Popularity of soccer rises in U.S. for better

Cole Schmitt, Social Media Manager

Soccer in the United States hasn’t been the most watched or liked sport, but with increasing inclines in TV ratings, more cities are gaining teams and with the biggest sporting event in the world coming to the U.S. by 2026, the sport will have taken over the country in popularity. Soccer deserves to have this recognition because of the growing fanbase and youth participation in the U.S. The growth in the sport is a great thing for Americans.

The country’s top soccer division, Major League Soccer, is growing rapidly. The league had just 19 teams in 2014. By 2020, MLS plans on having 28 teams. More cities will be wanting to get in on the action in the league as it is becoming more and more popular. The so-called biggest sports game in the U.S. of the year currently, the Super Bowl, had an attendance of 70,081 in 2019. In the same stadium as the Super Bowl was in 2019, the 2018 MLS Cup champs, Atlanta United, had an attendance of 73,019.

Soccer is the only professional sport in the United States to have a “Supporters Section.” A section designed for people to stand, jump, sing and go crazy during the whole entire game. It’s perfect for Americans.

Youth have taken over the game. Professional teams have academies, youth who play with their age group or older and compete with other professional teams academies. As the younger players mature, a lot of their future athletic careers will depend on their education.

There are many soccer teams that vary depending on clubs. There are also many leagues and divisions. When a child is put on a soccer team, they get evaluated and put on a team that fits them best. This is great for children and their parents as nobody wants to see a child not succeed, not get much playing time or lose every game by five goals. Instead, they will be competing with peers on their own level of play and every game will be competitive and will make the kids better as a player and a human being.

Lastly, the biggest sporting event in the world, the World Cup, is coming to the United States of America in 2026. This will be huge for U.S. as Americans will sell out every single game. Soccer as a whole will be publicized around the country a ton. Soccer will be so popular that there won’t be one person in the world who doesn’t know what’s going on with this sport.

The growth in popularity of soccer will be great for the country. There is nothing more American than supporting your U.S. team. By 2026 we could be looking at soccer as one of the most, if not the most popular sport in the United States.