{"id":2391,"date":"2026-06-20T07:03:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2391"},"modified":"2026-06-20T07:03:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T07:03:36","slug":"young-soccer-fans-in-tucson-hopeful-world-cup-success-will-help-sport-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2391","title":{"rendered":"Young soccer fans in Tucson hopeful World Cup success will help sport grow"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – As the U.S. prepares for its final match in the group stage of the World Cup, local soccer fans are looking forward to what the team\u2019s success means for the sport.<\/p>\n

Read more Phoenix civil rights activist Jarrett Maupin indicted on fraud charges<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. team beat Australia 2-0 on Friday,<\/b><\/u><\/i> a match some of soccer\u2019s youngest fans have waited years for.<\/p>\n

FC Tucson\u2019s youth team celebrated the win together, which academy director Ryan Hall said was a great way to build excitement for the team and energize his players.<\/p>\n

Growing the sport<\/b><\/h3>\n

Hall is hoping the World Cup excitement can translate outside of the soccer community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose that are involved in soccer already know this, but it definitely puts a spotlight on those who aren\u2019t familiar with it, and hopefully, yeah, we\u2019ll get more people interested that aren\u2019t interested in it now,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

According to a recent Gallup poll<\/b><\/u><\/i>, 27% of adults said they\u2019re fans of professional soccer, behind sports like football, basketball and baseball. Only 5% of Americans named soccer as their favorite sport to watch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is popular, but it\u2019s just not as glamorized as the other main four sports; as you\u2019ve seen over the last 10-15 years, it\u2019s slowly catching up,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

Youth players leading charge<\/b><\/h3>\n

FC Tucson youth team players invited to watch the match ranged in age from 4 to 14. For many of these young players, this is the first World Cup they\u2019ll remember.<\/p>\n

Ryker Gibbs and Ethan Petersen, both 12-year-olds on FC Tucson\u2019s youth team, said they\u2019ve been playing soccer their whole lives and want more people to buy into the game.<\/p>\n

Read more Pocket Fire burns 500 acres north of Sedona, sparks evacuations<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the most popular sport in the world, but here it\u2019s like the third most popular sport (here),\u201d Gibbs said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t use to, but it\u2019s getting up to be one of the most popular,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool to see them win and, like, getting better.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt makes me feel excited for the USA in their journey, and I hope they make it far in the tournament,\u201d Gibbs said.<\/p>\n

Hall said the further the USA team goes, the more interest he\u2019s hopeful they\u2019ll see in the sport nationwide and in their youth teams in Tucson.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe further we go, the better off it\u2019ll be for the sport in the U.S., absolutely, no question,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

This is the first time in more than three decades that the FIFA World Cup is being hosted on U.S. soil. The U.S. will play its final group match against Turkey at 7 p.m. Friday, June 25.<\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n

Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n

Read more Goodyear businesses brace for traffic as Buc-ee\u2019s opening prompts major detour<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Only 27% of U.S. adults say they’re fans of professional soccer, behind sports like football, basketball, and baseball. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nYoung soccer fans in Tucson hopeful World Cup success will help sport grow - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2391\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Young soccer fans in Tucson hopeful World Cup success will help sport grow - 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