For American soccer fans in the know, the end is always upon us. Leagues are falling apart, clubs are dying, players aren’t getting paid (when they should be), and MLS keeps gobbling up more and more of the tiny pool of money in the sport. There’s lots of reasons to get down about the state of American soccer, but fear not, depressed soccer fan. I have three reasons to be excited about the game we all love!

The USOC is Better Than Ever

Heading into the Open Cup this year, we were all worried about what we might get. MLS was at war with US Soccer and everyone was angry about it. Don Garber was taking shots at the tournament and threatening to skip the whole thing. At the last second, an agreement was reached that made zero people happy, a Frankenstein monster of a solution that saw the MLS Next Pro teams in the tournament and eight MLS teams in the competition. All of it flew in the face of the same PLS rules that the Fed has used to crush competition with MLS for the last 25 years. Ugh indeed.

And then the Magic of the Cup reappeared.

Sure, there were cupsets like always, but this year they were spectacular. Last minute goals, extra time periods, penalty kicks, it’s been nothing short of magical. The match broadcasts have been great and heroes abound. I said it yesterday on a podcast recording, I’ve gotten to the point that maybe I don’t care if MLS skips this tournament (the Fed disagrees, I’m sure), because the level of play and the quality of the matchups have just been so good.

There’s a solid chance we’re still going to have an MLS winner of this year’s tournament, but I have enjoyed the first three rounds of this tournament in a way that rivals any other year I’ve watched the Cup. The Cup is alive and magic abounds!

The Rise of Women’s Soccer

Of course the NWSL is the big name in the women’s game, but it’s not just that league that’s garnering all the excitement. As the NWSL has expanded (currently to 14, with more to come), there’s plenty of markets who want to enter the professional women’s game, but aren’t top of the expansion list. Enter USL Super League, which already has 8 clubs ready to play in 2024 and another 8 clubs signed up to enter in the coming years. The league got division one status from the Federation and will challenge the NWSL for fans and markets. Yes the NWSL has a head start, but counting out USL Super League and Amanda Vandervort would be a big mistake. Women’s pro soccer is coming to a market near you!

And that’s just the pro leagues. The WPSL, UWS, USL-W, and UPSL Women are bulging with talented rosters. Even the regional leagues are beginning to take the women’s game seriously and the pay off has been exponential. Every summer weekend is chock full of fantastic matches and it just keeps growing.

Women’s soccer is the future and the future begins now!

Amateur Soccer Leagues Are Kicking Off

Sure, things aren’t perfect in lower league soccer leagues, especially in the amateur leagues (but don’t get me started on that), but most of those issues are about to get papered over by the best part of the game - the ACTUAL game. Leagues are kicking off across the country in parks, high schools, and soccer stadiums over the next month and a half. Multiple leagues are already in play in California and the Southwest, getting that weather head start. Amateur soccer is about to reign supreme!

Image Credit: Lauren Jaqua with LaRou Photography

Everything we love about soccer is about to be on display. So let’s save getting down about the frustrating parts of the sport for the next offseason. For now, let us glory in the beautiful game.

- Dan Vaughn