Football or Soccer, UK and USA Share a Love of the Game
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3 min readAs World Cup fever grips the America and the U.K., we look back at some folks who helped shape the game in both countries.
Much of the world was glued to their TV sets in June 2010 as the United States and England met in the World Cup for the first time since 1950, when the Yanks pulled off one of the most shocking wins in the history of international sports by besting the Brits 1-0.
Historically, England has been the chief exporter of association football, helping spread the game it codified to its many colonies. Indeed, some cite America's early anti-colonialism and insistence on creating a unique cultural identity as a large reason the world's most popular game isn’t more popular here.
But when the NASL, America's first professional soccer league, formed in 1968, the U.S. turned largely to England for imported football knowledge.
We imagine that the following folks — who had strong ties to both the England and the United States — would have relished watching UK vs. USA were they still with us.
Sir Bobby Robson was a revered figure in UK football, playing for England in the 1958 World Cup, and later as a manager guiding them to a semi-final in 1990. What many don't remember is that in 1967 he got his first managerial job coaching the Vancouver Royals of the nascent United Soccer Association (USA) — a precursor to the NASL. He didn't last though, forced out when Vancouver merged with the clunkily named San Francisco Golden Gate Gales.
Gordon Bradley played for Carlisle United and various other clubs in England before moving across the pond in 1963. He became the first head coach of the New York Cosmos 1971, and was later instrumental as Vice President of the organization in bringing in big name European stars like Franz Beckenbauer, Johann Cryuff, and Pele. Bradley also briefly coached the U.S. men's national team and ended his career coaching for George Mason University.
George Best spent the glory days of his career playing for Manchester United, making 470 appearances for them between 1963 and 1974. His career on the wane thanks to injuries and alcoholism, he still managed to land jobs in the United States, playing for the Los Angeles Aztecs, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and the San Jose Earthquakes. Though far from the peak of his powers, he still managed to display some sublime skills.1968: Manchester United footballer George Best jumps to head a ball watched by a Chelsea player. (Getty Images | Keystone)
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