Soccer has firmly established itself in the American sports landscape, driven by a record-breaking summer of World Cup viewership and stadium attendance, according to former U.S. Men's National Team star Landon Donovan.
Donovan, who served as an analyst for FOX during the tournament, described the event as "the time of my life," highlighting the nearly 7 million fans who attended matches across North America and a final viewership that peaked at 52 million, averaging 38 million.
"The superstars showed up and scored goals. The fan bases were incredible. The infrastructure and the stadiums, of course, are amazing in this country. The fans filled the stadiums. It broke records in every way on TV and social. It was a phenomenal World Cup," Donovan told Fox News Digital. He expressed sadness at its conclusion, noting the rapid pace of travel, games, and appearances.
The momentum from the World Cup is expected to provide a significant boost to Major League Soccer (MLS), especially with the league's All-Star Game approaching. Donovan, who partnered with longtime MLS sponsor AT&T for the festivities, emphasized the importance of sustained corporate support.
"When you have people and companies that want to support in a real way and not just throw money at it, but actually be involved, then it means a lot to us because we've been ambassadors for this game forever," he said.
Reflecting on his own experience returning to MLS after the 2002 World Cup, Donovan recalled the surge in energy and excitement. He believes players returning from major tournaments into the league now have a significant opportunity to grow their brands and connect with a newly energized fanbase.
"At the end of these tournaments, there's so much energy and excitement around soccer and the sport, so you'll see an uptick in viewership. You'll see an uptick in the stadiums. People now know these guys' names, and it's a really, really awesome opportunity to grow as a player, but also to grow your brand," Donovan stated.
While acknowledging that a deeper run by the U.S. Men's National Team would have amplified the sport's impact, Donovan asserts that soccer's arrival is undeniable. He pointed to anecdotal evidence, such as children wearing soccer jerseys to school over NFL or baseball apparel, as indicators of the sport's mainstream acceptance.
"There has been study after study, they asked people to name their favorite sport. The NFL was one, the NBA was two and soccer was three — soccer in general, right? So people do love this sport in this country," he said. "I know anecdotally, I drop my kids off at school every day. I don't see NFL jerseys. I don't see baseball jerseys. I see soccer jerseys. The kids are all wearing soccer jerseys. They're all in. So soccer is here."
Donovan conceded that quantifying this growth in terms of MLS or U.S. Soccer metrics is more challenging but remains confident in the sport's current standing. "This sport is mainstream now. When you turned on the TV this summer, people were talking about soccer... So, it is here. It's not where we all want it to be yet, but that takes time, man. These other sports have had decades, if not centuries, of a head start on soccer. So we'll just keep going."