Somewhere You Belong - The Story of US Soccer and the American Outlaws
Daniel Wise
I've spent the past several weeks explaining various aspects of the game of soccer from tactical, business, and cultural levels. Last week I wrote about supporter groups and the nature of their fandom. For those new to soccer, it's hard to decide a club team to support. Maybe there's no major league team near where they live. It's hard to feel invested in a team where none exist. Fortunately, there's one team that every American can support, and that's the United States Men's & Women's National Team. For decades, US Soccer was mostly a non-entity on the world stage of soccer. During the 60s, 70s, and 80s, our men's national team couldn't catch fire despite a heavy push in the domestic leagues during the 1970s.
The women's team didn't exist until 1985, yet they found success early by winning the 1991 World Cup, which was then known as the Women's World Championship. Since that time, the women's team has been a dominant force on the world stage. The men's national team on the other hand found its stride when the World Cup came to the United States in 1994. Not only did the men's team qualify for that world cup, they made an improbable run to the second round of 16 teams in the knockout stage. 1998 was another qualifying year, but it was the team's worst result at the World Cup by not winning any games.
I love two things: America and soccer.
The men’s 2014 World Cup was a coming out party for the National Team. Bolstered by a balanced squad of solid veterans and spry youngsters and lead by a German named Jurgen Klinsmann, who had a World Cup win from his playing days, the team found its swagger. Marching into the sweltering heat of Brazil, the national team came in with a belief that they could win the whole thing. And they got mighty close to achieving that goal. It took a formidable force known as the Belgian National Team to knock out the US from the Round of 16. But they had to earn that victory. The national team goal keeper Tim Howard defied logic and reality and stopped a total of 15 shots on goal to set a World Cup record. However, the Belgians and their waffles were too much for the US to handle, and we were sent back packing. However, it was back to a nation and supporters who had open arms and a fevered love for that team.
2018 was a disaster. The team from the 2014 World Cup was a shadow of its former self. Aging veterans had lost a step, and our young players were too green to handle the pressure of qualifying for the World Cup. Klinsmann was fired after a string of defeats in 2016. Former national team coach Bruce Arena was brought in to help freshen up a squad that was lost at sea finding itself at the bottom of the qualifying standings for the 2018 World Cup. The US clawed its way back toward the top, but lacked the security of a top position to qualify. A loss to Trinidad and Tobago ended the run for the US' qualifying tour for the 2018 World Cup. The US hadn't missed a qualification since 1986. However, the team parted ways with Arena and brought in Gregg Berhalter, who has big hopes for the national team. The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, and the national team, while having fresher faces than most years, could develop its young squad to make a run when the qualification rounds start.
Despite the men's national team experiencing turbulence, the women's team has been flying high since the 90s. And this next summer is a big one for them as they travel to France to compete in the 2019 Women's World Cup. How good is the Women's team? I can only describe their talent and tactical prowess as bonkers. Like the DJ Khaled song goes, all they do is win no matter what. The women's team won the 2015 World Cup in spectacular fashion by defeating Japan, a team who had delivered a heartbreaking 2nd place finish to the US in 2011. The women also achieved three Olympic Gold Medals and two additional World Cup championships. The team is led by head coach Jill Ellis, and they bring a well-rounded squad of young upstarts and veteran leadership. They continue their World Cup campaign on June 11 when the group stage starts. Meanwhile, the men’s squad faces their first real test since 2018 when they compete in the Gold Cup, which is a major competition between North and Central America and the Caribbean. Their group stage starts June 15. It’s gonna be a soccerful summer.
Okay. I love three things: America, soccer, and beer.
This is the best time to jump in to supporting the men’s and women’s national teams. So, how does somebody new to soccer get invested in the sport while watching the national teams play? Let me tell you about a secret society of die hard soccer fans who support many club teams, but have one love for the national team. This group of like-minded supporters gather in bars and living rooms across the US. There’s no secret handshake or passwords needed to join. There’s no trial to become accepted. You simply have to be willing to give yourself to the game of soccer. This group is called the American Outlaws (AO), which is the official supporter group of the men’s and women’s national teams. There are state and local chapters of AO supporters, and you would be surprised by how close they may be to you.
If you’ve ever seen a Youtube video around the time of past World Cups of fans huddled together in bars and their wild explosions of insanity after goals, that’s the AO. I have watched many men’s and women’s games with my local AO DC chapter, and the experience has always been wonderful. I get to talk to a lot of knowledgeable fans, and trade banter and barbs about our favorite club teams. Mostly, we live to experience those wonderful moments when we can watch our national teams win.
Want to get in on the action?
Visit the American Outlaws website. Get to know the history and culture of the group, and find your local AO chapter. This is a great group of fans to get with. From there, you will get a different view and experience of soccer. And before you realize it, you may never lose that soccer fever.
Additional Links:
Support US Soccer. Become and Outlaw.
If you want to get on the ground level of being a soccer supporter, the best way is to find your local American Outlaws chapter. You can come as a casual fan or a complete newcomer, and you'll be accepted either way. That one song from Nirvana is always the case when it comes to the AO, because the more people supporting US Soccer, the better it is for soccer culture in America. With that continued support, the national team can continue to develop into a perennial World Cup contender. While the national team has had its share of ups and downs over the years, the AO has always stood by its side.
You'll be surprised by how many AO chapters exist on either a state-wide or local level. Outlaws come from many places and support different teams, which is handy if you are looking for a club-level team to support. If there's anything a supporter loves to do, it's to bring in more supporters who can eventually reach that euphoric and wild state of tifosi. AO Members have a song that goes, We love you / We love you / And where you go / We'll follow. It's a battle cry and an anthem. Because we support the US and that's the way we like it.
Thank you for reading. Live well and watch more soccer.