Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts

How did American men's soccer go from afterthought to the world stage, and why has the journey been so maddening, improbable, and uniquely American? This sweeping, sharply observed history traces four decades of ambition, heartbreak, and hard-won progress, from scrappy underdog squads to World Cup drama and the sport's explosive modern growth. With wit, deep reporting, and a fan's clear-eyed love of the game, the author chronicles the players, coaches, and culture clashes that shaped U.S. soccer's long, savage climb toward the top, or at least somewhere thereabouts.