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The popularity of soccer—both in participation and interest—is increasing in the United States. There’s no doubting that.
According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 7% of Americans cited soccer as their favorite sport to watch, while 9% preferred America’s pastime baseball. Not only is soccer growing as a whole in the United States, but Major League Soccer (MLS), the top domestic league, has experienced a 27% rise in interest since 2012, according to Nielsen Sports Sponsorlink.
Citing this increased interest and the continued efforts to be a major driving force behind it, the MLS Board of Governors voted on April 18 to expand the league to 30 teams “in the coming years”, an increase from their previous target of 28 set in December 2015.
“I’m very happy for America because soccer is growing quickly,” former Arsenal and France midfielder Robert Pires said recently. “I think some players help the MLS grow like my friend Thierry Henry, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney who currently play in the league. There is a space in America for football. I know it’s difficult with basketball, baseball and American football, but football is for everybody.”
Major League Soccer’s average attendance of 21,358 from 2013-18 ranks No. 8 in the world, trailing Ligue 1 in France (21,556) and Italy’s Serie A (22,967), according to a study conducted by the CIES Football Observatory. Atlanta United, which debuted as an MLS expansion team in 2017, boasts the 10th-best average attendance of 51,547 between 2013-18. The 2018 MLS Cup winners and league’s most valuable club ($330 million) were featured among global giants including Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
There are currently 24 clubs competing in the MLS with agreements in place for three more: Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC will join the league in 2020, while Austin FC comes on board a year later. The league, which debuted in 1996 with 10 clubs, anticipates selecting the 28th and 29th expansion teams (with an expansion fee of $200 million) by the 2019 MLS All-Star Game on July 31, and the commissioner’s office was authorized to advance discussions with Sacramento and St. Louis ownership groups regarding their bids.
Eight teams showed increased attendance last season, while three (New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire) had double-digit drops leading to the league’s first overall attendance dip in five years.
Cable viewership has increased each of the last six seasons and ad inventory has sold out in each of the last three.
“Professional soccer at all levels is thriving in the United States and Canada and we believe there are many markets that could support a successful MLS club,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a league statement. “Expansion during the last 15 years has been enormously successful and a key driver behind the league’s continued rise, and we are pleased that some of the top business and community leaders representing great markets in North America are aggressively pursuing MLS expansion clubs.”
Major League Soccer’s growth and expansion, unfortunately, hasn’t necessarily translated into success on the international level for the United States. The United States men’s national team failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1986, snapping a streak of seven consecutive appearances in the tournament.
The USMNT had been coming off successful tournaments, advancing to the Round of 16 in 2014 and 2010, and even going as far as the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan.
“The next step for American soccer is to be successful in the World Cup, and I don’t mean win it at this moment and time, but to get back to where the U.S. were a constant presence,” said former Manchester United and England legend Bryan Robson. “I think they need to be able to do that again to get everybody really excited, seeing as many Americans have taken to it. But you need a successful national team.”
The U.S. men’s national team is in a state of transition under recently appointed head coach Gregg Berhalter and general manager Earnie Stewart. Developing youth has been the priority with the new generation of players headlined by Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Josh Sargent guiding the country toward the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and beyond, including the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We’re in a new cycle now,” former USMNT goalkeeper Tony Meola said. “Looking at 2022 and 2026 we’re going to be a pretty successful group and it’s going to be this core group of players that certainly will be at the forefront of it. I think it’s important that we’re patient enough to give them time to grow.”
Another major contributor to soccer’s growth in the United States is the presence of foreign clubs, who are expanding their influence and brand through academies, international offices, digital content, preseason friendlies, participating in the International Champions Cup (ICC) and partnerships.
Major clubs including FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich have offices in New York City, while LaLiga (Spain) and the Bundesliga (Germany) have an on-the-ground presence in the U.S.
“I’ve seen soccer has a grown a lot in the last 10-15 years in America, and the ICC is helping it develop and grow even more,” former Liverpool and Norway defender John Arne Riise said. “I know the players and clubs enjoy coming here. We have to keep doing what we’re doing now by bringing the top teams here.
“Hopefully soccer is going to be even bigger in the States.”
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By Charlie Walker For Mailonline 13:18 11 Dec 2021, updated 01:47 12 Dec 2021
- Analysts believe that soccer has now surpassed ice hockey in US sports
- Popularity, participation, attendance, market value and willingness to pay to watch are all higher for soccer compared to ice hockey in the United States
- American Football remains by far and away the most popular and valuable sport
- But soccer is starting to close a significant gap on baseball in third place
- The 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, will give the game a big boost in US
- New York City FC face Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup final on Saturday night
Football is climbing the league table of popular US sports and has now overtaken ice hockey in fourth place and is homing in on baseball in third.
The bumper £2billion deal the Premier League struck with NBC after a battle among American broadcasters this month reflects the growing popularity of the sport.
The English top flight doubled its money when the channel renewed its contract and committed to show 380 games for six seasons on its cable and digital channels.
And an analysis by Sportsmail shows that Association Football - known as soccer in the US - has now overhauled ice hockey and sits behind baseball, basketball and American football in the top five US sports.
'Today soccer is the fourth sport in the US in terms of popularity. Football is now just ahead of ice hockey. It follows a tremendous growth in popularity of football,' said Pierre Maes, a sports media strategist. 'This is one reason why NBC is paying so much.'
In surveys of US sports fans, soccer is now more popular than ice hockey in the US. A study conducted by the research firm, Ampere Analysis, last month, reveals 49 per cent of US Sport fans claim to like watching soccer on TV, ahead of ice hockey on 37 per cent.
In addition, the proportion of US fans who say they enjoy watching the English Premier League, in particular, has grown from 12 per cent to 15 per cent between 2019 and 2021. At the same time, the percentage of fans that say they would be willing to pay to watch the Premier League has grown from six per cent to nine per cent.
% US Sports Fans - What they say they like...?
American Football
Basketball
Baseball
Olympics
Soccer
Ice Hockey
Source: Ampere Analysis Q4 2021
70%
61%
57%
50%
49%
37%
% US Sports Fans - How many would pay?
NFL
NBA
MLB
College Football
English Premier League
College Basketball
FIFA World Cup
UEFA Champions League
NHL
La Liga
Source: Ampere Analysis
26%
18%
13%
9%
9%
8%
7%
7%
6%
6%
It is not only what people say in polls that indicates soccer's rise in the popularity stakes.
Last year, 17.8m Americans played soccer indoors or outdoors, according to the US Sports and Industry Fitness Association, compared to the 2.3m, who played ice hockey.
And broadcasters now pay more money to screen football than they do to show hockey.
The NHL negotiated new deals with Turner and Disney this year, increasing the value of its media rights from $300m to $600m per season.
But taken together, the value of soccer media rights in the US outstrips hockey. The soccer rights this season have a combined value of $700m, but that will increase significantly once a new deal kicks in for the Premier League and MLS after this year.
From next season, it is highly likely that the combined value of media rights for club football in the US, including the MLS, Premier League, Serie A, LaLiga, Bundesliga and UEFA competitions will be worth more than $1billion.
Soccer's rising popularity is due in part to its accessibility – you only need a ball to have a game – so much of the US population has at least tried it.
Smart television coverage of the Premier League since 2009-10 has played a part, too.
In fact, the English top flight owes a debt of gratitude to commentator Ian Darke and former Liverpool, Real Madrid and England winger Steve McManaman for establishing Britain's national sport on US TV.
Top-flight football gained a foothold in America once the Fox Soccer Channel sub-licensed matches to ESPN2, instead of Setanta Sports.
ESPN2 was more accessible and Darke and McManaman's on-screen rapport beguiled fans and established the weekend morning ritual of Premier League matches, which NBC has so skilfully developed since it took over the Premier League coverage from 2013.
Darke became a cult hero among American supporters with his unbridled joy when Landon Donovan scored a 90th-minute winner for the USA against Algeria, which saw the States qualify from Group C in the 2010 World Cup.
As Donavon headed for the corner flag and the mother of all pile-ons, Darke declared, 'Go Go USA' to the delight of fans.
The popularity of the ESPN2 coverage back then was also boosted by the appearances of two US players, Aston Villa's goalkeeper Brad Friedel and Fulham's striker Clint Dempsey.
In 2009, Fulham v Villa generated one of the biggest audiences of the season with 355,000 viewers.
What ESPN2 proved was if the content is right, Premier League football has the perfect time slots to gain an audience, since the lunchtime kick-offs are screened at 7.30am Eastern Standard Time and 3pm starts are at 10am on the east coast of the United States. This means that English football does not overlap with heavyweight US sports.
Darke and McManaman helped ESPN2 triple the audience for live matches to an average 262,000 in 2009-10.
NBC picked up the baton and by 2015 all but doubled that figure for its cable broadcast to 514,000.
Since then, the cable viewership has declined as NBC has pushed fans towards digital channels and the broadcaster claims that last season the 'total audience delivery' across all its platforms for live matches was 879,000.
Not surprisingly, England's biggest clubs are the main draw, but even among them Manchester United stand apart. The Red Devils have featured in the most popular match in six of the last eight seasons.
The most popular game ever on US television included Manchester United, in March 2020, when 1.76m people watched them beat Manchester City 2-0.
The football audience is attractive since it is growing, it is younger than that for other sports, more affluent and appears willing to switch to digital, say analysts.
'The switch to digital also explains why NBC is paying so much money for the Premier League,' said Maes, who correctly predicted the price NBC would end up paying for the English top flight.
'You have got five firms fighting each other in a streaming war. People have been cancelling their cable subscription. 'Cord cutting' is a phenomenon in the US.
'People are running away from cable subscriptions to get on a streaming service and you do not get this in Europe, like you do in the US.'
Soccer, it turns out, is at the centre of America's digital revolution. Bidding went to a second round with all the major broadcasters pitching for a piece of the action.
'Soccer finds itself at the forefront of the steaming wars,' said Jack Genovese, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis.
'Sport has an ability to attract viewers and subscribers that is unparalleled. But when it comes to sports not a lot is going directly to streaming.
'But there is a risk if you want to move something the size of the NFL onto another platform.'
However, soccer brings less risk, there is less to lose if it goes wrong because it does not have the enormous profile of American football, argues Genovese.
It is not dissimilar to the strategy Sky adopted in the UK when it used Premier League football to swell the ranks of subscribers to its new satellite service from 1992.
Participation in US Sports 2020
American Football (Flag, Tackle, Touch)
Basketball
Soccer (Indoor, Outdoor)
Ice Hockey
Baseball
Source: Sport and Fitness Industry Association Participation Report 2021
16.9M
27.8M
17.8M
2.3M
15.7M
US broadcasters are using football to encourage viewers to 'cut the cord' and go digital.
Could soccer overhaul baseball? The quintessentially American sport is still safe in third, but the gap is narrower than you might think.
In Ampere's analysis, more US sports fans prefer to watch baseball than football on television. And in the stadium too - Major League Baseball has a higher average attendance at 28.2m than domestic soccer.
When it comes to participation 15.7m played baseball last year, slightly less than soccer.
But broadcasters and marketers have their eyes firmly fixed on some interesting demographics.
The median age of Major League Baseball fans is 57, for American football it is 50, whereas for US supporters of the Premier League it is only 43 and for Major League basketball it is 42.
A younger fanbase guarantees longevity for a sport and with almost one million youngsters now playing football in High School the pool of youthful soccer fans will be replenished.
The younger viewers are also more likely to adopt the new technologies the broadcasters want them to use.
Currently, media rights for Major League Baseball are worth $1.5bn per season – double the figure for soccer, but that will narrow significantly next year as new deals are struck. And it looks like the increases in the soccer deals will be greater than that achieved by baseball.
In addition, at the end of the current Premier League rights cycle, soccer's digital offer will be firmly established, while other American sports may still be catching up.
And Genovese believes the timing is perfect for the broadcasters and the game, including the Premier League, since in 2026, the FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by America, Canada and Mexico.
'I think the World Cup is a big reason why channels are betting on soccer in the next six years,' said Genovese.
'The World Cup will be massive and it comes at the pinnacle of the growth in soccer.'
It could give soccer another huge boost two-thirds of the way through the next cycle.
American's love a show-stopping event. In 2019, the FIFA Women's World Cup final, which saw the USA beat the Netherlands 2-0 attracted 14.3m US viewers, while the 2018 men's final was watched by 11.4m people in the States despite the timings of the matches being challenging since the competition was hosted by Russia.
And if the USA play well the impact will be multiplied. The 2014 World Cup, in which the USA drew 2-2 with Portugal and beat Ghana 2-1 to progress to the round of 16, coincided with strong growth in Premier League viewing figures. The tournament was held in Brazil – a favourable time zone for US audiences.
However, predicting how interest in soccer will grow in the US is complex, says Dave Berri, a sports economist at the Southern Utah University. Interest in World Cups and foreign leagues do not necessarily mean domestic soccer will benefit.
In terms of the value of media rights and viewing figures, it is heavily dependent on the international game and particularly World Cups and the Premier League.
The MLS is now a solid offer and analysts expect to see its value rise, but the broadcasters spend on overseas football may eat into the money available for the domestic game in the US. New York City FC face Portland Timbers in the MLS Cup final on Saturday night.
'Interest in soccer is growing significantly in the US,' said Berri. 'It is not good news for the MLS. If you are investing that kind of money in the Premier League then the MLS will have a harder time.'
Berri believes that sports fans want to watch the 'best in class' and it remains the case the best players emigrate to Europe.
Chelsea's Cristian Pulisic is driving a surge of interest in the Premier League among US audiences, say analysts.
And the Blues striker is following in the footsteps of other popular American players to have performed in the top flight. There is a long tradition of US viewers rooting for their own.
US internationals like Clint Dempsey, the Fulham striker, and Brad Friedel, the Aston Villa goalkeeper, helped establish the top flight stateside.
'Christian Pulisic is a huge influence,' said Victor Matheson, professor of sports economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. 'Finally, to have an American on a 'real team' is massive. It is easier to cheer for an American. It gives people more interest.
'We have always had good American players, like Brian McBride and Dempsey for Fulham, but not with teams challenging for the Premier League.
'As well as Pulisic, we have Zack Steffen (reserve goalkeeper at Manchester City) who has had some big moments and Josh Sargent at Norwich.'
When Premier League matches were first screened on ESPN2 in 2009-10, the surprise package was Aston Villa. The club featured in two of the top five most-watched matches and Friedel started all 38 games for Villa that season.
The only match in the top five to not feature a 'Big Six Club' was Fulham vs Aston Villa, which pitted Friedel against Dempsey. The Villains won 2-0.
Other American stars who have helped to bring new eyes to the English game, include Landon Donovan, who had two loan spells at Everton and DeAndre Yedlin at Newcastle United.
The other factors, which helps the Premier League claim viewers over their rivals like Serie A, LaLiga and the Bundesliga is the English language and the time matches are played.
Premier League kick-off times allow Americans to watch Saturday and Sunday morning and they have been the same for decades. Crucially, the matches don't tend to overlap with major US sports, either.
'People in the US can count on watching the Premier League consistently at a normal time,' said Matheson, who has been a referee in Major League Soccer, previously taking charge of matches involving Derby County and Celtic.
'There is always a Sunday morning game right before the American football starts. It is a nice lead.'
And Matheson sees clear growth in popularity.
'Forty years ago, people would turn on a soccer game and not know the rules' he added. 'That is a hard sell. Now everyone has played when they were a kid. That is helpful.'
And he believes the improving quality of US soccer is likely to drive even greater interest in overseas leagues in the future since the best players migrate to Europe, including the English top flight.