Sports have become an increasingly important part of many peoples’ everyday lives over the last couple of years, particularly due to the emphasis on taking the onus of doing exercises like the Overhead Press at home. Perhaps the starkest changes on a fan level, however, have been to the increased desire for more diverse viewing experiences. The US sports fan base looks to be branching out, with cricket popping up and soccer gaining a great deal of traction. Now, of all of the world’s Sports, soccer – or rather, football – is the biggest and most popular without any equal. It’s only recently, however, that the biggest money market, the US, has begun to get on board. Soccer is very much on the rise in the US, and the World Cup is just around the corner.
MLS and the sport surging in the US
For a very long time, to raise its prestige from the ashes, the MLS greatly relied on bringing in world-class footballers from European leagues who were, for lack of a better phrase, looking to get paid before retiring. So many international greats have graced the MLS, including several who were ignored for the 25 greatest list MLS produced in 2020, which left out the likes of Thierry Henry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Kaká, David Villa, and Andrea Pirlo. David Beckham, husband, and father of Victoria and Harper Beckham, respectively, did make the cut, at least. Still, what’s quite spectacular is that the MLS has truly come into its own and risen in popularity, more so since it began to shed these world-class players. The prime example of this was shown as recently as last season, with the star-shed NYCFC winning the MLS Cup. Right now, with the all-important new demographics of fans and increased TV ratings, soccer is flying in the US. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that it’s toppled some of the Big Four in some regards.
As found by WorldSoccerTalk, soccer has replaced hockey as the fourth-most watched sport in the US, with baseball only having a 2 percent lead. Furthermore, the average age of soccer fans here is 35-years-old, compared to 57-years-old among baseball fans. It’s also a more participated sport than either of the two forms of American football. With all of this combined, the viewership increases US broadcasters ESPN and ABC have seen have been staggering, going up 39 percent in 2019 and then 50 percent in 2020. Now, the MLS is perfectly positioned to cash in on the surge. Its television audience continues to rise, and it’ll be after a new media rights package CNBC reports, with its existing deal generating some $90 million per season since 2015. With the World Cup on the way, interest will hit a new peak, especially as the USMNT could be dark horses.
USMNT to showcase high hopes for the future at Qatar 2022
As predicted by SportsIllustrated, the USMNT looks pretty safe to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup straight out of the CONCACAF Third Round. A remarkably robust Canada side may well take the top spot, but the US, given the final fixtures, looks safe to take one of the other two places. Even with Canada one up and Mexico only one down on the USMNT eight games in, the US still outranks Canada as potential underdog candidates. As of January 26, the USA is out at +10000 to in the football betting Betway has for the World Cup, which is on par with Mexico and well ahead of the +30000 Canada, despite qualification results to date. Of course, Brazil leads the way, and many FourFourTwo calls look to a European champion, but there’s something exciting about this USMNT squad, primarily that the 2022 tournament may just be a sign of things to come.
The US didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, ending a seven-tournament streak that stretches back to 1990. Still, this is very much a squad being rebuilt around top prospects, and so, is constantly improving. Even though the report NBC Sports puts out would hint at tough times for Christian Pulisic at Chelsea, he’s still an incredibly talented forward and one who will continue to be the star of the show for the US, looking to add to his 17 goals in 42 games at the age of 23. In fact, of the players that Transfermarkt calculates are the most valuable for the US, all seven of the top seven are 23-years-old at the most. Another who looks to bring some additional world-class experience to the high-ceiling group is Sergiño Dest. Being given time at Barcelona during their most troubled season, the right-back is sure to become a staple of the USMNT going forward.
Soccer is on the rise across the US, and most importantly, the national team has already seen a great many incredibly talented prospects breakthrough. The USMNT will only improve over the coming years and could even be dark horse contenders at Qatar 2022, and set to do even better when the World Cup comes to North America.
