The U.S. Governing body for the sport did not have soccer in its name until 1945, when it became the U.S. Soccer Football Association.
The mascot for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy was a green, white and red stick figure with a soccer ball head named Ciao.
The youngest player to score in the German Bundesliga was Nuri Sahin of Borussia Dortmund (16 years and 335 days) in 2005.
The African Cup of Nations, the main international football competition in Africa, was first held in 1957.
The Houston Dynamo edged the New England Revolution in the MLS Cup in both 2006 and 2007.