Soccer is arguably the fastest growing sport in the United States. With teams popping up everywhere, and 3 leagues having legitimate relevancy in our country, soccer is in no doubt making an uprising in the US.
There’s many ways to analyze soccer’s popularity in the US. Of course, the easiest way is to check the attendance rates. So, that’s exactly what I did. For the first time in the history of the league, the MLS as a whole is averaging over 20,000 fans a contest. Expansion team Orlando City, who came from the USL, leads the league in attendance, with over 42,000 fans per game. That’s mind-boggling. We’re talking about the 5th most popular sport in the country, and they’re drawing crowds that compare with basketball and hockey.
What Has Made Soccer Popular?
United States National Teams
Mia Hamm and Landon Donovan paved the way. The recent World Cup success for the Men’s (see: success), and Women’s teams have brought more popularity to our country. Who can forget the unbelievable Landon Donovan game winning goal vs Algeria in the 2010 World Cup?
It was that moment that truly confirmed soccer’s lasting existence in the US. Since then, we’ve seen the heroics of John Brooks, who’s header clinched the win vs Ghana, and made the name John Brooks known in every household across America.
Of course, those moments opened the doors for soccer to be successful in America.
Major League Soccer
The MLS is doing something they’ve never done before. They’re attracting big names. Albeit, washed up stars, but nonetheless, name recognition is huge. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Villa, and Kaka are names that are known throughout the world. They are also all playing in the MLS. Kaka plays for Orlando City SC, which ranks 1st in attendance with over 40,000 a game. David Villa (and possibly Frank Lampard) plays for NYCFC, which ranks 3rd in attendance. Lastly, Steven Gerrard plays for the LA Galaxy, which ranks 5th in attendance. Sense a pattern? People like name recognition, and they like big stars.
North American Soccer League and United Soccer League
These 2 leagues are the smaller, yet still relevant soccer leagues in America.
The NASL is trying to rival the MLS for the top spot among the American Soccer Pyramid (believe it or not). They’ve done this by getting teams in major markets. They have teams in Miami, Indianapolis, Edmonton, Atlanta, Ottawa, and New York. They also have teams in relatively smaller markets like Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, San Antonio, and Jacksonville. The NASL is a very competitive league that is 1 step away from seriously rivaling the MLS.
The USL is taking a much different strategy. USL is partnering with the MLS, and expanding in cities they think they can take away from the NASL. The MLS and USL are sort of like a tag-team, trying to knockout the seemingly-independent NASL. The United Soccer League has become more of a development league for players, and for the MLS. There’s MLS 2nd teams (Reserve teams) in the USL. There’s the New York Red Bulls 2, Toronto FC 2, FC Montreal, Seattle Sounders FC 2, LA Galaxy 2, Portland Timbers 2, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, and Real Monarchs SLC. Of course there’s the local teams. Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Austin, Charlotte, and Saint Louis all have decent size markets, and all have teams in the USL.
Conclusion
The MLS has been drawing interest because they’ve been bringing in big name stars. The NASL and USL has soccer teams all over the country, which makes it a relevant sport everywhere. Everything I mentioned above are key components to soccer becoming popular in the United States. Soccer’s popularity has been increasing, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.
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