From barrooms to living rooms, Grant Park to Soldier Field, raucous crowds cheering on the U.S. men’s national soccer team presented clear symptoms of America’s new found case of soccer fever.
Seems the case has spread to the halls of the West Wing as well.
President Barack Obama took a moment yesterday to call U.S. men’s captain Clint Dempsey and star goalkeeper Tim Howard to congratulate the team on a strong showing at the 2014 World Cup. Despite the team’s agonizing overtime exit against Belgium, they outperformed expectations by escaping from the so-called “Group of Death,” getting revenge over Ghana – the team that knocked them out in 2010 – in the process.
President Obama watched several of the games, including one aboard Air Force One.
“You did us proud,” said Obama. “As somebody whose first sport was soccer, although I was never that good, to see the way you captured the hearts and imaginations of the whole country is unbelievable.”
Obama also touched on the team’s contributions to soccer as a whole in the United States. The sport’s growth has been visible statistically in the rise of T.V. ratings and construction of soccer specific stadiums, but the fervor the past two weeks have touched off in American fans felt truly unprecedented, even in a nation that once hosted the World Cup in 1994.
“Obviously, the sport’s been growing steadily because so many kids are playing it a young age,” said Obama. This is the first time where I think you really had an entire country focused.”
