Why isn't soccer more popular in the U.S.? Turns out the answer to that question goes way back to the 1800s – and one of the biggest Ivy League universities in the country is to blame. Though, as we find out, soccer is more rooted in U.S. history than we think. Some historians go as far as saying it’s “an American game.”

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When Tab Ramos immigrated from Uruguay as a child, he had no idea he’d play a role in the rebirth of U.S. soccer. “I remember telling my father at the time: dad, out of all the countries in the world that we could move to, why do we have to move to the one that doesn't have soccer?” Tab said. But Tab would grow to become one of the best U.S. soccer players of the 1990s. We hear about his devastating losses, his hard-fought wins, and a cracked skull that nearly ended his career and his life.

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The Men’s World Cup is coming to our continent – and to this country. So we’re using this huge event to dive deep into what soccer means in the United States. We hear from immigrants all across the country for whom soccer is a touchstone, but who’ve also woven the sport into American culture and life. And we go back to the 90’s, to the very first time the World Cup came to the United States. There was Oprah, there was O.J., and it changed soccer in the U.S. forever.

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As we gear up for the Men’s World Cup, listen to our new show about soccer culture in the U.S. and its underdog roots, told in short narrative episodes and deep dive interviews. Hosted by Fernanda Echavarri. Out May 20!

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