There was a huge push for the World Cup to be located in the United States because professional soccer, at that time, was faltering and fading fast in our country. After the 1984 season, the U.S. professional soccer league was teetering towards extinction so they wanted something to excite the fans and increase the love of the game again. The U.S. already had enough first-class stadiums to support such a large tournament, thanks to baseball and American football. The United States Soccer Federation President, Werner Fricker, tried to support the move to the US by saying: "There is a strong desire by FIFA and most people to have the world come to the United States." However, many Europeans disagreed with this statement and worried the United States would use the World Cup for commercial gain and direct attention away from the actual game of football, thereby changing the face of the game. Even though there was controversy the destination for the World Cup was already decided and it remained in USA and was a huge success!
