US soccer is in the midst of a stadium boom, each with realistic ambitions

A physical home of one's own has proven to be essential for US club soccer, both for culture and for revenue

It was in a moment of crisis, just after the turn of the century, that those running American club soccer appear to have realised that they were not in the business of sports, but in the business of real estate. Today, the nation's successful clubs and leagues (which can merely mean the ones that didn't collapse and fold), tend to have something in common: A home stadium that they control. By building or owning the place where the soccer is played, the franchisees or operator-owners, and by extension the leagues themselves, found a way to grow the sport in the US in a more sustainable, stable manner.

It's a dynamic that has long since taken root in MLS, where 23 of the league's 30 teams play in soccer-specifc stadiums. But, with the World Cup on the horizon, a real legacy within US soccer is already being built in the shape of striking, sensibly sized soccer venues for smaller teams, including many in the lower divisions.