SOCCER LOVERS BOOK REVIEW: I Believe That We Will Win: The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory
Researched – Perceptive – In-Depth.
Published by The Overlook Press — On Sale: Now (May 2018)
Soccer books have exploded on the scene with great force — here is our latest Soccer Lovers Book Review on a critical analysis of men’s soccer in the USA.
I Believe We Will Win – The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory came out last month and is written by Phil West, who also wrote The United States of Soccer, the thorough, inspiring analysis of the history and future of the US Men’s National Team.
The title is catchy — and “I believe that we will win!” is most known as a chant originating at the United States Naval Academy. Back when the USA entered the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the chant gained national recognition as a rallying call and become an unofficial motto.
This book slices into our soccer-loving heart on why we are not even in the running this year.
Phil West knows that the USA is at a critical moment in our soccer history and has written a compelling new book, I Believe We Will Win – The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory. It more than timely, it is a detailed prescription for a future we all want to bask in and share — it is just not future many can agree on how to achieve.
While the sweeping overview of our Men’s National team may seem overly familiar, it sets the stage for his perspective on how best to solve this undesirable situation of loss.
West’s book ends with a poignant insight and obvious truth:
“The 2018 World Cup will undoubtedly be bittersweet for American fans. But I believe the pain of missing it will motivate all invested in the USMNT’s success to not experience that heartbreak again.”
Not for the casual fan wanting only to skim the surface, West interviewed a distinct variety of individuals including Landon Donovan, Doug Andreassen, Joe Cummings, Alexi Lalas, Jared Micklos and Graham Zusi in preparation for his book.
I Believe We Will Win – The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory provides endless details on the inner workings of the youth to pro system for boys in our country, including a sharp look at the financial side of MLS Academies developing ‘homegrown’ players and how clubs can use up to $200,000 of its targeted allocation money for signing homegrown talent.
Who will be the next unknown who turns into a national hero and helps the USA win the World Cup? West does not forecast with clairvoyance but his call to action resonates loudly and clearly.
Here are what others think of I Believe We Will Win – The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory:
Perceptive and thorough, I Believe That We Will Win is the timely analysis of the state of American soccer.
Americans love to win. But when it comes to soccer, the world’s most popular sport, the US women’s team has delivered three World Cup victories in as many decades, while the men have not advanced past the quarter-finals in nearly ninety years.
In October 2017, the US Men’s National Team (USMNT) startled fans by failing to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, an episode that led both USMNT head coach Bruce Arena and US Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati to step down from their positions, and which launched a new era of reckoning for US Soccer as a whole. As the 2018 World Cup commences with the US sidelined, fans are becoming impatient: What will it take for the USMNT to finally rise to an elite level and bring home the FIFA World Cup Trophy?
I Believe That We Will Win: The Path to a US Men’s World Cup Victory link on Amazon
