How Far Can Soccer Go in the U.S.A.?

With Team U.S.A. on its way home from Brazil, the attention of soccer fans all over the world will switch to the quarterfinals, which begin on Friday with two intracontinental showdowns. In Rio, France will play Germany. Hours later, in Fortaleza, Brazil will take on Colombia.

Here in this country, the level of interest in the tournament will inevitably fall off, but it will be fascinating to see by how much. The groundswell of support for Tim Howard and his teammates has raised hopes that this World Cup will prove the tipping point for soccer in the United States, perhaps even giving it the impetus to emerge as a challenger to the big four professional sports: football, basketball, baseball, and hockey.

...read more