Sure, soccer has been "the sport of the future" for 30 years. But the World Cup proved that soccer can be an almost-major sport, at least in Kansas City, where fans earned YouTube attention for their rowdy reception of Landon Donovan's game-winning goal against Algeria. Few other sports could have inspired 12,000 people to brave the summer heat to watch a game played thousands of miles away. And because of the large turnout at the P&L (along with the Wizards-Manchester United gathering), KC is in contention to host World Cup matches in 2018 or 2022.
