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Beyond the Field
How Soccer Built Community in the United States
Brian D. Bunk (Author)
9780252088780
Paperback / softback, published 10 June 2025
224 pages, 31 black & white photographs
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.367 kg
Played by both migrants and native-born Americans, soccer created communities across the United States. Brian D. Bunk ranges from Pawtucket to Honolulu as he illuminates the deep and diverse origins of the American sport. Soccer took root as immigration, urbanization, and industrialization triggered immense changes across society. Matches built local pride as teams battled rival neighborhoods and towns. Teammates and supporters shared meals, raised money for fallen players, and attended each other's weddings and funerals. If sometimes damaged by economic depression or shattered by war, clubs often bounced back to provide a steadying, resilient force in their towns. Bunk follows the story from the 1880s through World War I by profiling the struggles and joys of players while also tracing the overlooked impact of people of African, Chinese, Hawaiian, Jewish, and Filipino descent on American soccer culture. Engaging and rich in detail, Beyond the Field draws on extensive original research to expand our idea of the people and places that formed the American game.
Acknowledgments Introduction 1 The Watson Brothers : The First African American Soccer Players Pawtucket, Rhode Island 2 Soccer and Stone Barre, Vermont 3 Soccer in Black and White Scranton, Pennsylvania 4 Chasing Nomads Buffalo, New York 5 Deering’s Rangers in El Dorado Miami, Florida 6 Irish Shamrocks and Jewish Gyms Cincinnati, Ohio 7 Crossing Borders in Detroit Detroit, Michigan 8 The McKendrick Brothers: Scottish Professionals in the Motor City Detroit, Michigan 9 Raising Thistles in the Twin Cities Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota 10 Jimmy Matthews: Minnesota’s Canadian War Hero Minneapolis, Minnesota 11 High Plains Kickers Denver, Colorado 12 Soccer in the City of Roses Portland, Oregon 13 Soccer in Central Park San Francisco, California 14 Bay Area Vampires Alameda, California 15 Soccer in Surf and Sand Honolulu, Hawai‘i Epilogue Notes Index