Major League Soccer (MLS) is currently enjoying a surge of popularity, with growing attendances, marquee signings, and increasing interest from sports fans across the United States. But this isn’t the first time that soccer has attempted to "break" into the American market. In fact, the history of men’s association football in the U.S. is littered with many attempts to bring the beautiful game into the mainstream.

In this video, we take you back to 1967, when two major leagues—The National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the United Soccer Association (USA)—tried to capture America's attention, only to collapse spectacularly. Fuelled by the unexpected success of the 1966 World Cup broadcast and the growing belief that soccer was an untapped goldmine, wealthy investors rushed to build a new era of football in the U.S. But instead of the footballing revolution they envisioned, it all fell apart almost as quickly as it began.

We’ll explore the bizarre and details behind these two rival leagues, including teams playing under borrowed names, wacky rules, and even referees forcing players down to accommodate ad breaks. Despite the big dreams and serious investment, both leagues quickly fell out of favour with American fans and the media alike.

Join us as we dive into this fascinating chapter of U.S. soccer history, examining the reasons why football failed to capture the American audience at that time.

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