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1820
Many American colleges played soccer but not competitively. Rules were casual and changed often. -
1865-1876
Soccer was initiated as an organized professional sport in colleges. Princeton and Rutgers Universities were the first 2 colleges to engage in this sport competitively. -
1884
The American Football Association was formed in Newark New Jersey. This was done to declare uniformity in the interpretation of rules that were set in the sport. -
1904
The Federation Internationale de Football Assosiation (FIFA) was created in Paris to be over dozens of different countries to create rules and regulations for the sport -
1914
The USFA was incorporated under the laws under the state of New York, and granted full membership in FIFA at the annual congress of Oslo, Norway, June 24. -
1919
Bethlehem (Pa.) became the first American professional team to play in Europe when touring Sweden. -
1941
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America was organized by a group of 10 coaches attending the annual meeting of the Intercollegiate Soccer Football Association of America in New York. -
1958
The American Soccer League (ASL) was granted permission to create an International Soccer League (ISL) made up of the European, American, and South American top professional teams to operate in the cities of the United States. -
1974
The USSFA changed its name to the United States Soccer Federation. -
1990
The United States was able to compete in the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. This happened from the WSL and the ASL merging to create the American Professional Soccer League. -