Why the U.S. is on track to dominate the soccer world in 2030.
Nov 19, 2022 Β· 2 mins read
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar sees 32 teams duking it out on the pitch, vying for the trophy. The U.S. team is expected to make it through the knockout round but not much further in Group B. And their odds of winning it all are dismal. But not for much longer.
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The U.S. has participated in 10 of the 21 cups. However, it has never won. The U.S. has always been an NFL crazed nation, largely ignoring developing talent for MLS. While there're many reasons for this, most agree it goes back to feeling national pride in a home-grown game.
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But change is in the air. An onslaught on new evidence around brain injury from repeated concussions has resulted in decreased interest in child participation in American football. It has parents scrambling to find another, safer outlet for youthful energy. Enter soccer.
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In one of the biggest real estate deals to come to fruition and evidence of America's great migration from American football to the other football--New York City has just ok'd a deal to bring a $780M new soccer stadium to the city, exclusive of the surrounding new neighborhood.
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That's right, not only are private investors stepping up to fund a nearly billion-dollar, 25,000 seat home for the NY team--the stadium will be made a destination with an entirely new neighborhood surrounding it with housing, pubs, parks, and hotels. It'll open in 2027.
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New York is notoriously hard to develop. Space is at a premium and there are many competing political and community factions to navigate. Jane Jacobs, NY's great urban theorist, posited that the city seems to resist basic tenants like supply and demand. See Hudson Yards.
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Hudson Yards--which began as a bid for the Olympics and turned into a shopping mall and luxury condo 'taxpayer moneypit'--has been trashed. But most publications are praising the announcement of the new stadium... perhaps because all 2,500 housing units will be affordable.
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It seems like the city that once defied basic economic theories is now taking note of the demand and building the supply. As a trendsetting locale for the rest of the nation, we might reasonably expect new premier soccer stadiums sprouting up around the country. U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
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