INTRODUCTION SPANNING THE GLOBE n 1930 Uruguay hosted soccer's first ever World Cup About 60 000 fans attended the championship match won by Uruguay In 1950 Uruguay won the World Cup crown again That tournament's final match in Brazil drew 199 854 fans By then soccer had become the most popular sport in the world The game on the field hasn't changed much since its early days What has changed are the statistics or stats available to fans What are soccer's greatest and most revealing statistics First you should know more about the biggest leagues and tournaments UNITED STATES AND CANADA Major League Soccer MLS is the top professional league in the United States Average attendance at soccer only stadiums is higher than that of the National Basketball Association NBA and the National Hockey League NHL Youth soccer in North America is booming Even in hockey loving Canada soccer is the most popular sport among children As the sport's popularity grows more and more fans will turn to stats to tell soccer's stories 2016 COLORADO RAPIDS
WORLDWIDE Soccer is called football everywhere except the United States and Canada There are more than 3 5 billion soccer fans worldwide The oldest soccer competition in the world is the Football Association Challenge Cup FA Cup played in England since 1872 Other European leagues host popular yearly contests that draw millions of fans The Fédération Internationale de Football Association FIFA governs soccer around the world The FIFA World Cup is held in a different country every four years The tournament is the top prize in international soccer Soccer has been an official sport of the Olympic Games since 1900 Since the early 1990s women have had their own World Cup and Olympic tournaments 1930 WORLD CUP
CHAPTER ONE PLAYER SUPER STATS THE GOLDEN BOOT Scoring a goal is the dream of most young soccer athletes The moment the ball enters the goal you are a star If the goal wins the game you are a hero It is one of the best feelings in sports A player who scores a lot of goals must have skill and a little luck Since 2005 each season's leading scorer in MLS has received the Golden Boot award BRADLEY WRIGHT PHILLIPS GOALS 24 22 MLS Golden Boot Winners SEASON PLAYER TEAM 2016 Bradley Wright Phillips New York Red Bulls 2015 Sebastian Giovinco Toronto FC 2014 Bradley Wright Phillips New York Red Bulls 2013 Camilo Sanvezzo Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2012 Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes Dwayne De Rosario D C United 2010 Chris Wondolowski San Jose Earthquakes 2009 Jeff Cunningham FC Dallas 2008 Landon Donovan LA Galaxy 2007 Luciano Emilio D C United 2006 Jeff Cunningham Real Salt Lake 2005 Taylor Twellman New England Revolution 27 22 27 16 18 2011 20 16 17
PREMIER EVENT In 1863 the Football Association of England was formed It was the sport's first organization to oversee rules and matches Around then the residents of the English town of Sheffield invented rules such as corner kicks and free kicks that are still used around the world In modern England the Premier League is the country's top soccer League Alan Shearer the Premier League's all time leading goal scorer was honored in 2016 with a statue that stands at St James Park where he played for Newcastle United Premier League All Time Goal Scorers Alan Shearer Newcastle United Wayne Rooney Manchester United Andrew Cole Manchester United Frank Lampard Chelsea Player Team Thierry Henry Arsenal Robbie Fowler Liverpool Jermain Defoe Tottenham Hotspur Michael Owen Liverpool Les Ferdinand Tottenham Hotspur Teddy Sheringham Tottenham Hotspur 140 160 180 200 220 240 Number of goals scored The player spent most of his career with team this
