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USA Soccer
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When people think of the most popular USA sports, they probably
think of the classic all-American sports like baseball, football
(American football…), and basketball. Slowly but surely, though,
USA soccer is beginning to make itself known as a favorite American
sport. One thing that most certainly helped soccer become golden
in many American eyes is when the USA women’s soccer team
won the World Cup Championships in 1999.
The USA women’s team has actually won 2 of the 3 quadrennial
World Cups. The USA women’s soccer team had won the World
Cup in 1991, too (the first women’s World Cup ever) and even
won an Olympic Gold at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. They have had
many great players such as Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy,
and Brandi Chastain.
But the 1999 World Cup had a 90,000-plus crowd which seat a record
for attendance at a women’s sporting event. The 1999 World
Cup also sent Brandi Chastain into sports iconography for her famous
shirt-waving at the end of the game – Chastain was so excited
about having won the game that she ripped off her shirt and waved
it at the fans.
Soccer has even become a professional sport in the US with the
advent of Major League Soccer in 1993. The original ten teams were
divided into two conferences: the Eastern Conference (Columbus Crew,
D.C. United, New England Revolution, NY/NJ MetroStars, and Tampa
Bay Mutiny) and the Western Conference (Colorado Rapids, Dallas
Burn, Kansas City Wiz, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Clash).
There are currently 12 teams that compete against each other, but
it seems likely with the growing popularity of soccer in the USA,
more teams will be added. In fact, a few years ago Major League
Soccer was reorganized into three conferences, but returned to two
when some of the teams disbanded.
There have been previous soccer leagues in the US and Canada, there
was even the Indoor Major Soccer League. Unfortunately, some of
the previous professional soccer leagues did not last very long,
but there is no reason to believe that Major League Soccer will
not continue to do well.
Soccer is becoming a very popular sport in the USA. People of all
levels and ages enjoy the sport and play on leagues well into their
senior years.
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