But to suggest that soccer (in the U.S.) will "only" succeed because of the World Cup (and that it will fade afterward) requires no small amount of denial.
Please note, I'm not talking about the "bump" I'm talking about the trend.
This is how I see the trends in my lifetime. When I was young I would rank in popularity these sports in order, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey, and Soccer. Now I would make the ranking Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, and Hockey. With Soccer being within striking distance of baseball, due to baseball’s nursing home demographic. Hockey had a brief moment in the early 90’s, but it did not capitalize and now it is teetering on irrelevance. Football is king right now, with Basketball and Soccer being sports that are trending up. While Baseball is about to enter a death spiral after its fans pass to the great beyond in the next two decades, and hockey was never there to began with.
you are right, because the US is now awash with illegals.
For most young white American males, soccer is a sport you play because you are smaller and suck at baseball/football/basketball. I’d add hockey, but in the US, if you want to play hockey you need some money and parents willing to sell their lives to the sport.
Guess what else is “trending down” here in the old US. The concept of a republic. What is “trending up”. Crime, the acceptance of criminal govt, and barrios. Yeah US trends.