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[wd_asp id=1]#Docuhistory: Soccertown, USA
The award-winning documentary film, Soccertown, USA (2020), is the story of Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola, who grew up with a passion for the game in a country that didn’t share it. It’s the story of the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, when these childhood friends formed the backbone of the United States team that willed its way to famous victories and inspired the generations that would come after. But it’s also the story of a town — an American town — in which we can see the past, the present, and the future of the world's game. More info
We invite teachers, parents, and students to use this page to access the film and explore the related resources below as part of their curriculum or home-schooling.
The #docuhistory series aims to create an informal space where teachers, students, and historians can join together to watch a documentary and discuss teaching and learning about the film's subject matter. The series is organized by Joe Schmidt, New York City Department of Education, @HSGlobalHistory, in collaboration with the Forum for Scholars and Publics.
We held a viewing and discussion of Soccertown, USA on May 7, 2020. You can browse the discussion on Twitter by searching the #docuhistory hashtag or by checking in with discussion moderators Tom McCabe (@TomMcCabe5) and Matt Busch @MatthewJBusch). The resources shared through this conversation have been gathered by Joe Schmidt.
Resource List
Soccertown, USA (2020) | Watch on YouTube
Discussion Questions
Compiled by the #Docuhistory team
Suggested question sets to guide the #Docuhistory Twitter discussion and for teachers to use with students in the classroom.
The Football Scholars Forum
On Soccertown, USA
Tom McCabe, a historian, and Kirk Rudell, a Hollywood writer and producer, shared insights and experiences in making soccer documentaries, from writing the script by “letting the story tell itself” to interviewing people and “making it seem like a conversation in the bar.”
The Interview With the Guys That Made Soccertown, USA
With Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell
The creators of Soccertown USA, Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell, share some "behind the scenes" stories about the making of the greatest American soccer documentary ever made.
"Soccertown USA" wins Inaugural Player Pass Award at K+S New York 2019
Kicking + Screaming Soccer Film Festival
The inaugural Player Pass Award winner is Soccertown USA, directed by Robert Penzel.
Soccer Politics Blog
Hosted by Duke University
The blog founded by Duke professor Laurent Dubois as a place for commentators, including students in the Duke class, “World Cup and World Politics,” to post thoughts, musings, rants, links, etc., related to the history and politics of soccer.
Soccer Is Politics, Whether It Likes It or Not
By Rory Smith | New York Times
It is not possible for soccer to reap all of the rewards of its global ventures without acquiring some of the risk.
Cooper’s Block: America’s First Soccer Neighbourhood
By Thomas A. McCabe | Soccer & Society
Essay tracing the evolution and influence of Cooper’s Block, a previously unknown Kearny, New Jersey, soccer neighbourhood.
The Future of Football is Feminine: a Critical Cultural History of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team
By Eileen Marie Narcotta-Welp
A deep look at the larger cultural frames — capitalism, sexism, and racism — constraining women's soccer and women's professional sport in general.
The Secret History of American Soccer
By Brian Phillips | Slate
In the 1920s, soccer was on the cusp of becoming a major sport in the United States. Then it all crashed and burned.
Speakers
Tom McCabe
Tom McCabe is the award-winning author of Miracle on High Street: The Rise, Fall and Resurrection of St. Benedict's Prep School (Fordham University Press, 2010) and the co-writer and co-producer of SOCCERTOWN, USA, an American soccer documentary, which received the Audience Award at last year's Kicking+Screening film festival. Since 2007…...
Read MoreMatt Busch
Matt Busch is a high school history and sociology teacher in Bellevue, Washington. Matt has spent the last four years at Bellevue High School and prior to that has taught in Bellingham and Spanaway, Washington. Regardless of teaching location, he has taught AP World History for the past 10 years.…...
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