Are there any? It would seem so. Post your US Soccer Hotbed (city or community where soccer has gained a foothold of tradition and is supported equally or even more-so than other "American" sports) with reasons/facts defending your selection(s). Categories: Pro Soccer Hotbeds College Soccer Hotbeds Youth Soccer Hotbeds Women's Soccer Hotbeds
Most people I know will say "St. Louis" right away. Anyone have stats/reasons why St. Louis might be a US Soccer Hotbed?
I'll nominate the Central/North Texas region. Pro Soccer FCDallas, at least I assume they still count. After this weekend I wonder. Actually they would be a borderline hotbed righnt. They have all the ingredients except for a team which can grab the loyalty of the average soccer fan. That may be coming soon though. College Soccer SMU, UT-Dallas. Several other good D1,2 and 3 teams within 100 miles, which in Texas distance is in the neighborhood. Youth soccer Probably where this area is strongest. Dallas Cup international youth tournament. North Texas Youth Soccer. Billions and billions of the little guys playing soccer, at least until they get into high school. Women's soccer Eh, not so much. There are some decent women's college teams in the area but I would not call it a hotbed.
I thought Columbus was a hotbed until I went to the US-Mexico game there a couple months ago.... It was given very little coverage by the local media and most people in town seemed to be oblivious that the game was even happening (Totally different from US-Costa Rica in Salt Lake, where everyone seemed to be at least aware of the game).
Rochester, NY Pro: Rhinos of course and starting next year PaeTec Park (www.rhinossoccer.com) College: Some of the toughest D3 programs in the nation(UR, Geneseo, Brockport, RIT, Hobart, etc) and numerous players from the area on D1 teams. Plus some traditionally competitive NAIA programs at Roberts Wesleyan and Houghton Colleges and last years JUCO national Women's champs Monroe Community College. High School/Club Soccer: I think this is where it really holds it's own nationally. We were in a suburb the other day and drove by a small field. My wife goes, "Is that their modified football field?" I had to explain to her, that, "No, this school of ~1800 kids never had a football team until 5-6 years ago and their nice field is used for soccer games only." Most of the largest schools in the area get larger crowds for soccer games than for football games and most schools base their homecoming weekend around the soccer game. We're also one of the most organized and competitive soccer sections in the state of NY. Check out: www.sectionvsoccer.org www.sectionvsoccer.net Recreation Soccer: There are plenty of pickup games in the area, plus several great indoor facilities that are always packed to the brim with teams. Often there's a waiting list to join a league. Also, the Rochester District Soccer League is one of the oldest leagues in the United States, it started in 1913 ( www.rdsl.org) and has anywhere from 80-100 mens teams each summer and another 30 women's teams. Recently the Premier League teams have featured recently retired or cut Rochester Rhinos players along with many other D1 and high caliber players. All of these things are in a Metro Area of only about 1.1million people.
I don't have the time to give many reasons, but North Carolina, especially the Triangle and Triad are hotbeds--Wake Forest, UNC, UNCG, about a thousand small colleges and very active rec leagues.
St. Louis is often the first city named, but it's mainly an amateur soccer hotbed (not one of the categories you listed, but also important).
Los Angeles: In my AYSO region alone, we have over 130 teams, not to mention clubs and other AYSO regions. Locally we have two MLS teams. The FMF plays at the Home Depot Center & can fill the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We have quite a few colleges that are ranked well in Div 1, 2, & 3
The Washington DC Metro area definitely qualifies as a soccer hotbed. Professional: DC United, four-time MLS champion. College: U of Md, American U., George Washington U., and although more distantly, UVA. Youth Soccer: Some very good youth soccer clubs in the DC area, esp in suburban Maryland and northern VA. Women's Soccer: formerly, the Washington Freedom, home to Mia and Abby. Also, the Maryland Pride (not much to be proud of in 2005, however).
St. Louis New Jersey Upstate NY Central Maryland- Baltimore and Columbia Washington DC and suburbs central North Carolina These are places large numbers of both youths and adults play...where people have been playing for many years and any anti-soccer stigma as displayed in other parts of the country, is mostly non-existent...
It seems to me like I've met tons of Portland natives who played for top NCAA D1 soccer programs. The Portland Timbers have great fan support, and AYSO is real big up there.
Don't forget about the Pac N-Dub. Washington state is number one in youth soccer participation per capita and has the country's largest adult soccer community. (According to qwestfield.com) arrggghhh!! Bring MLS to the North West!
Hartford definitely. High school football is nothing here compared to high school soccer. From what I've heard, that's not very common in this country. Plus, all the other levels of youth development are of very high quality. We also have quality semi-pro and amateur adult leagues. And UConn is top rated, as well as Central Connecticut and Hartford consistantly have good college teams. Professionally, MLS doesn't exist here and you wouldn't know it existed period if you were here, Serie A and the Premiership rule Connecticut.
Pure fiction! Hell, I'd venture to say San Diego County has more adult teams than the entire state of Washington. Many are not CSA, or US Soccer registered however.
When you say "hotbed" I think that you must first and foremost consider the region a producer of quality talent. Second there must be some considerable history, and finally there should be all the physical evidence (fields, teams, stadia, leagues, media coverage, etc.) St. Louis to me fits the bill. Southern California has less history, and yet the numbers in the last 25 years are staggering. NYC, the Bay Area, New England, Philadelphia/Jersey, Chicago all are on my list.
Another unexpected hotbed worth noting: Looking at players' hometowns, the state that has consistently produced the largest number of MLS players per capita is actually Colorado, with no other state even close. A few Colorado natives also play in Europe - most notably Conor Casey. However, the Colorado players that get into the pro ranks seem to come from all over the state, with no particular area looking like more of a hotbed within the state.
I dont know if it quite qualifies as a hotbed, but Jacksonville has a very strong men's league. I have seen some cool stuff here in this league, its really diverse. I mean I really never expected to see a big ol' Redneck playing soccer, let alone him cursing at an Albanian while some sort of a foreign ref (my guess is Indian, he definitely wasnt born here, his english isnt worth a damn) tries to seperate them. But in all honesty the strength of some players and teams is quite good, and for a city with less than a million people I think 20 mens open teams of 20 players each and 20 mens over thirty teams of twenty players each is pretty good and surprising.
Have you been watching any Section 5 soccer this year? Any of Roch-Brighton, Wayne, Victor, or Pittsford Mendon in paticular? I play for the team that is ranked #1 in class A and I might be playing one of those four teams in the next week or two. I'm sure whatever team comes out of that section will do well.