The United States And Soccer Development

Although soccer has been played in the United States for a long time now, it has been seen as an amateur sport for decades.

More popular and appealing sports in the United States, such as basketball, baseball, and American football, have overshadowed soccer in the United States.

However, the narrative has been changing as more people show immense interest in the sport, causing gravitation from it being seen as a fringe sport. The USA was the center of world sports attraction when the country hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994.

The United States men’s senior soccer league known as the Major League Soccer (MLS)  has continued to grow in leaps and bounds, attracting a host of veteran professional footballers over the last decade. These players had plied their trade at the highest level of football across Europe.

Examples are former England and Manchester United legend David Beckham, Gonzalo Higuain, Frenchman Blaise Matuidi, former Brazilian winger Robinho, and Swede legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The likes of Freddy Adu and Landon Donovan are some of the talented young stars that the MLS has produced.

It is worthy to note that until the 1960s, the United States of America had no professional football league. Following the failure of the North American league to maintain a long-term status, it folded up in the early 1980s.

The performances of the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) have been fantastic. The USWNT is the current champion of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.