Soccer in the National Archives
Soccer. The game transcends language barriers and functions as a tool for diplomacy, recreation, and competition. It's the most popular sport in the world, though professional soccer—widely known as football outside of the United States—only gained traction in the U.S. in the 1990s and early 2000s. From photos of children playing on the White House lawn to championship teams and some of the most famous players meeting with U.S. Presidents, the National Archives Catalog contains decades of soccer records.
You can learn about the impact of sports in the exhibit All American: The Power of Sports, which ran in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery in Washington, DC, from September 16, 2022 through January 7, 2024.
First Lt. Kristin Brown, goalie on the US Army's Women's Soccer Team, attempts a diving save during the US Armed Forces Women's Soccer Championship at Fort Eustis, Virginia, on May 10, 2002. Photo by Stacy Pearsall. View in the National Archives Catalog.
US Army's first soccer team in 1925. View in the National Archives Catalog.
An illustration of Ruben Mendoza, a 1956 US Olympic Soccer Team star who played inside right for the the St. Louis Kutis soccer club, in a packet from the US Information Agency in August 1956. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Ronald Reagan participates in a soccer demonstration for children with legendary Brazilian player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, best known as Pelé, and U.S. Men's National Team player Steve Moyers in the Rose Garden on October 14, 1982. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Members of a soccer team from the frigate USS Jessie L. Brown (FF 1089) play against the military soccer team from Lama-Kara, Togo, on April 1, 1984. Photo by Roger Frazer in All Hands Magazine. View in the National Archives Catalog.
A young man participates in a soccer game during the Arizona State Association for the Handicapped Special Olympics at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on September 1, 1986. Some 20 different groups throughout the state were represented. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Sgt. Erich Pfleaidermahnn plays soccer with East German refugee children on the grounds of the 652nd U.S. Air Force contingency hospital on July 1, 1990. The hospital provided shelter for approximately 200 refugees from East Germany as they attempted to relocate. Photo by Staff Sgt. Perry J. Heimer. View in the National Archives Catalog.
The USA Women's Soccer Team presents President Bill Clinton with a "CLINTON 99" soccer shirt on July 19, 1999. Photo by Ralph Alswang. View in the National Archives Catalog.
On a dirt field at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraqi and Coalition soccer players vie for the ball during a weekly game on November 7, 2003. The games helped boost morale and develop the spirit of friendly competition during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey A. Wolfe. View in the National Archives Catalog.
US Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Anthony Massa makes a spectacular save during a friendly soccer match at Forward Operating Base Echo in Al Qadisiyah Province, Iraq, on September 22, 2004. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President George W. Bush with Major League Soccer Cup Champions the Houston Dynamo at the White House on May 29, 2007. Photo by Joyce Naltchayan Boghosian. View in the National Archives Catalog.
First Lady Michelle Obama and and Archbishop Desmond Tutu participate in soccer drills with children in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 23, 2011. Mrs. Obama met with Archbishop Tutu and organizations dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Photo by Samantha Appleton. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Major League Soccer champion Colorado Rapids team members hold a soccer clinic with children of military families on the South Lawn of the White House on June 27, 2011. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Vice President Joe Biden cheers for the U.S. Women's Soccer Team after they scored their first goal in the Women's World Cup final in Vancouver, Canada, on July 5, 2015. Photo by David Lienemann. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Barack Obama kicks a soccer ball during a stop at the Tully Junior-Senior High School soccer practice in Tully, New York, on August 23, 2013. View in the National Archives Catalog.
President Barack Obama participates in a group selfie in the East Room with the United States Women's National Soccer Team on October 27, 2015, celebrating their victory in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Photo by Lawrence Jackson. View in the National Archives Catalog.
Read more about the soccer-related holdings at the National Archives:
- Pieces of History: Teamwork On and Off the Field: 1994 FIFA World Cup (2022)
- The Unwritten Record: Title IX and Women’s Soccer in NARA’s Film Holdings (2019)
- Pieces of History: Do you have World Cup fever?! (2018)
- Piece of History: Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal! (2014)