Soccer’s Hidden Files

A weekly drop of the American soccer history you were never meant to hear. That & more, free every Tuesday.

Featured Posts

Neil Armstrong Took A Soccer Flag to the Moon

One small step for man, one giant leap for soccer fans. New evidence suggests the Apollo 11 mission took small footy souvenirs up to the moon.

Reagan Begs for the World Cup

One conversation changed the course of US soccer history forever. And it all started in a college dorm in Indiana.

The Nuclear Soccer Game

During the height of the Cold War, America and the USSR settled things in the only way they knew how: a high-stakes indoor soccer match.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Their Twin Soccer Team

A historic soccer club in South America shares a logo with the most successful NFL franchise of all time. But who copied who?

Women's Soccer in 1800s America

The first recorded women's soccer game on the East Coast took place over 130 years ago. It was a chaotic affair near the Baltimore harbor.

The First Jersey Sponsor in the World

Believe it or not, it was an American soap company in 1887. New research shows soccer kit sponsorships might've first originated in 19th-century America.

Latest Posts

The First African American Soccer Players in the U.S.

In the late 1800s, two siblings made history as the first Black soccer players in America—and they claimed a league title to cement their legacy.

The First Soccer-Specific Stadium in America

In 1922, a visionary tycoon evaded the law to build the first soccer stadium in the US, right in Rhode Island. A century later, the state will open a new one.

Richard Nixon’s Soccer Game in Ecuador

In 1958, Nixon tried to use soccer as a way to connect with Latin American countries. He failed spectacularly.

Archive

The First African American Soccer Players in the U.S.

In the late 1800s, two siblings made history as the first Black soccer players in America—and they claimed a league title to cement their legacy.

The First Soccer-Specific Stadium in America

In 1922, a visionary tycoon evaded the law to build the first soccer stadium in the US, right in Rhode Island. A century later, the state will open a new one.

Richard Nixon’s Soccer Game in Ecuador

In 1958, Nixon tried to use soccer as a way to connect with Latin American countries. He failed spectacularly.

Soccer in the 13 Colonies

Death, taxes, and... soccer. While some of our Founding Fathers were dumping tea in the harbor, other pioneering colonists were playing soccer in the streets.

Pickup Soccer During the Civil War

Union and Confederate soldiers used to play soccer in between Civil War battles. The beautiful game somehow thrived during America's bloodiest war.

The Soccer Prank That Went Too Far

Two British kids fooled the Houston Dynamo into signing the “Honduran Maradona”—all with a fake Wikipedia page and prank calls.

Dead Whales Buried Under Soccer Stadium

A popular soccer venue in North Carolina has a special kind of turf. One haunted by whale carcasses from almost a century ago.

St. Patrick's Day Soccer in 1892

What's better than drinking on St. Paddy's? Calling out your local rivals for a holiday game via newspaper and ending up in soccer history forever.

The Soccer Odyssey

We turned a vintage school shuttle into a soccer bus to travel the country. And we interviewed USMNT star Tim Weah in the middle of the woods...

Women's Soccer in 1800s America

The first recorded women's soccer game on the East Coast took place over 130 years ago. It was a chaotic affair near the Baltimore harbor.

The American Soccer War of 1927

In the 1920s, a dramatic dispute between leagues and the US Soccer Federation caused pro soccer in America to implode and disappear for forty years.

Obama's Secret Love for Soccer

Barack Obama grew up playing soccer in Indonesia. He also stopped a pivotal G8 Summit at Camp David to watch the Champions League Final.