The United States of Soccer: MLS and the Rise of American Soccer Fandom

Veteran soccer journalist West employs a fan’s-eye view to explore the travails and innovations of Major League Soccer, which had no guarantee to last when it was founded in 1993. Soccer power brokers and a passionate fan base gradually discovered that by working together, they could help the sport thrive in a nation rife with anti-soccer sentiment. No topic is too arcane to escape West’s interest: he discusses team names, logos, rule changes, and rivalries among fan groups. His narrative serves as a series of engaging case studies on the business and marketing of sport. West is at his most effective when he draws on more than 70 exclusive interviews with league executives, team officials, players, and, most notably, the leaders of team supporter groups, who create in-stadium and social media fan experiences distinct from those of the other four major North American sports. West asserts that American soccer, still the underdog, succeeds by respectfully and continually drawing inspiration from fan cultures from the rest of the soccer-obsessed world. (Nov.)