BY BONSAYO BLESSING

In contrast to American football, soccer is increasing rapidly in the United States. Soccer is ranked 5th in terms of popularity in America. The NFL has taken first place, the second position has been basketball, the third has been the MLB, and the fourth place is hockey. Football or soccer is not the most popular sport in America, except with the signing of Messi to Inter Miami, most American cities and people now know what football or soccer is. Celebrities like Selena Gomez have already attended the games Messi has played in—players like Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all attended Messi’s matches. Soccer in America is becoming more and more popular as each day goes on. The more it grows, the more people come to watch the beautiful game. Modern football is becoming better with the increase in AI and the increase in technology. In the future, many schools may start focusing on soccer or soccer in hopes of producing young prodigies who can win a World Cup. Speaking of the World Cup, It is coming in 2026. And the crazy thing is that it is going to be in America. Prepare to welcome many different people from all over the world! 

Soccer is becoming an integral part of many individuals’ lives, with over a billion viewers worldwide. Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest soccer player of all time, made history by becoming the first player to be named the most popular athlete in America, surpassing the likes of Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and LeBron James. This achievement highlights the growing popularity of soccer in America, and the sport has the potential to become America’s go-to sport as the gap between soccer and other major sports is narrowing.

MLS continues to grow as each day goes on. It’s amazing witnessing how soccer is growing daily, as Messi’s Inter Miami won their first trophy in their history—seeing how the players are growing in their skills as the competition gets bigger and better—social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. MLS teams and even individual players are increasing their social media platforms. Inter Miami now has 16.1M Instagram followers, more followers than any NFL team. Except for the CONCACAF starting soon, CONCACAF is a tournament consisting of two Leagues. LigaMax(A league in Mexico) teams play the teams in MLS(A league in America).