Dr. Tom McCabe: Soccer Town, USA and the World Cup

In a year when the United States Men’s National Team will miss out on the World Cup for the first time since 1986, discover the story of how three boyhood friends helped the USA qualify for its first appearance in 40 years. John Harkes, Tony Meola and Tab Ramos all grew up in nearby Kearny—a small, working-class town with a rich soccer heritage—and benefited from youth soccer, a vibrant street soccer scene and fanatic high school supporters before making it to the National Team. DR. TOM MCCABE is an adjunct professor of history at Rutgers-Newark and a scholar of American soccer history. He grew up in South Orange and first kicked a ball behind South Mountain School before going through the Cougar Soccer Club.