Gianfranco Berardi is a Des Moines-based soccer enthusiast from Chicago, a fan of the United States national teams, and amateur player. As a child, he didn’t share his father’s love of the beautiful game, but the 1994 World Cup, hosted by the United States, changed everything. He watched as his nation’s team, which the world had no expectations from, reached the 2nd round and had eventual World Cup winner Brazil scoreless for 72 minutes. He had a thing for underdogs, and the United States Men’s National Team became his new favorite sports team.
He played soccer in high school, fell out of it when he got to college, but is now a bigger fan than ever. He’s writing about the sport and how American soccer today is coming into its own style. He wants to learn exactly what modern American soccer is.
