San Francisco: For years, Jorge Bejarano has been one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s most dedicated soccer supporters, drumming for the second-division Oakland Roots. With the World Cup set to arrive in the United States, he and fellow fans hope their enthusiasm for local soccer will spread nationwide.
Soccer remains a minority sport among American fans. Although popular as a youth activity, it trails major sports such as American football in television audiences and falls below global averages. A recent Ipsos survey found that about 36 percent of Americans intend to watch the World Cup.
Supporters believe the tournament will raise soccer’s profile and community role. Santa Clara in California will host six matches.
“Now that we get the World Cup here in the Bay Area, we definitely do see interests of tourists and soccer fans around the world just digging into what other teams are there around that same area,” Bejarano said. He leads the official Los Roots supporter group and hopes visitors notice Oakland’s diversity and welcoming spirit.
The Roots were established less than ten years ago and quickly attracted local fans after Oakland’s NFL, MLB and NBA teams departed. Attendance rose sharply once the club began using the vacant Coliseum.
Bejarano, a former season-ticket holder for the Oakland Raiders, now fully supports the Roots. “Having a team here that dedicates their passion and their love for the city – I can only respect something like that,” he said.
Roots head coach Ryan Martin views the World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium as a strong sign of regional soccer interest. He expects the event to draw more spectators to Roots games.
The club will organize community watch parties and host the Australian national team at its training site. It is also working with local restaurants to add Australian-themed menu items.
The Bay Area features several soccer levels: the Roots compete in the USL Championship, while San Jose hosts Major League Soccer’s Earthquakes and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Bay FC. Bay FC set an NWSL single-game attendance record with more than 40,000 spectators at Oracle Park. Numerous semi-professional and amateur clubs also operate locally.
“We have so much grassroots soccer that happens here,” said Aaron Mansfield of San Francisco City, a semi-professional club owned by its members who vote on club matters.
Mansfield hopes the World Cup will highlight the club’s community model. “General interest in soccer culture is good because we get to explain what we do differently and why that matters in the context of both local, national, and global football,” he said.
Shelley and Josh Estelle have supported SF City for three years. They recently attended a match with their daughter at Kezar Stadium.
“I really like the community-supported club here,” Josh Estelle said. “It’s not corporate and it feels like just the people in my neighborhood watching soccer together.”
The couple plan to watch World Cup broadcasts at home but skipped tickets for Levi’s Stadium. “It’s very expensive,” Shelley Estelle said. “We can watch much more affordable soccer right here at Kezar.”
