A ton of buzz surrounds the U.S. men’s soccer team right now, as the Americans open knockout play in the World Cup, starting tomorrow against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
With U.S. soccer looking increasingly relevant in the tournament, it leads to the question: would a deep tournament run spark a boom for the beautiful game in the United States? If that question sounds familiar, it should. Pundits have asked it, or a variation, several times in the past several decades.
How big can soccer get in the United States? And, especially in areas like East Tennessee, where the other football is the undisputed king of sports?
To answer this question, I-81 Sports reached out to some of the coaches in Northeast Tennessee for their thoughts on how the World Cup may affect interest and participation in soccer. Their comments have been edited for grammar and clarity.
David Strickland is the head coach of the boys program at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, TN.
Strickland: “The MLS has seen a 62% increase this year on viewership averaging 7.9 million viewers a week watching matches. This Cup and the run of the USA will help bring new levels of commercial sponsorships because of the growing fan base and numbers of fans. The USA making a deep run also will attract more top international players to want to come and play in the MLS because they see how amazing our country is and the quality of our players.
“We will see a swell in more kids (both boys and girls) joining in and playing in their local leagues and schools. This will light a fire on the sport and it will have more players than many other sports combined. … There will be an increase of adult recreational leagues and kick-arounds that will swell because of soccer fever. More bars will show more soccer because they understand it will drive sales in their establishments. I can see a push for more soccer fields (pitches) being built and improvements in current facilities.
“One thing that brings people together is sports (soccer) and music. This is a time that everyone puts down their differences and enjoys the sport, united. It also brings the best out of different cultures.
“We will see the fan who did not watch soccer become a casual fan, who takes in local games and will watch with friends. We will see casual fans become real fans, who attach to a pro team, know the players, attend matches, and wear the merch. And the real fan will turn into a ‘soccer madness fan,’ the type who watches many games a week, gets involved on the local level, either playing, coaching or referring. They will have favorite teams from all around the world, while also following our national team (both the men and women).
“Expect soccer to become a year-round cultural presence, not just a youth sport. We get to enjoy and love the rest of this World Cup in the USA. Also, a reminder the Women’s World Cup is in Brazil 2027 and our women’s team (which has won four Cups) is one of the top teams in the tournament. It is buzzing, and will keep on growing!”
Tom LaGuardia is a former head high school coach at Dobyns-Bennett and Sullivan South in Kingsport, TN.
LaGuardia: “The casual soccer fan/patriot will tune in the deeper that the USMNT advances in the tournament. In the end, I don’t think a deep run suddenly makes soccer mainstream to the first time supporter. It’s similar to the 1980 Miracle on Ice. We all tuned in, we were all wrapped in the moment, but we didn’t suddenly start playing ice hockey. What the Cup has done is show the average American fan the passion and spectacle that surrounds the game. Being at a World Cup match this year was a different experience than I’ve ever had at a soccer match. Premier League, national team games, MLS … [all] are a completely different experience that falls very short of a World Cup atmosphere. Even being in Germany for a World Cup qualifier last fall, while a great experience, falls short of an actual World Cup match.”
Jacob Park is a former goalie at Dobyns-Bennett and a volunteer assistant coach for both the girls and boys soccer programs at his alma mater.
Park: “Do I think the United States making a deep run or, if they somehow could WIN a World Cup, that soccer would become a staple sport in the U.S.? My unfortunate answer is no. Soccer popularity was too late to the punch. Every game in the U.S. is pay to play. The benefit of the ‘Big 4’ is that they are all a part of deep cultural history, so people are WILLING to shell out the money. Soccer was too late to that group, people are interested, but ultimately they fall back to what is common.
“I think a deep run will definitely increase popularity, funding, and absolutely leave a relative impact, but a long-term, long-lasting legacy? I think that’s a stretch. USMNT success definitely helps the issue! But it would be a band-aid on a system that’s not built for this game’s longevity.”
Chris Kudera is the former head coach at David Crockett High School.
Kudera: “If the United States makes a deep run in the World Cup this summer, will soccer finally become a mainstream sport in America? As much as I want to believe the answer is yes, I don’t think it will. That’s not because soccer isn’t popular. It’s the most popular sport in the world by a mile. We’re seeing that right now with fans traveling from all over the globe to follow their national teams. Scotland is probably the best example. Their supporters have become almost as famous as the team itself because they’ll travel anywhere to support their country. In many parts of the world, soccer isn’t just a sport. It’s part of a country’s identity.
“I just don’t think America views soccer the same way. Even if the United States makes a deep run, soccer still has to compete with football, basketball, baseball, hockey, NASCAR, and everything else Americans spend their weekends watching. We saw something similar during the World Cup in Qatar. American fans showed up, bought tickets, and supported the team, but once the tournament ended, life pretty much went back to normal.
“Could a deep run create excitement? Absolutely. I think we’d see more kids signing up to play. We’d sell a lot more U.S. jerseys. Sports talk radio might even discuss soccer for a few weeks. But I don’t think one successful World Cup run suddenly changes soccer’s place in American sports culture. What interests me more is what that would mean for soccer here in Northeast Tennessee.
“Having coached high school soccer for several years, I’ve watched our local soccer landscape change quite a bit. We’ve seen clubs form, split apart, merge together, and sometimes do it all over again. There are a lot of good people involved in youth soccer, but I also think too often the focus shifts away from the players and toward the ambitions of the adults. Everyone wants exposure. Everyone wants to help kids get to the next level. I understand that. But somewhere along the way, I think we’ve lost sight of a simple question: are kids still having fun? Because what I’ve noticed over the years is that participation drops off as players get older. I don’t think that’s because they stopped loving soccer. I think it’s because soccer becomes a grind. The travel, the costs, the pressure, and the year-round commitment eventually turn something that was once fun into something that feels more like a job.
“Rec soccer is where most kids first fall in love with the game. It’s where they learn to compete, make friends, and discover whether they actually enjoy playing. If we don’t protect that part of the sport, then the competitive side eventually suffers, too. I’ve come to believe that the measure of a healthy soccer community isn’t how many Division I players it produces. It’s how many players still love the game when they’re 18 years old.”
As it turns out, the question may not be, can Americans learn to love soccer, but, will soccer love them back?