What we really mean when we talk about needing more Black players in American soccer

You’ve heard this chestnut before: American soccer has a diversity problem. It manifests itself in different ways on the men’s and women’s teams due to the intersection of race, class, and gender, and the divergent history of men’s and women’s soccer in this country, but there’s no denying that there is an impact across the entire sport. So in general, it’s understandable when fans, players, and coaches talk about wanting more diversity in the sport. But it’s not helpful to simply say “We need more black players in soccer” without understanding some of the underlying historical relationships between black communities and soccer.