Not many people take a deep look into the history of American soccer, but Dennis J. Seese does it remarkably well in The Rebirth of Professional Soccer in America: The Strange Days of the United Soccer Association from Rowman & Littlefield.
Seese merges his work with that of others, pushing America’s soccer story forward. This book is a great compilation of research, some of which can’t be found anywhere else and some of which is well-known. His analysis and commentary on David Wangerin’s research is world-class. Sadly Wangerin passed away in 2012, leaving a huge void in the telling of our soccer history. Now Seese carries the torch on, telling the history of the game before it was MLS and USL or the new NASL and NPSL. It was a time when there was the USA and the NPSL and CBS was the big player in soccer broadcasting.
It was a different time, often an exciting but awkward time, as America was trying to find its way through the game. It was a search for an identity at a time when teams from Europe and South America were obviously disguised as American ones and there was a “rogue” and “outcast” league in operation right here in the States.
Seese is a great storyteller, someone who gives the whole story and everything surrounding it without getting bogged down in the extraneous details.
This is a great story for those that want a quick recap of American soccer history or those that are deep scholars of the game already. Everyone can find something that makes this worth the read. Remember history repeats itself and it is hard to understand where you are if you don’t know where you came from. That is certainly the case with the beautiful game here in America.
