Stop me if you've heard this one before - soccer is the fastest growing sport in the United States.
It seems like it's been that way for about the last 30 years. But maybe this time.
Last Wednesday, FIFA announced the results of a vote to decide the host for the 2026 World Cup. There were two bidders - Morocco, and combined group of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The biggest shock wasn't the trio won the right to host the World Cup, it was Morocco received nearly one third of the votes when the United bid figured to have $14 billion (that's billion!) in projected revenue that would result in a profit of $11 billion (again, that's billion!) profit for FIFA.
Money talks, especially with FIFA.
A total of 16 cities will be needed to host the expanded 48-team tournament. It has already been announced three in Canada - Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto - and three in Mexico - Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey - will serve as hosts in their respective countries.
That leaves 10 spots for the United States, which has a list of 17 possible cities to host games. A quick run through the list and I figure there are seven cities that are almost shoo-ins to make the cut - Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Seattle. Trying to decipher the next three is more difficult.
Using those seven, you have the four corners of the country covered. But that leaves a big ol' hole in the middle.
The closest potential game site for us in Mid-Missouri is Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which along with Nashville, are the only two Midwest cities on the list. I guess you could throw Denver in there as well if you want to squint to stretch your geographic sensibilities a little bit.
It doesn't look good for Kansas City, at least when you glance through the official FIFA Bid Evaluation Report. While Arrowhead Stadium ranked near the middle among facilities, Kansas City finished below average in multiple categories. The city is dinged for things such as public transportation and accommodations.
There's time to fix things in the area, the selection committee won't be visiting any time in the near future. But if you want to attend any of the matches, it appears you're likely going to have to travel more than a few hours to do it.
The pieces are in place for soccer to grow. The sport gets television exposure for two of the world's best leagues - the English Premier League and the Bundesliga in Germany. And Major League Soccer is steadily churning along with success.
Hosting the World Cup will bring added attention to soccer in this country. And in the big picture, that can do nothing but help the growth of the sport.
Maybe this time, that spurt will blossom into a full-grown adult.