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Is soccer growing in popularity in the U.S.?

By Kseniya Kalaur,
Megan Mack, Julie Williams
Published August 16, 2024 at 2:40 PM EDT
Five smiling people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio; the man on the left in the foreground has short dark hair and is wearing a grey short sleeved polo shirt, grey shorts and sneakers; the man on the right in the foreground has a dark beard and is wearing a black baseball cap, a red short sleeved polo shirt with a white collar, white writing, a yellow logo and black stripes on the shoulders and khaki shorts; the man on the left in the background is bald with a blonde beard and is wearing glasses and a yellow, blue and white patterned soccer jersey; the man on the right in the background has short dark hair and is wearing a blue long sleeved shirt; the young woman at the end of the table has long blonde hair and is wearing a white soccer jersey with blue stripes on the shoulders and a red logo.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Ben Cross and John Bourgeois, (background) Daniel Kushner and Kevin Roman with guest host Kseniya Kalaur on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, August 16, 2024
A young woman with long blonde hair sits in front of a microphone in a radio talk studio.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
Guest host Kseniya Kalaur on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, August 26, 2024

Next month, a new soccer-specific bar will open in Rochester. The owner is placing a bet on the increasing popularity of soccer, leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

So is soccer growing? How can it overcome what has held the sport back in this country for decades? WXXI's Kseniya Kalaur guest hosts this hour.

In studio:

Connections
Kseniya Kalaur
Kseniya Kalaur is a digital strategist working with cross-functional teams to produce and analyze digital content on social media platforms and websites. She's passionate about AI, sports, music and space exploration.
See stories by Kseniya Kalaur
Megan Mack
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
See stories by Megan Mack
Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson" and is also the office administrator for radio, news and technology and operations. She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams