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In the 20s, America started catching up in soccer.
到了20年代，美国才开始追赶世界足球。
In 1925, for example, when Cincinnati built a new stadium, they assumed baseball and soccer would both be part of the mix.
例如，1925年辛辛那提新建体育场时，大家还认为棒球赛和足球赛都将在这里举行。
Americans even stole British and Scottish talent — "enticing players" for the coming international sport.
他们甚至还窃取了英国人和苏格兰人的创意 - 为即将到来的世界体育赛事“招募球员”。
English stadiums had the biggest crowds, but the US was part of the growing international audience for the sport.
尽管英国体育馆观众最多，但足球在国际上越来越受欢迎，美国也算是其中的一员。
The 20s saw a formidable soccer presence in the US, with big attendance numbers.
二十年代美国出现了一支强大的足球队伍，当时观众的规模也很大。
That development helped America score a third place finish in the World Cup in 1930.
这一发展帮助美国队在1930年的世界杯上取得了第三名的好成绩。
But that was the beginning of the end.
然而，这一辉煌的时刻也是美国足球走向沉寂的开端。
American soccer always had a weird structure, with a league - the ASL or American Soccer League, and a governing association:the USFA, or United States Football Association.
美国足球的体系一直都很奇怪，有联赛——ASL，即美国足球联赛，还有一个管理协会——USFA，即美国足球联盟。
The USFA was American soccer's liason to FIFA and the international community.
USFA是国际足联FIFA在美国的支部。
The USFA and ASL had a long feud that was resolved one day only to pick up again the next.
USFA和ASL历来不合，尽管这一不合最终解决了，但只不过是新换了一个联赛。
The ASL wanted to change soccer rules and add ideas that were uniquely American at the time, like substitutions and a penalty box.
ASL希望改变足球赛的规则，增加一些当时只有美国才有的理念，比如替补球员和罚球区。
The USFA didn't.
USFA则并不这么想。
Not clear enough? Just look at the names.
还不明白？看看这两个联盟的名字就知道了。
These two organizations couldn't even agree on what to call the game.
这两个组织连这项运动的名称都无法达成一致。
And this? This is what happens when acronyms take over your sport.
那这个呢？当首字母缩略词出现在运动领域就会发生这种情况。
FIFA's at the top.
国际足联是老大。
They threatened to kick out the USFA because the ASL was recruiting those European players. FIFA didn't like that at all.
国际足联威胁要把美国足联踢出去，因为联赛招募欧洲球员，而他们非常不喜欢这种操作。
USFA agreed to sanctions.
美国足联同意制裁联赛。
ASL got mad and pulled out of a big USFA tournament.
但联赛生气了，退出了美国足联举行的一次盛大的巡回赛。
Three ASL teams went over and played anyway, which got them kicked out by the ASL.
有三支联赛队伍还是出场踢了比赛，结果就被联赛踢出去了。
They whined to the USFA, which kicked out the ASL.
这三支球队就跟美国足联抱怨，美国足联就把联赛给踢了。
So then the ASL played without USFA approval, so the USFA made a new league with their own teams.
之后，联赛不经过足联的批准就直接打比赛，足联便拿自己已有的球队组织了新的联赛。
Yeah. All this acronym infighting split soccer teams, players, and fans in half.
没错。就是这些首字母缩略词纠纷分裂了美国的足球队、球员和球迷。
Civil Wars:they are not fun.
内战：可不是什么好玩的的事情。
They patched things up again in 1929, but it was too late.
双方在1929年终于握手言和，但已经为时已晚。
The Great Depression hit the financial system.
大萧条给美国的金融体系造成了沉重的打击。
And teams were already weakened.
而球队也已经被削弱了。
The Depression forced many of them to fold.
大萧条导致很多球队都被迫解散了。
The United States entered a soccer dark ages while Europe and South America steadily built the sophisticated leagues that people wish America had today.
从此，美国足球进入了黑暗时代，而欧洲和南美洲则稳步发展起了颇为复杂的联赛，美国人则只有羡慕的命。
Short-lived American leagues have had cash - but the mass enthusiasm was stuck in the 1920.
尽管存在的时间不长，但美国的联赛也曾有过光辉岁月 - 但大众的热情只停留在了二十年代。
For women, a small fan base and lack of private development wasn't a problem
对于美国女子足球队来说，粉丝基数小，缺乏私下的发展都不是问题
— development of the women's game was behind the men's game across the world.
全世界的女子足球都是落后于男子足球的。
In the absence of a significant league business,
没有重大的联赛要踢，
federal programs like Title 9 in America effectively mandated a women's team in schools wherever there was a men's team.
在美国，《教育法修正案第九条》之类的国家层面的举措给有男子足球队的学校充分的权力组织女子足球队。
But for men? You can rightly talk about development of leagues, and bad coaching, and own goals.
那男足呢？你可以谈论联盟的水平，讨论教练有多烂，还有乌龙球什么的。
But when you see a pie like this, you don't blame the crust, or the apple orchard, or the textured aluminum wrap.
但是，看到这样的派大家不会去责怪面饼，也不会责怪苹果园或者带纹理的铝材包装。
You blame the thing that smashed it.
你会去责怪那个把派砸碎的东西。
The soccer wars put the United States on the sidelines, during a crucial half century in which global sports acquired fans, talent, and cash.
在足球发展至关重要的半个世纪的时间里，足球在世界各地吸粉，吸人才，吸金，唯独美国被排斥在外了。
Can American men catch up today? Maybe.
美国男足今天还能追上世界足球的脚步吗？也许吧。
But it's a long shot.
但路漫漫其修远兮啊。
So, if you want a slightly less depressing look at American soccer, check out this video from our friends at SB Nation.
最后，如果想看点儿美国足球不那么令人沮丧的表现，可以去看我们的朋友SB Nation制作的这期视频。
They chronicled the historic 1999 US Women's National Team Victory.
他们记录了美国女子国家队在1999年女足世界杯上那光耀历史的胜利时刻。
It's pretty amazing.
踢得非常棒的。
I'm gonna take a shower now.
现在我准备去冲个澡了。
