Fred Oliver is a name that you may have heard about if any of you have been closely following soccer's development in America. This Pawtucket Free Wanderers player was a native Rhode Islander who played as a forward, centerback and defender. The early American soccer history of the United States is unique in that African Americans played in a senior league for the first time. His career began at a bolt factory. But he was a star for team's names, earning him a spot on the first edition World Cup.
African Americans have played in a senior league
Although the United States has a long history of soccer, very little information is available. This history is not documented by the leagues. These stories are often discovered by sports historical societies. The Society for American Soccer History recently published the report about the first African American player in soccer. The report, Fred Watson and Oliver Watson, details the history of the United States' first known African-American soccer players.
Even though the game is getting more diverse, there's still a significant problem with the executive positions. Only 1.6% are black soccer executives. Burton Albion (low-profile English third and forth tiers) are the only Black owners for professional soccer clubs. Black ownership is partially responsible for the shortage of Black managers or coaches. However, the Society aims to remedy this situation by creating a platform that allows African American players.
The NASL fell in the 1980s
The NASL was struggling in the early 1980s to remain competitive. The league suffered from overexpansion, as well as disputes with its members' union. The unemployment rate had reached 10.8% at the same time, which was the highest since World War II. The league was clearly losing money, as the owners tried to reduce costs. The league was in danger of collapsing in 1982.
The financial difficulties of the league began to impact clubs. In 1977, only 18 teams were in the league and over 70% of its budget was spent on salaries. Many owners decided to keep six teams, despite the NASL's inability to finance them. Although the league was able to grow, it had only 24 teams in 1978.
The U.S. had a successful 1986 World Cup.
The U.S. team did not win the World Cup, but its success was evident from the beginning. The attendance was greater than at any other time in U.S. Soccer history. The U.S. beat Yugoslavia, 4-2, in the Rose Bowl's opening round. This was in front of 97.451 people. The semifinals were won by Brazil 2-1 against Italy in front of 83 642 Stanford crowd.
Based on their performance at the qualifying stage, the United States qualified for World Cup. After a slow qualifying stage, Jurgen Klonsmann was fired and Bruce Arena, who had won three of the eight qualifiers, was hired again. Sunil Gulati the president, U.S.Soccer, stated that the U.S. wanted to achieve the qualification campaign.