Beyond the Field : How Soccer Built Community in the United States

Author: Bunk, Brian D.

USA

Published on 10 June 2025 by University of Illinois Press in the United States as part of 'the Sport and Society' series.

Paperback / softback | 224 pages, 31 black & white photographs
152 x 228 x 16 | 328g

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.