An Immigrant Game.

As the decade began, few Americans had any interest in soccer. Professional and amateur teams vied for the National Challenge Cup. Ethnic and regional leagues, such as the German American Football Association and Fall River Football Club, were the most vital sources for soccer in the 1930s, and U.S. teams were composed largely of immigrants from Scotland and England. As these newcomers sought to become more assimilated into the culture, however, they opted to play baseball and American football.

World Cup Play.

The 1936 Olympics helped make U.S. soccer more competitive, but it did little to change the image of the game in American eyes. When the first World Cup took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930, it received scant notice in the sports pages, although the United States defeated Belgium and Paraguay and advanced to the semifinals. It faced a true...