Table of Contents
Introduction: How American Soccer Got Its Own Day of Infamy 9
Chapter 1 How Americans Became Worthy of the World Stage 23
Chapter 2 Klinsmann and the Dual National Debate 45
Chapter 3 How MLS Was Created, Saved, and Nurtured to Respectability 69
Chapter 4 MLS Academies: The New Tip of the Spear 91
Chapter 5 Beyond Bradenton: The Development Academy Reinvents Itself 113
Chapter 6 Bienvenido al Futuro: On Finding and Developing Latino Players 131
Chapter 7 The U-20s and the U-23s: First Team Players-In-Waiting 153
Chapter 8 Americans Abroad: When Young Players Choose Clubs in Other Countries 169
Chapter 9 Home-Field Advantage [and How to Create Soccer-Specific Support in American Football Stadiums] 191
Chapter 10 How the Rest of the World Will Weigh in on America's World Cup Aspirations, and How We Might Respond 213
World Cup Hosts, Winners, and Runners-Up 230
Sources 231
Interview List 255
Acknowledgments 257
Index 261