Remember Me
forgot your password?

History Of Soccer In The US

Although soccer is not THE sport in the US, the history of soccer in US is one of the longest around, right next to that of the English or the Scottish.

After the English set out to form a set of rules for the game of soccer, these were soon taken to the new World, where Americans learned to love this rising sport, right next to another game that grew strong roots in the US back then: baseball. Actually, the American Football Association is the second oldest sports league in America, after the Major League Baseball one.

Obviously, the history of soccer in US didn't start with a professional league though (in terms of what we call professional today). The American Football Association, started out in 1884, was a semi-professional competition involving New England and some Midwest areas and it was a rather chaotic environment to play soccer in, but nevertheless it was there and progressing with each year.

A parallel soccer organization, the American Amateur Football Association was founded around the same time and the two coexisted until 1913, when they merged into the US Football Association, the first fully professional soccer organization throughout the history of soccer in the US.

The US football association (or USFA) was one of the first to join FIFA and as such, the United States team participated in the early World Cups, although the game was beginning to become outshined by baseball or basketball.

With American football also on the rise, the organization adopted a new name to avoid any confusion and called itself the US Soccer Football Association. However, the US soccer history would soon witness a new change in its governing body's name in 1974, when the USSFA dropped "Football" from its tag and instead adopted the title of United States Soccer Federation, which is still used today.

So many will wonder, if the history of soccer in US starts out so early, how come soccer is not the main sport in USA? Well the truth is that the rather modest performances from the men's national side early on in the 20th century, combined with the high rise of baseball, basketball, football and hockey, meant that the nation soon lost interest in soccer and since American kids had so many alternatives, soccer slowly went out of fashion.

However, with the increasingly good performances from the US men's soccer team and the huge success of the women's soccer team (who managed to bring in the first trophies in the history of soccer in US and is still one of the world powers in the game today), soccer is climbing back to its rightful place and with more and more American kids favoring it in school as a start-up sport, things look bright for the future of US soccer.

Niv Orlian
Niv Orlian is the author and the owner of a Soccer Fans website that provides information on various topics related to soccer such as the history of soccer, rules, famous soccer players ,real time news, statistics, and training guides.
Rate this Article: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)
Print Email Re-Publish

Add new Comment



Captcha

  • Latest Soccer Articles
  • More from Niv Orlian

German keeper commits suicide

By: fivewood | 11/11/2009
Tributes are being paid as the world of football mourns Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, who has died after being struck by a train in an apparent suicide

Italian Serie A- Inter Milan Still the Leader Despite their draw with Roma 1-1

By: Ally White | 11/11/2009
Inter Milan F.C, the current champs, missed a good opportunity to stretch their lead at the top of the Italian Serie A League, after drawing 1-1 with AS Roma at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium. This victory brings Internazionale to nine wins, two draws and a defeat to establish themselves as the leaders with 29 points.

Beginner Soccer Drills - How To Take Your Game To The Next Level

By: Tanner Hemingway | 11/11/2009
Beginner soccer drills are so important in the overall development of young players not just because they are a starting point but because they will shape the players style later down the track.

This weekend's British football round up 6th/7th/8th November 2009

By: fivewood | 11/11/2009
A full round up of the football results from around England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for the weekend of the 31st October /1st November 2009

Chelsea boss Ancelotti claims English more sporting than Italians

By: Maryann.Davis | 11/11/2009
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is critical of his countryman in an interview in La Gazzetta dello Sport, for not being as sporting as the English.

Youth Football

By: Paul1 a5 Robert1 | 10/11/2009
The answer may surprise you. Many youth football teams try to emulate the coach that he had seen on television over the last week or what the coach ran like a high school player 20 years ago. Unfortunately, what works in the College or Pro level on television often does not work very well at the youth level. High School Coach of the system may well have proved to his team's 20-30 years ago, 6 days a week of practice and fleet Running back, but sad at the youth level.

Gosh, a Soccer Fundraiser to Pay for Shoes

By: Howard Gottlieb | 10/11/2009
Soccer shoes have become a large expense involved in playing soccer. There is no such thing as a regular soccer shoe anymore and with that comes some expense. Many teams that require all players to have the same style shoe or a more technologically sound one have decided to do a soccer fundraiser to help with the cost.

Looking for the Perfect Soccer Fund Raiser?

By: Howard Gottlieb | 10/11/2009
Easy Fundraising Ideas can work with you to design the perfect soccer fund raiser for your team or league. Whether you are raising money for uniforms, soccer camp, registration fees or tournaments, Easy Fundraising Ideas can help you choose the absolute best soccer fundraising idea.

How To Choose The Best Carpet Cleaners

By: Niv Orlian | 18/02/2008 | Home Improvement
When you have carpet, after a while it becomes difficult to keep it clean, using the traditional tools such as brooms and vacuums. When it becomes impossible for you to get your carpet cleaned, you may have to start searching for the best carpet cleaning company that you can afford...

Tips On How To Repair Hardwood Floor Scratches

By: Niv Orlian | 14/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Hardwood floor scratches are inevitable. At some point, scratches will happen. If you have hardwood flooring, it's important that you learn how to do simple scratch repairs yourself. However, before you start fixing any scratches, you'll need to learn how to differentiate between scratches and gouges on your hardwood floor. A...

A Guide To Hardwood Floor Protection

By: Niv Orlian | 14/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Before you can initiate some hardwood floor protection measures, you first need to know what could potentially damage your floor. Basically, your hardwood floor has 5 big enemies: dirt, dust, spills, water and sunlight. We'll cover each of these in this article: - Dirt Foot traffic is how dirt typically gets on...

Avoid Using Vinegar To Clean Hardwood Floors!

By: Niv Orlian | 14/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Have you recently installed a hardwood floor? Bear in mind that in order to keep the shine and new look on your hardwood floor, you'll have to clean it regularly and properly. You've probably heard some of the pros say that the best way to clean hardwood floors is to...

Staining Hardwood Floors

By: Niv Orlian | 11/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Between hardwood floors and furniture pieces, the latter tend to be changed much more often. If you've had hardwood floors for a while, you know firsthand the design or aesthetic problems that come up whenever you change your furniture pieces. At one time, your furniture and hardwood floor matched visually....

5 Types Of Hardwood Floors Popular Today

By: Niv Orlian | 09/02/2008 | Home Improvement
There are types of hardwood floors that look good in virtually every type of room. Before choosing a type of hardwood floor to install in a room, you need to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of the various types. There are currently five popular hardwood flooring types. When you...

Tools And Steps For Removing Hardwood Flooring

By: Niv Orlian | 09/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Although hardwood floors should last about 40 years, in the real world things happen to damage it over time and sometimes it becomes necessary to remove hardwood floors. Whether you are interested in removing few pieces without damaging it or to go for hardwood flooring demolition, it will depend on...

The Staple Down Technique To Laying Hardwood Floors

By: Niv Orlian | 09/02/2008 | Home Improvement
Do it yourself hardwood floors is now easier than ever due to the staple down technique. This technique is fast and requires little cure time. In fact, this technique of laying hardwood floors is followed by only about one day to complete. At that time you can move all of your...

Submit Your Articles Free: Signup
Article Categories




Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Copyright © 2005-2008 Free Articles by ArticlesBase.com, All rights reserved. (0.06, 1, w1)