The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) governs most levels of soccer in the United States, including the national teams, professional leagues, and amateur leagues, being the highest soccer authority in the country. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most colleges; secondary schools are governed by state-level associations, with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) setting the rules at that level. The match regulations are generally the same between the three governing bodies although there are many subtle differences.
Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and of the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse. It serves as the home of San Francisco City FC of USL League Two.
Harder Stadium is a 17,000-seat, outdoor multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California. It serves as the on-campus soccer stadium for both the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos men's and women's programs and also for Santa Barbara Sky of USL League One. Currently used occasionally by the university's club rugby and lacrosse teams, it was originally the home of the defunct football program.
WakeMed Soccer Park is a soccer complex in Cary, North Carolina, United States. It consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium named WakeMed Soccer Park Stadium, two lighted practice fields, and four additional fields. The main stadium and the two lighted fields are all FIFA international regulation size. The stadium seats 10,000, while Field 2 also has 1,000 permanent bleacher seats. The complex also sports a full-length cross-country course and houses the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer.
Athletes and sports teams from North Carolina compete across an array of professional and amateur levels of competition, along with athletes who compete at the World and Olympic levels in their respective sport. Major league professional teams based in North Carolina include teams that compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Soccer (MLS), and National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The state is also home to NASCAR Cup Series races. At the collegiate and university level, there are several North Carolina schools in various conferences across an array of divisions. North Carolina also has many minor league baseball teams. There are also a number of indoor football, indoor soccer, minor league basketball, and minor league ice hockey teams based throughout the state.
California has 21 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The San Francisco Bay Area has six major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. San Diego and Sacramento each have one major league team.
Beirne Stadium is a stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It is the home stadium for the Bryant University college football and men's and women's lacrosse programs. Beirne Stadium also hosts USL Championship club Rhode Island FC during their inaugural 2024 season. The stadium holds 4,400 people and was built in 1999. It was renamed from Bulldog Stadium on September 24, 2016. It has also hosted numerous events for Rhode Island high school state championships.
Snapdragon Stadium is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University. The stadium is home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW).
The Presbyterian Blue Hose are the athletic teams of Presbyterian College, located in Clinton, South Carolina, United States. The Blue Hose athletic program is a member of the Big South Conference and competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The PC Athletic Department fields a total of 19 varsity teams, eight men's and 11 women's sports. The school colors are garnet and blue, and the mascot is Scotty the Scotsman, a medieval Scottish warrior. The team name comes from the socks worn by the football team in the early days of the twentieth century.
Fifth Third Stadium, known as Kennesaw State University Stadium until 2013, is a stadium near Kennesaw, Georgia, that is primarily used as the home for the Kennesaw State Owls football team as well as the KSU women's soccer and women's lacrosse teams. It was built as a soccer-specific stadium and opened May 2, 2010, with the first match played on May 9. The facility is the result of a public-private partnership between Kennesaw State University and the now-defunct Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer.
Competitive men's professional soccer has been played in the United States since 1912 and since 2001 for women's. Numerous leagues have existed over the years with some recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and some not. The lists below are the single game attendance records for men's outdoor (60,000+), women's outdoor (20,000+), and men's indoor (18,000+) matches in American club soccer.
Sports in San Diego includes major professional league teams, other highest-level professional league teams, minor league teams, and college athletics. The San Diego Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB). San Diego FC begins play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2025. The San Diego State Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS). The Farmers Insurance Open, a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, is played annually at Torrey Pines Golf Course.
Women's soccer in the United States has developed quite differently from men's soccer. Until the 1970s, organized women's soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis. The U.S. is now regarded as one of the top countries in the world for women's soccer, and FIFA ranked its national team #1 in the world after its back-to-back Women's World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019.
The expansion of the National Women's Soccer League began with the league's sophomore season in 2014, when the league expanded to a ninth team in Houston, and is an ongoing process that currently has seen five expansions, three direct or indirect relocations, and one contraction. The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) was established as the top level of professional women's soccer in the United States in 2013 in the wake of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association and Women's Professional Soccer.
Professional sports leagues in the United States includes major professional sports leagues, other highest-level professional leagues, and minor leagues.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the top-tier professional women's soccer league in the United States.
The North Carolina Courage is a professional women's soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina. It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acquired National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchise rights from the Western New York Flash. The Courage plays its home games at the WakeMed Soccer Park.
The California Redwoods are a professional men's field lacrosse team based in San Diego, California, that competes in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). The Redwoods began play in the league's inaugural 2019 season. The team plays its home games at Torero Stadium.
San Diego Wave FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in San Diego, California, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Wave began play in the 2022 season as an expansion team. The team plays its home games at Snapdragon Stadium.
The 2022 San Diego Wave FC season was San Diego Wave FC's inaugural season as a professional women's soccer team. It plays in the National Women's Soccer League.
