Ben Mulry
Before I dive in just a disclaimer. I am writing most of this blog before the game is played, and assuming the USMNT does not lose by 6. Bold of me. I know.
Personally, I was not a huge soccer fan until kind of recently. (I refuse to call it football because football is better). I played it all throughout high school, but never gave it a shot as a fan. A couple of my friends at school are big supporters of English clubs and had games on while we hung out, and after forcing myself to better understand the game and culture I honestly kind of love it.
As an American, I have this burning desire to be the best always, and even missing one World Cup felt like we hadn’t played international soccer at a high level in forever. Being able to qualify for this World Cup feels great, and what’s even crazier is that teams like Egypt with Mo Salah, Italy the winners of Euro 2020, and Nigeria who have played in every World Cup since 2006 did not qualify this year.
We’ve also struggled with injuries and haven’t been able to field our best starting lineup in a long time. Weston Mckennie, one of our best players broke his foot playing in the UCL, Christian Pulisic was out with an ankle sprain, and our starting goalie has been struggling with injuries and missing games as well.
This team we have is super young and full of talent playing very well overseas, the highlight being the electric factory named Christian Pulisic. Soccer seems to be on the up and up in the US attracting more and more fans. Seeing the crowds gathered for our home games has been awesome, and I really hope the culture continues to grow.
If anyone reading this thinks soccer is lame, seriously give it a chance. It’s a great sport and there’s a ton of leagues and games always on.
