You
don't have to major in the history of soccer in US to
know that this sport is still far from popular, in comparison to
baseball, hockey or basketball. But I've seen American soccer
underestimated for a while and people tend to believe that if the game
is not the most popular here, it doesn't have a history.
I'd like to correct this false belief and tell you that the US soccer
history is actually one of the longest in the World, being the 3rd
country to have a national soccer team, after England and Scotland.
You simply cannot call yourself a real
soccer enthusiast if you don't own this series of DVDs.
The History of Soccer – The Beautiful Game has over 14 hours of
impressive footage, legendary interviews and a complete collection of
all goals from World Cup finals. Read
my
review…
History
of Soccer in US – Early Days The fact that the US had a national soccer
team for so long, doesn't automatically mean they had a good soccer
competition overall. Actually, with the lack of support and popularity
swirling around soccer, there wasn't a serious national club
competition like European and South American countries already
had.
With regional divisions that were slightly different
in format and organization, the national team had to suffer as well and
despite qualifying for the first 4
World Cups ever held, a dark period
in the history of soccer in US followed, as the national team did not
even manage to qualify for a World Cup between 1954 until 1986.
History
of Soccer in USA – 1990 and the Shot Heard Round the
World In the Italy 1990 World Cup qualifying
campaign, the US soccer team did not manage to play especially well,
but was still in the competition for a qualifying place.
The last match of the campaign
would be a crucial one, with the team
playing one of themost
important games in US
soccer history, against Trinidad and Tobago. The Trinidad
side only
needed a draw to go forth to Italy 1990, whereas the United States
needed a win, making the match even more dramatic.
Although Trinidad and Tobago did not qualify for a World Cup
in their
entire history, this match was a huge opportunity for them and coped
with the fact that they played home, they were considered favorites.
But US' Paul Caligiuri's goal in the 31st minute remained the only of
the game, earning one of the most beautiful and hard-earned
qualifications in America's soccer history.
The goal scored by Caligiuri would soon be known as "the Shot Heard
Round the World" as it brought the US team back on the first stage of
soccer.
"The Shot
Heard Round the World"
History of Soccer in USA – 1994 and the Revival of US Soccer The 1990 World Cup did not bring a lot of
success for the US soccer team, however it brought back the public
interest for soccer back home. An immediate reaction was that a lot of
investors sought an opportunity to make good money off soccer and the
US made a "deal" with FIFA, promising the
Federation that the US will organize a Division One style competition,
in exchange that they host a World Cup in the future.
It wouldn't take long for that to happen, as the US were set to
organize the 1994 World Cup and a national division competition was
formed, called the Major League Soccer (MLS).
From thereon, the US soccer team is in a constant growth and pushed by
the success of the women's national soccer team, they are waiting for
at
least another semi-final in a World Cup, which remains as the
best performance in the history of soccer in US.
The last match of the campaign
would be a crucial one, with the team
playing one of the most
important games in 