Soccer, the world’s most popular sport, is the favorite sport to watch and play in every country except the United States.  Whether it’s Monday Night Football, the MLB September playoff push, March Madness or NHL Wednesday night rivalries, it seems that America’s attention is everywhere but soccer. However, as the U.S. national team came to Bush Stadium on November 13, there is still hope for soccer to make its mark.

With the Cardinals being the heart and soul of St. Louis sports, other smaller STL sports like soccer have been overlooked. The last time a huge soccer match came to St. Louis was the Chelsea vs Manchester City game in May of 2013. That match managed to sell out in a matter of minutes and the recent USA game repeated history in its ticket sales. St. Louis has produced and will continue producing soccer stars like Brad Davis, Will Bruin and St. Dominic’s own Tim Ream, all of whom would continue their careers to large teams.

Ream would make his homecoming to St. Louis as he started on defense for the U.S. national team in the game vs. St. Vincent and the Grenadines. From outside the gates of Busch Stadium, you could hear the buzz from the fans. The whole stadium was filled with red, white and blue. American flags were flying proudly in the air as fans from all over the country came together to root for the country they love. As the players were introduced, the fans cheered louder. When St. Louis native and former St. Dominic student Tim Ream was introduced, the crowd roared with excitement.

The game began slowly for team USA as their opponent St. Vincent and the Grenadines struck first and took the lead with a score of 1-0. USA fans were discouraged but not ready to quit cheering on their team.

After losing the opportunity to score the first goal, the USA team gave it everything they had. Forward Bobby Wood sent the ball shooting into the back of the net, tying the score. Then defender Fabian Johnson sent a rocket into the goal to give the USA a 2-1 lead. The rain of goals did not end there, as more would come from Jozy Altidore, Geoff Cameron, Gyasi Zardes and finally Altidore again. The final score was 6-1, USA. With this impressive performance, the team is looking forward to their next matchup vs. Trinidad and Tobago.

With this showcase of America’s best soccer players, it may inspire others to find an interest in the sport. Based on the amount of fans that attended this match in St. Louis, it seems that there is promise for the sport to grow here.