2010 FIFA World Cup: USA Loses Battle of Ghana, Winning War in America

The United States’ loss to Ghana last weekend in the Round of 16 was disappointing for a number of reasons.

For starters, it was the second World Cup in a row that the African side eliminated the Yanks from the tournament.

Even Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, said, “I think the team is capable of more; we’re disappointed we didn’t get to play another 90 minutes at least.”

Nonetheless, the fact remains that the popularity of soccer is on the rise in United States. Team USA may have lost the battle with Ghana, but the beautiful game is still winning the war in America.

Publicity

Let’s start with the publicity factor.

I applaud ESPN for covering this year’s World Cup with more interest than ever before. For the first time in my life, I’ve seen several high-profile soccer-centric commercials with great production values.

There was also Maurice Edu’s disallowed goal against Slovenia (pictured), which ironically, ended up helping U.S. Soccer.

Nothing motivates Americans more than a perceived injustice. The must-win situation that followed made USA’s next match more meaningful (i.e. it was more exciting), gave the team a reason to win, and those who otherwise would not have watched the game, a reason to tune in.

The win over Algeria also clinched a first place spot, so the Yanks ultimately lost nothing over the controversial call, but the gains were extraordinary.

Ratings

Viewership for USA’s three group matches averaged 11.1 million, up from 6.6 million in 2006, thanks to a highly anticipated opening match with England that drew 17.1 million viewers.

By comparison, 16.9 million Americans watched the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France.

Nielsen also reported that 19.4 million Americans (just shy of the 21 million for the Lakers/Celtics in game 7 of the NBA Finals) watched USA’s quarter-final loss to Ghana, making it the most watched soccer match in U.S. history

The previous record holder was the 1994 final between Italy and Brazil, which drew 18.1 million eyeballs.

“The record viewership proves that soccer is as popular as it’s ever been in the United States,” said Stephen Master, VP of Sports at The Nielsen Company.

Major League Soccer (MLS)

Although the first season did not take place until 1996, MLS was founded in 1993 as part of the U.S. Soccer’s bid to host the 1994 World Cup.

Before that, the United States had not had a professional league since the North American Soccer League (NASL)—where Pele ended his career with the New York Cosmos—went belly-up in 1984.

Team USA has qualified for every single World Cup since the creation of MLS and the quality of the league has improved dramatically over the last 15 years.

David Beckham provided a huge financial boost when he signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007 and other international superstar have followed, including Mexico’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco, as well as Sweden’s former captain and Arsenal hero, Freddie Ljungberg. Rumor has it that Thierry Henry will join the New York Red Bulls during the summer transfer window.

The 2007 season marked the first time in MLS history that television rights were sold at a profit (before that, the league paid networks to broadcast its matches), with every single regular season game telecast live, many of them nationwide.

The presence of Beckham and other international players has allowed MLS to sell foreign distribution as well. Other countries have also started taking notice of MLS’s talent pool, with the majority of USA’s 2010 World Cup squad composed of foreign-based payers.

Youth Programs

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are soccer programs, which can only develop over time.

One must understand that teams who traditionally perform well in international competitions (e.g. Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, etc.) have been devoted to the sport for generations. The youth in these areas, grow up playing soccer and those who aspire to become professionals are not lured by the distractions of American football, basketball, or baseball, America’s favorite pastime.

Team USA and MLS will only get better as a greater percentage of youth migrate towards soccer, something that is already happening.

A generation is about 14 years, give or take. There was a surge in soccer interest following Pele’s involvement in the NASL. Roughly 14 years later, MLS was born.

Now, 15 years later, MLS does not even resemble the league it was during its infancy, and USA's 2010 World Cup squad was arguably the best ever, with most of its players having been recruited to European clubs due to their performance in MLS, thereby granting the league a greater sense of legitimacy.

And consider this: in 1969, just over 2200 high schools fielded soccer teams versus 14,000 American football teams. Two generations, or 30 years later, that number has grown to 11,000 high school soccer teams with virtually no change whatsoever in the number of American football programs.

Imagine how well the next generation of American players will do 12 years from now in the 2022 World Cup.

With 3.9 million youths playing organized soccer—more than any other nation in the world—the United States is quite literally the future of the beautiful game.