![]() ![]() phenomenon.A former Samurai Blue defender nicknamed the “Batman” because he donned a black mask to protect his broken nose in the 2002 World Cup will become the new chief of the Japan Football Association. ![]() For Simon Chadwick, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the Skema Business School in Paris, soccer has been European in nature for the last quarter century, but increasingly “underpinned by American principles-broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals and merchandising, which initially at least was a quintessentially U.S. That FIFA is in advanced negotiations for moving its commercial headquarters from Zurich to New York City makes plain where it sees the growth opportunities. and the rest from Asia and the Middle East. Yet of the eight FIFA global sponsorship partners for the Qatar World Cup, only one-Adidas-is European, while two hail from the U.S. FIFA was founded in Paris and has spent the last 90 years based in Switzerland. for proposing a soccer equivalent to the All-Star Game.īut the shift of power is undeniable. American ownership is often controversial while Liverpool’s owners are beloved, Manchester Utd fans regularly launch violent protests against their owners, while new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been ridiculed in the U.K. Eight of the 20 EPL teams today are American-owned-including Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea-while many others have minority American stakes. sports franchises are increasingly investing in European soccer teams. Plus you can just follow the money: Aside from the MLS, U.S. Then there’s the cultural phenomena like the recent success of shows Ted Lasso and Welcome to Wrexham, which are pushing soccer into the mainstream. That means the newly expanded 48-team version in 2026 will almost certainly blow up all records. World Cup remains the best-attended iteration in history, despite the fact that competition was still in a smaller 24-team format. Largely owing to America’s engrained sports culture and immense stadiums, the 1994 U.S. The staggering reach of the World Cup-this year’s tournament is expected to draw 5 billion viewers from across the world-is another factor. ![]() There are myriad drivers behind the boom, including parents’ concerns regarding possible brain injuries relating to American Football, as well as a national demographic tilt toward Latinos, over three-quarters of whom aged 16 or older profess to be soccer fans. today, according to the Telemundo report. There are an estimated 85 million soccer fans in the U.S. Soccer is also the fastest growing mainstream sport for fans in the U.S., where the number rose 52% between 20. High school soccer participation grew 32% from 2002 to 2019, surpassing baseball, hockey, basketball and American football (which has actually fallen), according to a new report by Telemundo. While soccer has been popular amongst American women for decades, as evidenced by the four World Cups and similar number of Olympic Gold Medals the USWNT have won since 1991, men are now getting in on the act. MLS attendances this season are up 25% over last. The MLS, however, has taken a slow and steady approach that is now paying dividends. In hindsight, critics say that NASL attempted to grow too quickly. When soccer “artists” like England’s Harry Kane or the Netherland’s Memphis Depay tried to paint their pretty passing masterpieces, Adams and fellow midfield enforcer Yunus Musah made no apologies for abruptly kicking over their easels. Under Tyler Adams, the youngest captain at the World Cup, the USMNT showed they were a close-knit group fueled by relentless midfield aggression. team played with a distinct high-energy style and never looked out of place among the “big boys” of European and South American soccer. Yet there were plenty of positives to take from two ties against England and Wales, as well as an emphatic win against Iran. Gregg Berhalter’s inexperienced squad-the second-youngest at the tournament-proved doubters wrong by qualifying undefeated from Group B before Saturday’s tricky knockout game against a star-studded Netherlands team proved a step too far. World Cup team can hold their heads high after a spirited showing in Qatar. It wasn’t the glorious finale they may have hoped for, but members of the U.S.
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