are the USL Pro, the USL Premier Development League, the W-League, and...
- National Premier Soccer LeagueNational Premier Soccer LeagueThe National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league...
- Women's Premier Soccer LeagueWomen's Premier Soccer LeagueThe Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
- Women's United Soccer AssociationWomen's United Soccer AssociationThe Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
(defunct) - Women's Professional SoccerWomen's Professional SoccerWomen's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...
- Major Indoor Soccer League (current)
- Major Indoor Soccer LeagueMajor Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008)The Major Indoor Soccer League was the top professional indoor soccer league in the USA. The league was a member of both the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA. The MISL had replaced the NPSL which folded in 2001. According to MISL.net, the league has ceased operations as of May 31, 2008...
(defunct) - Regional Indoor Soccer LeagueRegional Indoor Soccer LeagueThe Regional Indoor Soccer League is an American professional league that was scheduled to begin play in November 2010. Teams from across the nation planned to compete in both a western and eastern division...
- Professional Arena Soccer LeagueProfessional Arena Soccer LeagueThe Professional Arena Soccer League is an North American indoor soccer league recognized by FIFRA ....
- Premier Arena Soccer LeaguePremier Arena Soccer LeagueThe Premier Arena Soccer League is an Indoor Soccer league with amateur and semi-professional teams. PASL-Premier currently has 38 teams in 6 divisions across the USA and Mexico. PASL-Premier is the official developmental league of the Professional Arena Soccer League .Teams play in regional...
- Xtreme Soccer LeagueXtreme Soccer LeagueThe Xtreme Soccer League was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season--- the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and New Jersey Ironmen...
(defunct) - American Indoor Soccer LeagueAmerican Indoor Soccer LeagueThe American Indoor Soccer League was a semi-professional indoor soccer league founded in 2003 and for now folded in 2008.- History :Founded in 2002, the AISL's headquarters are based in West Springfield, Massachusetts, but the media relations office is based out of Cleveland, Ohio. The league...
(defunct) - National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association
- National Soccer Coaches Association of America
- American Youth Soccer OrganizationAmerican Youth Soccer OrganizationThe American Youth Soccer Organization is a non-profit soccer organization in the United States for children aged 4 through 19. Headquartered in Torrance, California, AYSO has local programs known as "regions" in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago...
- United States Youth Soccer Association
- United States Adult Soccer Association
- United States Soccer FederationUnited States Soccer FederationThe United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. It is a member of FIFA and is responsible for governing amateur and professional soccer, including the men's, women's, youth, futsal...
United States national teams
The United States men's and women's national soccer teams represent the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in international competition
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
.
Men's national team
The men's national team competes in the FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, in addition to the CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
and other competitions by invitation.
Until the 1990s, the United States national team were regarded as one of the world's weaker teams. Highlights before the latter stages of the 20th Century, were firstly finishing third in the first ever World Cup
1930 FIFA World Cup
The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
held in 1930. After qualifying for the 1934 World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
, and withdrawing in 1938
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
, the next World Cup participation came in the 1950 tournament
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
, causing an upset by beating England 1-0
England v United States (1950)
On 29 June 1950, at the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the United States defeated England 1–0 in a group match. This unexpected result has led to the match being described as the "Miracle on Grass", in reference to the 1980 Miracle on Ice, in which the US ice hockey team beat the Soviet Union. The...
in their fourth group match. After 1950, the USA never qualified for the World Cup again until 1990.
After the 1990 World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
, the USA qualified automatically as hosts in the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, losing to Brazil in the round of sixteen. From then on, the team has qualified for every World Cup since, up to and including the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, with the best performance before 2010 being to reach the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, losing to Germany.
On the regional stage, the national team has also improved, with a record up to 2009 of reaching the final of the biannual CONCACAF Gold Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the regional champion of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.The Gold Cup is held every two years and when it does not fall the same year as an...
eight times since 1989, winning it four times, in 1991
1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup
-Group B:---------------------Bracket:-Semifinals:-----Third place match:-Final:-Top scorers:4 goals Benjamin Galindo3 goals Dale Mitchell Eduardo Bennet Luis Cálix Carlos Hermosillo...
, 2002
2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the sixth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean ....
, 2005
2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the eighth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean . It was contested in the United States in July 2005. The United States emerged victorious in the final against an upstart Panama team led by tournament...
, and 2007
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the football championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean , and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from June 6 to June 24, 2007.This competition was the third...
. As 2007 CONCACAF winners, they also progressed to the final of the 2009 edition
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
of the FIFA Confederations Cup
FIFA Confederations Cup
The FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
, narrowly losing in the final
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final was a football match to determine the winners of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. The match was held at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, on 28 June 2009 and was contested by the United States and Brazil. Despite being two goals down at half-time,...
3-2 to five times World Champions Brazil.
Womens national team
The women's national team played its first match on August 18, 1985. It competes in the FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World Cup
The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
, the Summer Olympics
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
, and the Algarve Cup
Algarve Cup
The Algarve Cup is a global invitational tournament for national teams in women's football . Held annually in the Algarve region of Portugal since 1994, it is one of the most prestigious women's football events, alongside the Women's World Cup and Women's Olympic Football...
, in addition to the CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup is a football competition sponsored by CONCACAF, and serves as a qualifying competition to the Women's World Cup. It is played every four years since it replaced the CONCACAF's Women's Championship, a tournament that was held in the 1990s, which sometimes included...
and other competitions by invitation. The United States women's team has been one of the most dominant in the history of women's soccer, having won two World Cups (in 1991 and 1999), three Olympic gold medals (in 1996
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....
, 2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...
, and 2008
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...
), and eight Algarve Cups (in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
2008 Algarve Cup
The 2008 Algarve Cup was the fifteenth edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament held annually in Portugal. It took place between 5 and 12 March 2008 with the reigning champions the United States winning the event for a record sixth time, after defeating Denmark in a...
, 2010
2010 Algarve Cup
-Group B:---------------------Group C:Note: Portugal and Romania drew lots to determine finishing positions---------------------11th Place:-9th Place:-7th Place:-5th Place:-3rd Place:-Final:...
, and 2011
2011 Algarve Cup
-Group B:---------------------Group C:---------------------11th Place:-9th Place:-7th Place:-5th Place:-3rd Place:-Final:-Top Goal Scorers:Golden Boot: Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir...
).
National teams of U.S. unincorporated territories
The following national teams of U.S. unincorporated territories compete in their corresponding regions. Their governing bodies are either member or associate in the corresponding regional federations. For all but American Samoa, players for these territories are, like most local residents, U.S. citizens. Natives of American Samoa are U.S. nationals, but not U.S. citizens.- American Samoa national soccer teamAmerican Samoa national soccer teamThe American Samoa national association football team represents American Samoa in association football and is controlled by the Football Federation American Samoa, the governing body for football in American Samoa. American Samoa's home ground is Veterans Memorial Stadium in Pago Pago and their...
- Guam national football teamGuam national football teamThe Guam national football team is the national team of Guam, an overseas territory of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, and is controlled by the Guam Football Association. They are affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation's East Asian Football Federation region.The team was founded in...
- Northern Mariana Islands national football teamNorthern Mariana Islands national football teamThe Northern Mariana Islands national football team is the international football team of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, controlled by the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association....
- Puerto Rico national football teamPuerto Rico national football teamThe Puerto Rico national football team is the national team of Puerto Rico and is controlled by Federación Puertorriqueña de Fútbol. Puerto Rico's national football team is a member of the Caribbean Football Union, part of the CONCACAF....
- U.S. Virgin Islands national soccer team
See also
- United States soccer league system
- College soccerCollege soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...