The Big Bounce: The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S. Soccer
(Hardback)
Publishing Details
The Big Bounce: The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S. Soccer
By (Author) Alan Rothenberg
Foreword by Alexi Lalas
Foreword by Alexi Lalas
Afterword by Julie Foudy
Triumph Books
Triumph Books
20th May 2026
United States
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Sports management and facilities
Sociology: sport and leisure
Association football (Soccer)
Physical Properties
Hardback
272
Width 152mm, Height 228mm, Spine 25mm
526g
Description
"Alan Rothenberg was just what soccer needed in the 1990s. Like any true visionary, he had the ability to look around corners and peer into the future and see things that others didn't."
- Alexi Lalas, from his foreword
A whirlwind, insider account of soccer's hard-won growth in the United Statesas told by industry veteran and Major League Soccer founder Alan Rothenberg
Recent years have brought home a startling truth: soccer is no longer an also-ran among top U.S. sports.How did we get here How did we go from having multiple professional soccer leagues flounderto having Major League Soccer prove to its doubters that it's here to stay How did we evolvefrom barely having a Women's National Teamto a golden era of women's soccer with a captivating style of play, great stars, and unforgettable moments
It took greatbeliefas well as power, tenacity, and and a willingness to approach the sport through the lens of big business.
In the crucial fifteen years when US soccer made its most important moves-from 1984 to 1999-the pivotal figure behind the scenes was Alan Rothenberg:soccer commissioner for the 1984 Olympics, chairman of the men's World Cup in 1994, president of U.S. Soccer from 1990 to 1998, founder of Major League Soccer, and chairman of the 1999 Women's World Cup.
Rothenberg tells his story for the first time in this definitive account of the Big Bounce that propelled American soccer out of its Wild West past and into the international elite ranks, sharing little-known details of what really happened and why, from the radical to the farcical.
As U.S. soccer fans gear up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on home soil, The Big Bounce chronicles an era of foundational growth for this rapidly growing sport.
Reviews
Author Bio
Alan Rothenberg is the founder of Major League Soccer who served assoccercommissionerforthe 1984Olympics, chairmanandCEOofthemen's 1994 WorldCupintheUnitedStates, and chairman of the 1999 Women's World Cup. He has also served as President of the State Bar of California, President of the Greater Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, President of the Los Angeles Airport Commission, and currently serves as Chairman of the Los Angeles Tourism Board.
