I’ve been following the U.S. Men’s soccer team for years now. If memory serves, I watched my first World Cup matches in 1990. There were very few games on television in the states. And, I think they were relegated to channels like TNT. The team has grown so much over these 20 years. We now have more depth, dozens of players enjoying solid careers in Europe, and a reasonable amount of respect from many opponents. We still have a long way to go.

If you want to learn more about those formative years and how we made do with our meager roster, Matthew Doyle’s What is American Soccer is a must read.