6pm (ET) / 23.00 Uhr (MEZ)
Lecture at GHI Washington | Speaker: Brian D. Bunk (University of Massachusetts Amherst). Moderator: Andreas Greiner (GHI Washington)
2026 Spring Lecture Series: Soccer: The Beautiful Game
Popularizing Soccer - Soccer in the United States before 1950: The First Golden Age?
By some measures soccer is incredibly popular in the United States. Millions of kids and adults join teams, play soccer video games and stream matches from around the planet. Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League are growing professional competitions. The US Women’s National Team remains one of the best in the world, and the men’s squad is improving. Are we living in the golden age of US soccer? Looking back to soccer’s earlier history can help answer the question. Such an examination reveals that soccer’s development in the US at times matched and even exceeded that of other countries. Brian Bunk's talk explores how and why the sport succeeded in its early stages and discusses some of the reasons for its failures.
Doors will open at 5:30 pm and will close promptly at 6:00 pm with the beginning of the lecture. Access to the lecture after doors close will be at discretion of the GHI. Registration does not guarantee access once event capacity is reached.
The lecture will be recorded and made available for viewing.