Founding Futbol

in 2015, the US Women's National Team embarked on a mission to bring home its third star. Fortunately, the team didn't have to travel far, with the tournament being hosted in Canada. While the physical travel wasn't taxing, the pressure to continue evolving the sport in America, with momentum from the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympics, was palpable. So too was the desire to win a a World Cup champi...

When Christian Pulisic broke onto the international soccer scene, playing for the USMNT as a teenager, he represented a new wave of hope that the Americans could establish themselves with more prominence on the global stage. It wasn't just Pulisic, but a group of up-and-coming young talent that included the likes of Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Tyler Adams and others. The team faced disappointment w...

When Christian Pulisic broke onto the youth soccer scene as a teenager, playing for PA Classics and the IMG residency for US Soccer, other countries and clubs took notice. Specifically, in the process of scouting another US youth national, Dortmund took notice. When he moved to Germany to join the club, his emergence on the global scene accelerated. Pulisic impressed for both the U17 and U19 Dortm...

When Jordan Morris broke through with the US Men's National team, still an emerging college star at Stanford, soccer fans wanted to know more about the kid from the Seattle area. They wanted to know, specifically, how he beat the odds to break through on the senior national team as a college player, which hadn't happened in decades. Reporters sought out his story and began hearing about the near-m...

College soccer is unique to the American sporting culture. Much of youth soccer's growth has been built around the promise of earning a college scholarship to play the sport, an attribute that is unique to both the game and higher education in the United States. Often, that puts it at conflict with the development pathways most commonly used to build strong national team programs in other countrie...

When NBC won the rights to broadcast the Premier League starting in 2013, it seemed like just another TV contract for a professional sports entity with a new broadcast partner. But there were unique attributes of that deal and the the way NBC approached the partnership gave Americans a better platform on which they could invest in and become attached teams in the Premier League. By earning exclusi...

After a long and successful professional career in England, Robbie Mustoe came to the United States to coach college soccer. He found his way to Bentley University and then Boston College, on a trajectory to becoming a college head coach. Along the way, however, he decided to try his hand at television and landed a gig at ESPN covering the sport he played for so long in England. When NBC won the r...

The Premier League is arguably the best professional soccer league in the world. With an infusion of capital over the last few decades, teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and others have become household names around the globe. In the United States, before the 2000s, soccer fans following England's top flight had to get their fix either during summer exhibit...

Cari Roccaro was a standout college player at Notre Dame before establishing herself as a rookie on the Houston Dash, the National Women's Soccer League's first expansion team. She then won two NWSL championships with the North Carolina Courage and was part of Angel City FC's first season before settling in most recently as a key player for the Chicago Red Stars. Roccaro has also had an impact off...

Yael Averbuch West has an unmatched impact on women's soccer in America. She had a outstanding career at North Carolina, winning national championships with Anson Dorrance and the Tar Heels. She then emerged on the professional women's soccer scene and earned time as part of the US Women's National Team. And while her playing career was outstanding, West's most notable contributions may have come...

After years of growth, the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) hit two consecutive bumps in the road. The first it shared with the rest of the professional sports world -- the COVID pandemic. But, then after the 2021 season, scandal rocked the league and left everyone concerned that it would potentially fold. However, Marla Messing came in as interim CEO and stabilized the league. Not only did i...

Brittany Cameron is known by youth soccer players hoping to take the field for Wake Forest one day. A staple on the Demon Deacons sideline, Cameron has made a trailblazing name for herself in the coaching ranks, also acting as the goalkeeper coach for the US Youth National Teams (U19 and U20). Before Cameron helped make Wake a perennial collegiate power -- including a trip to the NCAA Championship...

When the NWSL was founded in 2012, four of the founding teams were former members of the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) -- including the Boston Breakers. One Breakers player that had been with the team between 2009-2011, and rejoined the team in 2013 initial to coach, was Ashley Phillips , who ultimately ended up playing as well. Phillips had starred at Clemson University, then graduated at the...

While the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has emerged as the best women's professional soccer league in the world, it took years to achieve that status, striving first for stability. Early successes, such as the fan support for the Portland Thorns and on-field performance of FC Kansas City, gave the nascent league showcase moments, players and teams. FC Kansas City rostered the likes of Beck...

When the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) folded in 2003, many believed the prospect of a sustainable top-flight women's professional league in America was undermined. The resulting league fragmentation made it difficult for our top US Women's National Team players to compete at the appropriate levels after college between national team camps. When the WPS (Women's Professional Soccer) was...

Jonathan Wilson and his book, Inverting the Pyramid, became popular in America due to the television show Ted Lasso. Despite never having seen the show, Wilson has noticed an increased appetite for his work in the United States, which is reflective of both the show and a growing soccer culture. He joined Founding Futbol to talk about how he got into covering soccer, his books and how they are simi...

Dan Blank didn't plan to be a soccer coach or a best-selling author. But after stumbling into coaching almost by accident, Blank began thinking about how written resources could help coaches and players, alike, play the game of soccer with a bit more acumen. In 2012, when self-publishing had become more common, Blanks wrote and published Soccer IQ: Things That Smart Players Do . Sales were initial...

Peter Mellor had a successful goalkeeping career in England, playing for Fulham, Burnley, Portsmouth and more. He later moved to North America to play in the North American Soccer League, before retiring. He moved to Florida and, ultimately, began life after soccer. However, Mellor was pulled back into the coaching ranks and ultimately become a critical influence in goalkeeping development within...

By 2012, Tim Howard had established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. As Everton's starter, he regularly placed in the top four of various statistical categories and helped The Toffees inch their way towards the upper half of the table. At the same time, Howard was well established as the first choice keeper for the US Men's National Team. However, in his illustrious ca...

Lori Lindsey was a mainstay of both the US Women's National Team and the three women's professional soccer leagues founded in the United States during the early and mid-2000s. She has also built a successful broadcast career in her post playing days working for ESPN, SiriusXM FC, Apple TV and other networks covering a variety of soccer events. She was an important part of the 2011 World Cup squad,...

In 2011, the US Women's National Team was twelve years removed from its second World Cup win. The shine of the 99ers was wearing off, particularly after two third places finishes in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. Fans were wondering whether or not the period of American dominance in the women's game had passed. The team was hoping to prove the doubters wrong with a strong showing in the 2011 editio...

Men in Blazers helped grow soccer in America at an important time in evolution of sports analysis and entertainment through new channels. By betting on the growth of podcasts they were early in the adoption curve. By aligning with Grantland, Roger Bennett and Michael Davies were on the leading edge of new approaches to merging short and long form sports stories. In other words, Men in Blazers wasn...

In 2006, Roger Bennett and Michael Davies had a chance meeting at a wedding. The two bonded over their love for soccer and their frustration with missing the World Cup final. Friendship turned into a podcast, their podcast turned into a television show and a brand was born. Men in Blazers became a legitimate phenomenon, propelling the two men into the soccer media spotlight. The show became a fixt...

Eddie Robinson was a Major League Soccer "one club loyalist" having spent his entire career with the same team, in two locations. He began play with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 and only changed locations and team names, when the Quakes relocated to Houston and became the Dynamo. Robinson remained with the team through 2011. Along the way, he won four MLS Cups and established himself as one of...

The US Men's National Team went to the 2010 World Cup with high hopes. Coming off a massive win over Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup and looking to avenge a disappointing 2006 World Cup showing, the trip to South Africa was one filled with expectations. When the draw put them in England's group, everyone highlighted that game as the one to watch. But, as often happens, group play brought inte...