The World Cup is coming!
A long time ago, in a city far, far away (New York), I was the editor-in-chief of a soccer magazine. Striker came from the same great minds that brought you SLAM magazine, and we tried to capture the excitement behind soccer’s global appeal, especially as it was bubbling in America. At the time, following soccer wasn’t all that easy, at least unless you had the great Fox Soccer Channel, which was a lifeline for soccer fans in the U.S.
As we found out, players from around the world were eager to spread their marketing gospels to the United States, and we were able to get time with superstars such as Thierry Henry and Michael Ballack, and don’t even ask me about the days I got to spend with David and Victoria Beckham.
Our problem was that while soccer was growing in popularity, it wasn’t growing fast enough. Each issue that dropped on newsstands sold about twice as many as the previous one, but the financial infrastructure of soccer in the United States couldn’t support a magazine like ours, much less a website or a network. After about a year, our bosses showed Striker a red card.
It used to be that being a soccer fan marked you as a member of a sophisticated club. If you liked soccer, you were someone who understood there was a world of sports out there beyond football, baseball and basketball. These days, soccer is all over the place. I’m still crazy about soccer, it’s just much easier to be a fan. My weekend mornings are spent perusing all levels of soccer from across Europe and Asia on my TV. You can even find live soccer matches on network TV every weekend! You can catch live soccer from South or Central America most nights. And if you’re really desperate for soccer, you can watch MLS, which is readily available on streaming services.
Soccer is about to be more ubiquitous than ever beginning this week, as the World Cup is coming to Canada, Mexico and the United States. The games begin on Thursday afternoon, and Team USA will play their first game on Friday against Paraguay. The U.S. couldn’t have received a much more favorable draw, and with proven coach Mauricio Pocchetino on the sideline, anything less than advancing out of group play should be looked at as a disappointment. (France and Spain are the heavy favorites to win it all, if you’re into that kind of thing. I always root for England or Sweden, for familial reasons, and I appreciate Brazil because they prioritize style over everything.)
Will this be the time soccer sticks in the United States? This week, when I bought my regular tub of yogurt at the grocery store, it came with an action photo of USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams on the package, although I’m guessing most shoppers will be buying it for the actual yogurt, not because of their appreciation of Tyler Adams.
Perhaps one day that will change. I’m betting Yamine Lamal was able to swing by Walmart in Chattanooga this week unnoticed during Spain’s training camp. Maybe someday soon Christian Pulisic will get hounded for autographs at the movie theater, or Sergiño Dest will need security to get through the lines at the airport.
But for now, soccer remains behind the major sports in the United States. This week, as the world comes to North America, hopefully the beautiful game will keep inching toward prominence, one kick at a time.