Did you know that during the 1920s and into the early 1930s, soccer was on the precipice of really taking off in the United States as a professional sport, and if not for the Great Depression and some bureaucratic disagreements, it may have grown to perhaps rival the NFL? Or that Archie Stark scored an incredible 67 goals and had eight hat tricks in a single season (1924-1925) for Bethlehem Steel—a feat that no one in American first-division professional soccer has come close to? Have you heard of him in the first place? Unless you really know ball, have already read American Soccer Nation by Mark C. Franek, or have read other histories of soccer, I would venture to guess the answer is “no.”

I will admit I knew very little of the history of American soccer, but then as Franek points out, “The unfortunate truth is that most players, parents, fans, and even coaches, from the recreational to the the professional level, don’t understand or appreciate our country’s soccer heritage” (p. 2).

Franek presents a rich history of soccer in the United States, including the sport’s early origins and mob football, the ASL, NASL, and MLS, and the trials and tribulations of the USMNT. As an English teacher at YSC Academy, the fully-accredited high school on the campus of the Philadelphia Union in Chester, Pennsylvania, he was tasked with creating a course on the history of American soccer. He and his students—talented soccer players, some already turned pro like Cavan Sullivan—found the literature available to be boring and often negative. Thus, he researched and penned his own work to not only educate on the history of American soccer, but to celebrate it.

Sullivan himself provides one of the forewords, sharing his perspective from the viewpoint of a 16-year-old who represents the hopeful future of American soccer. The other foreword comes from a legend of American soccer in retired goalkeeper Tim Howard, who offers his hopeful perspective as someone who has already been deep in the trenches.

What Franek offers is an engaging work that is a must-read for any soccer fan. It gives the reader a new appreciation of “the beautiful game” as it is called around the world, and as the World Cup is underway, what better time than this to get enlightened?

Let’s face it—there are a lot of people that talk negatively about soccer. “All the do is flop” or “It’s boring” are phrases you hear (I have even heard this from my own sisters, who played soccer!) Turn on local sports talk radio stations and you will not hear them talking about MLS often, but be dominated by NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA. But when you look at the spirited fan bases of the USMNT and MLS, you realize that the interest is there. Now that the United States is one of the host countries of the World Cup, and the USMNT are heading to the Round of 32, interest in soccer is higher than ever.

With that being said, I absolutely American Soccer Nation as a must-read for those wishing to learn more about the beautiful game in the United States as Franek weaves his storytelling and research of the 150-year history with wit and an optimistic tone.

Franek’s writing is not only superb, but he is a very engaging speaker. We recently had Franek on our “The One Team We Agree On” podcast, and had a wonderful conversation on his journey researching and writing his book, and discussing the Golden Age of soccer, the NPSL, the promotion/relegation controversy, and more. You can listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube. His book can be found wherever you get your books, including Amazon.

References:

Franek, Mark C. American Soccer Nation. Benbella Books, Inc, 2026.