Sport Articles

By Josh

20 Sept 25

As the NCAA D1 Men’s Soccer has begun, the success of the men’s league is crucial for future recruitments, and for the future of American Soccer. Future success can be speculated on by the average goals each game creates in each match. If the games are more entertaining, through scoring more goals, the interest in college soccer would increase, no matter what. Furthermore, the increase in interest in American college soccer led to more success in the MLS through the MLS draft, and further contributed to the USMNT through playing in European leagues.

How can the future success be speculated? The average goals created in each game of NCAA Men’s soccer has averaged about  2.x. And as due to Covid-19, the season has completely stopped in 2020. After the recession, the average goals per game has increased gradually, and is expected to show more growth. 

The growth can be expected due to increase in talent pool within the NCAA leagues. Recently, players such as Michael Ndowini, previously who had experience of EPL and UCL with Newcastle United, have joined Ohio State University to play D1 Soccer. Such additions can help encourage and motivate players in the NCAA league, leading to an overall boosted level within the competition. These players may enter the draft for their MLS debut, or get an offer from teams in Europe.

These increases in interest may lead to successful long term objectives, such as the success of USMNT. Although players like Michael Ndowini is British, the majority of players in the NCAA are Americans, making them more prone to debut for their national team. These successes can bring US men’s soccer for a future success in the World Cup or other national team events, which leads to improvements in the MLS.

In conclusion, the steady rise in average goals per game in NCAA Division I men’s soccer signals growing competitiveness and entertainment value, which directly fuels interest in American soccer. With international-caliber players raising the standard of play, NCAA soccer is positioned as a vital pipeline to both the MLS and the USMNT, laying the foundation for long-term national and international success.