But that’s the thing. young kids are playing. US Youth soccer is the largest participation sports organization in the world. More kids play soccer in the US than all other sports combined. On top of that, every kid seems to play FIFA on their game consoles. When I told my son who our Pitt Goalkeeper is, he said “oh yeah I know who he is, his Dad is one of the best GK to use on Fifa.” And in large suburban HS’s, the soccer players aren’t the unathletic kids who couldn’t play football like they were when I was in HS decades ago. Their games aren’t the large community events that Friday night football is, but they’re a part of the student body fabric and spirit.
The difference is the career pathway still is not great domestically and the kids have to go to Europe to make it big. And of course soccer isn’t a street game in this country, so it’s not being played in our big urban centers or on fields throughout Florida, Georgia, etc.
Old crotchety men like John Steigerwald and guys in depressed areas don’t get it and therefore don’t like it and they are all too happy to tell you. But times are changing. I won’t be here to see it, but Id bet within 2-3 generations our domestic league will be a top league in the world and it will be our #2 sport, or higher. We saw a boom 20 years ago and will eventually see the effects of the 2026 World Cup to be held here.
As I posted in another thread, ESPN made a point to say that the NFL was an afterthought in 1972. Then the immaculate reception happened, the steeler dynasty happened, and the sport blew up to what it is today. Times are always changing and I suspect our sporting landscape will continue to do so.