When you think of soccer in America, a casual fan may think of D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls or perhaps the Los Angeles Galaxy. But if you ask a soccer junkie, they may throw names out like the Rochester Rhinos or the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The growth of soccer within the United States has been a grass roots effort and, because of the passion of the fans, Major League Soccer has become a destination; not just a destination for homegrown players, but for foreign players as well.
MLS is not the only American Soccer League that has seen growth; the North American Soccer league has grown as well. Wait, that is not all, there is also the USL-Pro that happens to have clubs affiliated with a few MLS Clubs such as Sporting KC and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Grass Roots Soccer
The love affair between soccer fans and their sport is very unique and it seems to be heightened within the sport of soccer. Baseball, football, hockey and basketball have their rabid fans of course, but when their respective season ends, these fans switch their allegiance to another sport. Soccer fans on the other hand, remain loyal to the sport they love throughout the entire year. If the MLS and NASL season ends, there is the PASL, which is an indoor soccer league, as well as the various big leagues in Europe that run on an opposite season than the United States. Soccer is very much 365 days a year.
Fans of soccer are not just confined to large Metropolitan Cities. There are fans throughout the country and because of this, there is a need for smaller leagues. The NASL has stepped right in and filled this void perfectly. These teams, such as the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Indy Eleven and the San Antonio Scorpions have a devout following and draw crowds that are well educated on the fundamentals of soccer. If you feel this is an embellishment, don’t just take my word; follow these teams on social media and you will see many supporters of these “smaller” clubs. The loyalty that these fans show for their particular club rivals that of MLS and this only ignites the debate on which league has the rowdier fans.
The league known as the USL-Pro is unique in that many players have began their careers within this league and have gone on to have a great career in Major League Soccer. Orlando City SC is actually leaving the USL-Pro and joining MLS in 2015. The Los Angeles Galaxy have the Los Angeles Galaxy Two which plays in this league, and the league has expanded this year with the addition of the Oklahoma Energy FC; which goes to show that there are fans of soccer in states where you would not think there would be a fan base as loyal as those in the larger markets.
American fans now no longer have to wait for the weekend to get their fix of the sport they are crazy about, with the NASL and the USL-Pro providing secondary and tertiary options. Quite literally, there are soccer matches almost every day. Fans of MLS may believe that the quality of soccer in their league rivals that of some leagues in Europe, but ask a fan of the NASL and the USL-Pro and they will say that soccer is played just as well in these leagues and that finally the country is taking notice.
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Main Photo Credit: via Tedzsee @ Wiki Commons
