48,263 fans packed into the famous Busch Stadium for a soccer game.  On May 23, Manchester City played Chelsea F.C. in an exhilarating match that many Clayton students attended.  Before the teams came to St. Louis, they played in New York City. So what made them choose our city for a game?

St. Louis has a long history as a soccer city.  The City vs. Chelsea game sold out within only 20 minutes, and Busch had its largest crowd to date.

And because of the obvious enthusiasm shown by the fans, St. Louis hosted another professional match November 18 at Busch.

There, Argentina took on the Bosnia-Herzegovina team, where Argentina defeated Bosnia 2-0.  This game showcased world class talent right here in St. Louis.

Not only are there big time professional matches being played in St. Louis, but one of the local clubs St. Louis Scott Gallagher (SLSG) is vying for the title of the best club in the country.

SLSG showcases top talent among their teams, with many of their athletes signing to play in college.  However, even before SLSG, St. Louis had top soccer teams.

Busch Gardens Soccer Club was one of the big clubs in St. Louis that started in the 1970s and had only boys’ teams.  It wasn’t until the 80s that Busch Gardens developed girls’ teams.  In 2004 their name was changed to St. Louis Soccer Club.  This club won more state championships than any other club in the United States.

Since then, St. Louis soccer has kept developing into something bigger.  The roots of St. Louis soccer started with the youth and club talent.  St. Louis has produced many professional players over the years playing on professional teams like L.A. Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, and the USWNT to name a few.

Becky Sauerbrunn is part of the United States Women’s’ National Team (USWNT), and is from St. Louis.  She won a gold medal with her team in the 2012 London Olympics last summer.  Sauerbrunn attended Ladue High School, and played for the J.B. Marine Soccer Club.

Laurie Chalupny went to Nerinx Hall, and also played for the J.B. Marine Soccer Club.  She played at nationally ranked UNC, and went on to play for the USWNT and also won a gold medal with them.  Now Chalupny plays for the Chicago Red Stars.

There has also been professional St. Louis teams like St. Louis Athletica (formerly part of the Women’s Professional League), St. Louis Ambush (the current professional indoor team), and A.C. St. Louis (former professional team).

St. Louis continues to be part of the soccer culture on neighborhood fields, and even in the famous Busch Stadium.