The Long Game - by Leander Schaerlaeckens (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The gripping account of the U.S. men's national soccer team's winding saga from obscurity to the global stage as they stand on the brink of a seminal World Cup in 2026

For almost half a century, the U.S. men's national team existed on the fringes of world soccer--out of sight, out of mind, and, more often than not, out of the World Cup. Between 1950 and 1990, the program toiled in irrelevance, a collection of part-timers playing before empty bleachers.

Then, things began to shift, and today's U.S. men's team is loaded with young and pedigreed talent, expected to make its mark at the 2026 World Cup. The story of this team's rise to prominence is a dramatic journey, with setbacks, buffoonery, misunderstandings, glory, and a wide, eccentric, talented cast of characters. With unprecedented access to former and current national team players, coaches, and administrators, Schaerlaeckens traces the sport's evolution in the U.S.--from its outsider status to its modern foothold--and the challenges that have shaped the men's national team along the way. From systemic obstacles in youth development to an American sports culture that expects instant dominance, he explores why success has been elusive, and why that might finally be changing.

With insight, wit, and razor-sharp storytelling, The Long Game is an unforgettable look at the past, present, and uncertain future of American soccer-- and the team that could redefine it all.

Review Quotes

Advance Praise for The Long Game

"The United States has put a man on the moon and invented such important technologies as the beer helmet. But we are yet to work out how to develop a Men's Football team who, in the modern period, can challenge the world's best. If you want to know why, this book tells the tale, rife with pioneering, yearning, and self-sabotage."
--Roger Bennett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of (Re)born in the USA

"Leander Schaerlaeckens has put in the hours over many years to tell the story of the USMNT in all its fabulous diversity, with many lows and quite a few highs, ahead of what might be the biggest moment in the team's history."
--Simon Kuper, co-author of Soccernomics

"A sharp, thorough, and vastly entertaining tour of the adventures and misadventures of men's soccer in the United States. Leander Schaerlaeckens has written the history of the U.S. Men's National Team that American soccer fans need."
--Brian Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of Impossible Owls

About the Author

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a long-time soccer writer and has worked for ESPN, FOX Sports, and Yahoo Sports, among others, covering the United States men's national team at three World Cups. He currently writes about soccer for The Guardian and The Ringer. He teaches journalism and sports communication at Marist University. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Belgium, he went to college in London and Washington, D.C. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his wife, son, and their mutt/squirrel-murderer, Eleanor Roosevelt.