Soccer's American Dream
Overview
From bankrupt leagues and forgotten teams to the rise of women’s soccer as a cultural force, this series traces America’s long, rocky love affair with the world’s game. It follows the dreamers, investors, and players who refused to let the sport die, finally leading to a defining moment: hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Episodes
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1
The Beautiful Game Comes Stateside
The North American Soccer League was meant to ignite a professional soccer boom across 1970s America. So why did the spark fizzle out? Meanwhile, wome...
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2
What's a World Cup?
By the mid-1980s, professional soccer in the United States had fallen apart, and the men’s national team hadn’t qualified for a World Cup in decad...
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3
Get Busy Winning
In the late 1980s, the fledgling U.S. women’s national soccer team struggles to earn respect and support. Against the odds, they forge a winning str...
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4
Growing Pains
The momentum from World Cup '94 gave rise to Major League Soccer, a brand-new top-tier men's professional league. However, as the new millennium appro...
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5
A League of Our Own
After their triumphant 1999 World Cup victory on home turf, the U.S. women's soccer team is catapulted into national stardom. But turning that adorati...
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6
Soccer, American Style
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the spotlight turns to what the U.S. men’s national team must do to reach the next tier of global competitio...
