The Expansion Of The US Men's Soccer Team

In 1904, 7 nations got together in Paris in order to found a global soccer organization: FIFA. Since then, 204 more nations have joined the group; one of these nations was the United States. In 1913, USA became one of the first nations to join FIFA that was outside of Europe. From then on, US soccer grew. In 1934, the US Men’s National Team competed in their first World Cup. While it would take 16 years for their second and then another 40 years for their third, it established the United States as a decent soccer country. In 1993, US soccer grew even more: the MLS was established and that same year the FIFA game was created. Since then, the MLS has expanded from 10 teams to 22, the US Men’s Soccer Team has qualified for multiple World Cups

In 1975, the NASL signed one of the best players of all time, Pele. While he would soon retire in 1977, the NASL had expanded to 24 teams. However, this would be overexpansion, as the in 1984 the NASL would disband. But the seed had been planted. In late 1989, the US won against Trinidad and Tobago through a late minute goal, qualifying the country for the 1990 World Cup. The US soccer industry soon bloomed, with the MLS being founded in 1993 and the men’s national team making it to the 1994, 1998, and 2002 World Cups. Around the same time as the MLS was founded, the women’s national team was created, and it won the 1991, 1999, and recently the 2015 World Cups. As of today, the men’s national team has qualified for the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups. While they did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup, US pride still has not decreased for the sport. The most recent Women’s World Cup(2015) had more views than the NBA Finals the same year. While the soccer industry is gaining popularity and is becoming a large part of US culture, the economy is growing in the gaming industry. FIFA created a video game in 1993, and since then the game’s popularity has

More modes have been put into the game since its creations, including co-op games and the ability to custom make a team to your liking in FUT Ultimate Team. Another major part of the popularity is many player endorsements. Every year, FIFA puts one player on the cover that is a fan favorite. They also feature player-based advertisements that endorse the game. In an article by the New York Times, they detail how players such as Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi, Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and NYC FC’s Andrea Pirlo play the game and sometimes use the game to learn new tricks in the game.These player endorsements have caused the net worth of FIFA to grow. As of 2017, the game has approached $850 million in revenue, and the game itself is worth more than 8 billion. The video game is popular, and also the game itself. The MLS is also a profitable part of the US sports industry