U.S. Men's Team: New Stars on the Field (World Soccer Legends) - Hardcover

Illugi Jökulsson is a published author born in Iceland on April 13, 1960. His credits include Alex Morgan (World Soccer Legends), Neymar, Messi, and Ronaldo.

Native Mesoamericans probably played the first real ball games in the Americas. They developed undeniably brutal games p played with large rubber balls as early as 1500 BC. When settlers from England arrived in Massachusetts in the early 17th century they discover the native Algonquian tribes playing a game called pasuckuakohowog, which translates to "a gathering to play ball with the foot." This game seems to have died out as the natives were pushed inland by the new arrivals.
 The Europeans brought with them different ball games, mostly variations on large scale types of football. In England, the first football rules were drawn up at Cambridge University in 1848 and then in 1863 the English Football Association was founded. It standardized the various rules then in use and this date marks the formal beginning of "association football."
 Soon, both the early "association football" and the English rugby were being played in the U.S. Rugby was evolving into what has since been called American football and therefore "association football" was abbreviated as "soccer." The term originated in England but came to be used mainly in the U.S. and Canada.

PASUCKUAKOHOWOG was played on large beached or wide open spaces. The two goals were half a mile wide and up to one mile apart. The sizes of the competing teams varied, 500 players was common and there are reports of ups to 1,000. The game was quite violent and players often had to quit with broken bones or other serious insures. They wore war paint and even discussed themselves to avoid retaliation after the games, which could last for hours and even into the next day.
 It has to be said that at the time football and similar ball games in Europe were no less violent, and sometimes even more so. But after each game of pasuckuakohowog the two teams sat down with the spectators for a large celebratory feast. Now, that would be something after exciting World Cup soccer games!