US men’s World Cup team reignites nation’s love affair with soccer  

The U.S. men’s national team’s clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina this week will mark a major moment for soccer in the United States, which has exploded in popularity since the World Cup was last played on North American soil more than two decades ago.  

The U.S. team shocked many when it handily won its first two games in group play against Paraguay and Australia, before suffering a last-second defeat at the hands of Turkey late last week.  

The U.S. plays Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night in Santa Clara, Calif., in the round of 32.  

Television ratings for the first U.S. matches have been sky-high, and watch parties across the country have been filled with thousands of fans who believe the Americans, for the first time in years, could be a force to be reckoned with during the tournament’s knockout stage.  

“America loves winners, and we also love big events,” said Matt Winkler, a self-described soccer junkie and adviser to American University’s sports analytics and management program. 

“We’re so divided, and social media is making it worse. People need something that everyone can get behind, and boy is the timing right for all of this,” he said. 

The commercial success of the World Cup in 1994, the last one held in the U.S., led to the creation of MLS, which today holds 30 teams in nearly every major media market in the country, including three teams in Canada, and has racked up an estimated value totaling more than $23 billion. 

Top players from around the world like Lionel Messi, Thomas Müller and Denis Bouanga have flocked to MLS clubs.

Observers point to the emergence of soccer video games, youth soccer camps and the changing live sports viewing ecosystem as key factors driving the game’s popularity, which has seemingly reached a fever pitch this summer.  

“Now all the suburban kids in the U.S. are playing soccer, and everyone is one click away from this product,” Winkler said. “So, the biggest difference is everyone is way more familiar with the game now at the same time we have this international soccer viewing boom.”  

The U.S. women’s national team has enjoyed more success in World Cups than the men, winning the championship most recently in 2019 and turning stars such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe into household names.

International soccer is also becoming more popular in the U.S, observers have noted.  

NBC’s securing of rights to show the English Premier League and Apple’s recent deal to show MLS matches are signs the American market for soccer is growing, they say.  

“Streaming media created more inventory, which........

© The Hill