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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — It was a stadium like any other, packed with American sports fans wearing their favorite team’s jerseys and red-white-and-blue face paint, roaring as players took the field.
Only this time, the sport was soccer.
The U.S. team’s home opener in the World Cup against Paraguay on Friday brought tens of thousands of passionate soccer enthusiasts to the massive stadium near Los Angeles. They had, in many cases, paid thousands of dollars to see their team play on the biggest global stage for a sport that has long been eclipsed in the United States — a sport many say is finally having its moment.
Many fans said they grew up playing soccer in recreational leagues as young children, and well into high school and college. Nakisha Gutierrez, a 37-year-old occupational therapist from Los Angeles, and her siste...
