The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

by Phil West
The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

by Phil West

eBook

$13.49  $17.99 Save 25% Current price is $13.49, Original price is $17.99. You Save 25%.

Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps.
WANT A NOOK?  Explore Now

Related collections and offers

LEND ME® See Details

Overview

“A brisk and informative look at Major League Soccer’s first twenty years . . . West gives MLS fans a worthy chronicle.” (Booklist).

In 1988, FIFA decreed that the 1994 World Cup would be played in the United States – with the condition that the U.S. would start a new professional league. The North American Soccer League had failed just four years prior, and the prospects of launching a new league for Americans, who didn’t share the rest of the world’s love for soccer, were both exciting and daunting.

The United States of Soccer is the engaging history of Major League Soccer’s bootstrap origins prior to its 1996 launch, its near-demise in the early 2000s, and its surprising resilience and growth as it won recognition from soccer fans around the world. The book also explores the origin of MLS’s superfans who set the tone within MLS stadiums and defining what it is to be a North American soccer fan. Phil West chronicles those fans’ voices – intermingled with league officials, former players and coaches, journalists, and newspaper accounts – to detail MLS’s remarkable journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781468314137
Publisher: ABRAMS, Inc.
Publication date: 09/01/2022
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 318
Sales rank: 1,020,955
File size: 5 MB

About the Author

Phil West is an Austin, Texas-based writer, a lecturer with The Writing Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a contributor to MLSSoccer.com, Howler, and SB Nation's Stars and Stripes FC. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Austin Chronicle, and San Antonio Express-News.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Chapter 1 The Promise 3

Chapter 2 The Kickoff 23

Chapter 3 The Fire and the Fusion 43

Chapter 4 The Traditional 61

Chapter 5 The Brink 79

Chapter 6 The Underdogs 95

Chapter 7 The Expansion 113

Chapter 8 The First Designated Player 135

Chapter 9 The Sons of Ben 149

Chapter 10 The Rivals 161

Chapter 11 The Believers 179

Chapter 12 The Anniversary 201

Epilogue The Future 219

Sources 233

Interviews 245

Acknowledgments 247

Index 249

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews