The United States Mens National Team isn’t just smashing television ratings and webstreaming records at home. Americans are—gasp!—actually leaving their couches and desk chairs in droves to watch the Stars and Stripes keep their World Cup dream alive. Say hello to the new face of soccer in America: Kansas City, Cincinnati, Orlando, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Richmond, and beyond.
And then there's Chicago, the new Soccer Capital of America.
Just last week, a reported 20,000 supporters packed into the city's Grant Park to watch the USMNT’s crucial Group G clash against Portugal. A few days later, for the team’s final group stage game against Germany, that number was smaller, only a reported 5,000 showed. But hey, it was a weekday.
Photographer Scott Olson has been Chicago to document the festivies. Below are few of his best shots, taken during the United States' first three World Cup matches.
All photos by Scott Olson.