In March, 2,300 soccer fans from Toronto drove to Columbus, Ohio – fuelled largely by beer – to watch their team’s opening game of the Major League Soccer season. “Toronto travel about 1,000 people to each away game, the first time we have ever had that,” marvels Don Garber, the MLS’s commissioner.

Something odd is going on. As of this year, North America is soccer territory. This has little to do with David Beckham, and more with a changing US.