*By Conor White*
With 10 days to go before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, soccer is having a moment in the United States, despite the American men's failure to qualify for the tournament for the first time in 32 years.
The appeal of the sport, and the enthusiasm for the World Cup, could bode well for the U.S. team, said the World Cup veteran and U.S. under-20 national team coach Tab Ramos.
"I'm very bullish on the young players we have in this country," Ramos said Monday in an interview with Cheddar. "There's a lot of investment, a lot of Major League Soccer clubs investing in their youth academies, and I think we're starting to see the results of that, and I think our future is bright."
Ramos, who played in the 1990, 1994, and 1998 World Cups for the United States, said the appeal of the sport is universal, and the tournament will capture the attention of new fans with each kick.
"Some of the sports we grew up watching, NFL or Major League Baseball, have sort of rested on their laurels a little bit and have continued with an older audience that now is over 45, over 50, and soccer has gone after a whole new generation of people," Ramos said.
That generation of fans will be watching the tournament in Russia, where Ramos will be working as a World Cup analyst for Telemundo Deportes.
"It's a unique world event in the way that people identify with the sport in each country," he said. "It's sort of the people's sport."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/soccer-legend-tab-ramos-previews-2018-world-cup).
Two-time Olympic ice skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan is back on her skates this holiday season in the Holiday Spectacular on Ice at the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, N.Y.
A strong back is critical for body health. To start, try the Bird Dog!
Kickboxing may seem like a tough sport, but one woman is proof that it can change your life.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. says the team is satisfied with the NBA’s latest punishment for Green, the four-time NBA champion who was indefinitely banned Wednesday after hitting Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic in the face.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended indefinitely by the NBA on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection.
Shohei Ohtani's jaw-dropping deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers has some similarities to other contracts for the world's biggest sports stars, including soccer icons Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But in terms of his marketability, experts point to another name. The real comparison? Try Taylor Swift.
Bronx Highschool Student and Basketball Player in Wheelchair Makes History
The police department in the remote north woods Minnesota town of Ely faces the same challenges of recruiting and keeping new officers as countless other law enforcement agencies across the country. So it's offering a unique incentive: canoes.
President Joe Biden told a gathering of Native American nations that he would support the bid by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which invented lacrosse, to compete in the sport under its own flag in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
NCAA President Charlie Baker announced Tuesday that he wants the organization to create a new tier of Division I athletics where schools with the most resources can offer unlimited educational benefits, enter into name, image and likeness partnerships with athletes and directly pay them through a trust fund.
