Soccer Culture in America

Yuya Kiuchi is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Michigan State University. His research interests include popular culture, youth culture, African American Studies, technology, and sexuality.

“a fresh, timely look at the sport...recommended”—Choice; “intriguing...the quality of scholarship...is solid”—American Studies.

• Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ixA Note on Terms xiIntroduction 1Part I: Soccer as an American Phenomenon1. Making the Mainstream: The Domestication of American Soccer by David Keyes 92. Individualism vs. Community: The Globally Strange Relationship Between the U.S. Soccer System and the U.S. School System by Andrew M. Guest 253. New Traditionalists: The Emergence of Modern America and the Birth of the MLS Coalition by Dennis J. Seese 43Part II: American Soccer Economics4. It’s All Fun and Games Until No One Gets Hurt: European Soccer Leagues, Capitalism and the Movement Towards a Socialist American Model by Cliff Starkey 715. A Resounding Soccer Success ... in the U.S.? by Dwight Branch 846. “Fast-Kicking, Low-Scoring and Ties”: How Popular Culture Can Help the Global Game Become America’s Game by Benjamin James Dettmar 95Part III: Soccer in American Society7. Perceptions of Hooliganism in American Soccer by Cedrick G. Heraux 1218. Becoming Apple Pie: Soccer as the Fifth Major Team Sport in the United States? by Glen M.E. Duerr 1439. Pitch Perfect: How the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Brought the Game Home by Danielle Sarver Coombs 160Part IV: Interviews10. Scholarship and Soccer: Alex Galarza 17911. Japanese Referee in the MLS: Toru Kamikawa 192Conclusion 205About the Contributors 207Index 211