Image

In advance of next year’s return of the World Cup to North America, Brian D. Bunk, senior lecturer of history, has written a new book detailing the growth and impact of the sport of soccer in the U.S. 

In “Beyond the Field: How Soccer Built Community in the United States,” published this week by the University of Illinois Press, Bunk adds extensive original research to understanding the creation of American soccer from the 1880s through World War I. By examining trends in immigration, urbanization and industrialization, Bunk connects the drastic societal changes in American communities to the game of soccer.

Described by Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes, as “well-written and painstakingly researched,” this work of sport history attends to the often-overlooked multicultural aspect of American soccer by detailing the contributions of African, Chinese, Hawaiian, Jewish and Filipino communities on American soccer culture. 

Bunk’s work demonstrates the ways in which soccer clubs and organizations reached across ethnic lines and provided players and families with community support in times of hardship and celebration in times of joy.

This newest book from Bunk develops upon his previous research in “From Football to Soccer: The Early History of the Beautiful Game in the United States” (University of Illinois Press, 2021). His other previous books include “Ghosts of Passion: Martyrdom, Gender, and the Origins of the Spanish Civil War” (Duke University Press, 2007) and, as co-editor, “Nation and Conflict in Modern Spain: Essays in Honor of Stanley G. Payne” (Parallel Press, 2008).

For more on the book and to order “Beyond the Field,” visit the University of Illinois Press website.