Believe it or not, American soccer is still on the rise.

After a disappointing showing at the World Cup last June, many were left wondering why the US national team received such high expectations. Officially finishing 25th in the 32-team tournament, the US was considered by most to be the biggest disappointment of the entire event.

Despite the below par performance, there is still much reason to believe the future holds great things for American soccer. The 2-1 loss to Ghana (who arguably had the best performance by an African nation since Cameroon’s run to the quarterfinals in 1990) quickly overshadowed the fact that the US, faced with two ejections, earned a hard-fought draw against eventual champions Italy.

Even after the Americans’ quick exit from the tournament, the country remains a respectable 29th in the FIFA world rankings, a list of over 200 nations. According to UNCW men’s soccer coach Aidan Heaney, things could only get better for American soccer.

“I think we are headed in the right direction … the professional league is well established and we are producing exciting players,” he said.

Women’s Head Coach Paul Cairney agrees. “The US national team has been successful and the MLS has established itself as a productive league,” he said.

With the first generations of children raised on soccer beginning to grow up, the sky is the limit for the future of American soccer.

“Soccer is one of the biggest participation sports in America. Every weekend, there are thousands of young players playing all over the country,” said Cairney.

“More youth are playing the game than ever before, and remember, soccer is still in it’s relative infancy as a true spectator sport in this country so by the sheer volume of numbers as the youth become older, the sport should continue to grow,” said Heaney.

So what’s the key for continued growth? Cairney believes it lies in the hands of television.

“If soccer can get more exposure on major networks, then maybe more people, in turn, will come see live games.”