America contains within it many nations. These are both the functional nations of the pre-settlement Native tribes<\/a>, the assemblage of immigrants from lands far and wide, and the cultural differences within the country<\/a> that have been attempted to be labeled for years.<\/p>\n The sport we Sounders at Heart love is an excellent example of how these nations of nations interact within the United States.<\/p>\n Stadiums are full of nationals and multi-generational families, most of whom live in the United States. In Seattle the crowds of Bosnians, Egyptians, Iranians, Belgians, Australians, and yes even Qataris came from neighborhoods and scattered cities to see their home nation perform while living in their adopted nation.<\/p>\n This has been true throughout the tournament. Prior to the World Cup, international tourism to the United States was in its second down year, off by 14% year-to-year<\/a>. During the World Cup hotel stays are up a mild 1% compared to the slow summer of 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n And yet the crowds are massive. Capacity is at 99.7% according to FIFA. This Cup is already a record setter for total attendance and for average attendance.<\/p>\n Soccer in the United States is massive.<\/p>\n It’s hidden by its diversity of language.<\/p>\n The easiest example of soccer’s diversity in the United States is that Spanish-language coverage has 49% of the total audience<\/a> during the World Cup. The audience is massive. Games are averaging over 10 million viewers<\/a> across languages and platforms. Those numbers will go up as long as the US and Mexico remain in the tournament.<\/p>\n Soccer also remains hidden by its diversity of teams. Soccer fandom isn’t merely bifurcated, it is split between three primary national teams<\/a> with dozens of others also being popular.<\/p>\n The leagues and teams that draw attention are scattered<\/a> between Mexico, England, Spain, Germany, the United States, Italy, France, and Canada. Those popular teams include men’s and women’s sides playing on nearly a dozen TV networks and platforms.<\/p>\n Millions of Americans are watching soccer every week. They are hidden in a nation that watches in bars on Saturday mornings focusing their energies on the high-quality play in Europe. That nation is split a few ways too \u2013 people with familial connections to the city, people who visited\/worked there, people who discovered a passion there.<\/p>\n There’s a nation of American soccer fans filling living rooms and restaurants on Friday evenings their eyes turning south to Liga MX. They are multigenerational, frequently bilingual and power the FMF and those teams’ revenue during friendlies within the USA.<\/p>\n A nation of soccer fans show up to support the US domestic leagues, all trending with higher attendances. Seven of the 30 most valuable soccer teams<\/a> in the world are here in this nation of soccer nations. There are more professional soccer teams than ever in the US. More than 100 men’s sides and nearly 30 women’s teams scattered between domestic soccer powerhouses like Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami and smaller cities like Boise, Idaho or Greenville, S.C.<\/p>\n All of these soccer nations overlap. Membership in one doesn’t preclude membership in another. A Sounders fan could be a Mexican NT fan. A USMNT fan could root for Bayern. The Spokane Velocity fan might also be an Egyptian who watches Liverpool.<\/p>\n Nothing could be more American than that. Our soccer nation is the wonderful stew that is America \u2013 distinct, diverse, intertwined, open, welcoming. We American soccer fans are tens of millions. No longer a quaint subculture hidden in dark bars and passing VHS tapes, American soccer is absolutely thriving because of its multitudes of ways to experience it.<\/p>\n America is a teeming nation of soccer.Use our affiliate links<\/a>\u00a0to support your bloggers when buying merch and tickets.<\/p>\n Enjoying this content? <\/p>\n Sign up to get it delivered to your inbox everyday.<\/p>\n No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.<\/p>\n Catching up on Sounder at HeartHere’s what you missed on the site this week.World Cup<\/p>\n Next match in Seattle: July 1 at 1 pm PT between Renton-based Belgium and opponent TBD after today’s matches. Sounders<\/p>\n Next match: July 16 against the Portland Timbers. Invite your friends.<\/p>\n Reign<\/p>\n Next match: July 4 against North Carolina Courage.<\/p>\n Defiance<\/p>\n Next match: June 28 at Minnesota United 2.<\/p>\n This newsletter was made possible through the support of Iron Chuck\u2019s Gluten Free pitas. The only soft, foldy, bendy 100% GLUTEN FREE flatbread-style pitas. <\/p>\n Looking back at the newsEverything else you need to know<\/p>\n Iran-Egypt \u2018Pride Match\u2019 Stirs Conversation About Persecution<\/a> (New York Times)<\/p>\n Cape Verde\u2019s dream run continues, becoming smallest country into World Cup knockout round<\/a> (AP)<\/p>\n Explaining why Sweden’s World Cup training base is crumbling around them<\/a> (New York Times) They’re training at FC Dallas’ stadium.<\/p>\n A soccer-loving barber gets tapped to cut hair for Egypt’s World Cup team<\/a> (KNKX)<\/p>\n Mauricio Pochettino reportedly offered contract extension to coach USMNT for another World Cup cycle, through 2030<\/a> (Yahoo)<\/p>\n USMNT’s intersection with ‘Country Roads’: How the song became a World Cup anthem<\/a> (New York Times)<\/p>\n DREAMERS ONLY<\/a> (Megan Rapinoe on Substack)<\/p>\n Merl\u00edn the duck takes trip to stadium, but FIFA rules keep him out of Mexico match<\/a> (TSN)<\/p>\n The Surprising Math and Physics behind the 2026 World Cup Soccer Ball<\/a> (Scientific American)<\/p>\n The Hydration Break: FIFA\u2019s great disruptor for the 2026 World Cup<\/a> (Fotmob)<\/p>\n Gianni Infantino denies profit motive for hydration breaks: ‘There is no additional revenue’<\/a> (Awful Announcing)<\/p>\n Putellas reaches agreement with London City Lionesses – sources<\/a> (ESPN)<\/p>\n Real Madrid sign Felicia Schroeder in ‘most expensive’ women’s transfer<\/a> (BBC)<\/p>\n One year out from 2027 Women’s World Cup: Power Ranking, burning questions, 10 top U23 prospects<\/a> (ESPN) WWC ’27 is in Brazil<\/p>\n Mexico’s World Cup joy muted in regions gripped by cartel violence<\/a> (AP)<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/aWaQ8vPM.png\")
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Next USMNT match: July 1 at 5 pm PT against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif.
Next Mexico MNT match: June 30 at 7 pm PT against an opponent TBD in Mexico City.<\/p>\n![\"CTA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2025-iron-chuck-icon-rgb-01.png\"){kind=icon}
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