VOA6月文本.docVIP

Building Soccer in America: Three Stories of Struggle and Success By 02010-6-1 FAITH LAPIDUS: Im Faith Lapidus. DOUG JOHNSON: And Im Doug Johnson with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about the highest level of mens soccer in the United States — Major League Soccer. We hear from three players who have links to Washington, D.C. Ben Olsen and Curt Onalfo had great careers as professional players. Now, they are passing on their knowledge as coaches with D.C. United. Mike Banner plays for the Chicago Fire, but started in Washington. Their stories tell a lot about the past, present and future of professional soccer in America. FAITH LAPIDUS: In nineteen ninety-three, soccer in the United States started on a new road. It had been almost ten years since the last major soccer league in the United States had closed down. The North American Soccer League lasted from nineteen sixty-eight to nineteen eighty-four. The NASL had some notable successes. One team signed two of the most famous players in soccer history: Edison Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele, of Brazil and Franz Beckenbauer of Germany. Both stars played for the New York Cosmos in front of big crowds. At the time, their best playing days were behind them. Yet foreign players like these planted the seeds of renewed interest in soccer in America. DOUG JOHNSON: But, the rest of the league struggled to attract fans. In the United States, soccer competes with baseball, American football and basketball. All these sports are American inventions and have developed wide support in schools, amateur and professional leagues. Major League Soccer came with a different purpose. It began as part of the effort for the United States to hold the nineteen ninety-four World Cup competition. But it was also an attempt to establish a top professional level for soccer in America. The first season took place in nineteen ninety-six. At the start, one team established itself as the leagues best. D.C. United won