By Michael Kaplan ’13, Staff Writer

Soccer is a lifestyle. A passion. A sport that almost the entire world views as a religion. Yet for some reason, Americans are generally not catching on to the sport’s popularity.

Globally, soccer boasts the most passionate fans and a rich history. Rivalries between soccer teams are incomparable with those between American sports, which are often steeped in lore and even violence.  All the energy and enthusiasm for soccer reaches a climax every four years at the World Cup, where after years of qualifying games, the very best teams from around the world compete for national and personal glory on the world stage.

Just a few months ago, the American soccer squad traveled to South Africa to partake in the 2010 World Cup themselves.  The United States’s squad included young-blooded attackers like Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, both under the age of 23, who while still brimming with potential, failed to really put in goals in close games.  The team was really steered by veterans like Carlos Bocanegra and Landon Donovan, who set the tone for the American squad’s games, and made pivotal plays to advance the American squad past the group games.  The goal keeper, Tim Howard, was also a key to the strength of the  American defense.

To kick off the tournament, the U.S. pulled off a surprising draw against the stronger English squad, thanks in large part to a mistake by the English goal keeper.  A disappointing draw against Slovenia forced the U.S. into a must-win situation against  Algeria, which the squad pulled away from in victory after a late goal in injury time by U.S. team captain, Landon Donovan.  The win advanced the U.S. team through to the round of sixteen, where the Americans were eliminated by the fleet footwork and superior speed of a young Ghanaian team. Although Coach Bob Bradley vehemently insisted that the American side could have played better against Ghana, the U.S. showing in the World Cup was still very impressive in comparison to showings in years past.

There is no doubt that the successful American appearance in the World Cup has lit a fervor for soccer across the country. Just judging by viewership this would be obvious, as in comparison to the last World Cup, viewership increased by over 108% to a staggering 4.9 million viewers per games played by the United States team in the 2010 World Cup.  Attendance averages at recent Major League Soccer games have also recently surpassed those of the NHL and NBA, which is astounding considering the low-hum of publicity for American soccer, and the recent financial difficulties of many Major League Soccer teams. Even high school and college soccer programs are growing in numbers with the increasing popularity of soccer.

It is much easier to build a fan base around a winning team, and the recent success of the U.S. team will surely help their cause.  The respectable 2010 showing has fostered national pride and passion that has never been recorded in the United States, and hopefully the hype will continue through to the next World Cup in 2014.  The game that the world loves so dearly is finally being embraced by the globe’s most influential sporting nation. Soccer is, at last, being draped in stars and stripes.