Name: Soccer's American Dream
Released: 2026-05-05T00:00:00.000Z

TV Show · Documentary · Sports

How the gamble that brought professional soccer to America almost didn't pay off - from the messy beginnings of both the men's and women's pro game to the Messi era we're in today, as the world's biggest tournament rolls back into town.

2026 · 43m

EPISODE 1

The Beautiful Game Comes Stateside

The North American Soccer League fails to light the fuse on professional soccer in 1970s America; America's women try to get on the field.
EPISODE 2

What's a World Cup?

By the mid-1980s, professional soccer had collapsed and the US men's national team hadn't made a World Cup in decades. It was an audacious time to launch a bid to bring the 1994 edition to America.
EPISODE 3

Get Busy Winning

In the late '80s, the newly formed US women's national team face an uphill fight for recognition. But a winning formula brings home two World Cups and Olympic gold in just 10 years.
EPISODE 4

Growing Pains

The success of World Cup 1994 spawns a new men's pro-league, the MLS. But major startup problems and a fractured men's national team make headlines heading into the new millennium.
EPISODE 5

A League Of Our Own

The women's 1999 World Cup team become national idols after winning on home soil, but capitalising on this success to form a fully professional league proves harder than imagined.
EPISODE 6

Soccer, American Style

As the 2026 World Cup arrives, what will it take for the US men's national team to truly level up, and how can the women's team stay among the world's best in the years to come?