4 Signs That Point to Soccer's Continued Growth in the United States

With news breaking that 2018 World Cup TV rankings in the United States have dropped as much as 44 percent since the 2014 World Cup, it would be reasonable to conclude that soccer may not be on the rise as was once believed. What this number doesn’t take into account is the fact that Brazil, the host country of 2014, is in a much more similar time zone to the United States than Russia, this year's host. More obviously, in 2014 the USMNT not only was in the tournament but was highly competitive, making it out of the group stage. Ultimately, the TV ratings shouldn’t be considered a major factor towards soccer’s growth in the US. Instead, what should be considered are these four signs that point toward substantial growth for soccer moving forward.

1. Stars Moving to MLS

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced he would sign with LA Galaxy, he joined a long list of European stars who had come to play in the MLS during the late stages of their careers. A more recent and welcomed aspect of players coming to the MLS is the young players who are joining the league. With signings like 19-year-old Ezequiel Barco, it is becoming clear that players are becoming more and more attracted to the rising pay the MLS can offer as well as the culture and lifestyle offered by the United States.

2. Soccer and Fashion Culture

Over the years, brands like Converse and Nike have blended the line between basketball athletic wear and street wear. This not only allows fans to represent their teams, it raises awareness to non-fans who may otherwise have never heard of a given player or team. Lesser known brands like ‘Futbolr’ are doing for soccer what those brands have long done for basketball by merging soccer wear with day-to-day fashion. As soccer fashion continues to grow in popularity, it will continue to drive more and more people towards the game.

3. Health

As CTE has become a household name, health has become a primary concern with regard to sports. According to the LA Times, while football has five million fewer youth players in the United States than soccer, it has 275 percent more injuries. Further, this statistic does not even account for the higher rate of head injuries in football compared to soccer. Additionally, The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that soccer also compares relatively well to basketball with respect to injury rates. As health gets pushed further into the limelight, soccer will continue to rise as a viable alternative.

4. 2026

In 2026, the United States will (co)host the World Cup for the first time since 1994. Aside from the obvious thrill over getting to host the greatest players in the world, soccer fans should be excited at the potential growth that will follow being a host country. As the former president of U.S. Soccer Alan Rothenberg said “The development of the national team and the creation of Major League Soccer wouldn't have happened without the World Cup." With American soccer now much more established than it was then, the World Cup in 2026 has the potential to push American soccer into full-fledged legitimacy.