The United States might be out of the FIFA World Cup, but the buzz generated by the Americans run was felt throughout the country.

What will it mean to soccer in this country going forward? Several local high school soccer coaches seem to think the impact could be huge.

“I think it will be a great effect,” said Woodridge boys coach Nate Rausch. “Hopefully, it will get some new kids out to try the sport. It’s our job to get them ready. It’s inspired a lot of fans that weren’t normally soccer fans.”

Cuyahoga Falls boys coach Eric Ortopan said he’s already seeing a positive impact on his squad.

“My kids always want to be out on the field kicking the ball around after watching cup games,” Ortopan said. “My numbers are up for my middle school. My numbers are up at high school. I think everyone wants to kick the ball more during the cup.”

Stow-Munroe Falls boys Kyle Kosmala said the trick is to keep fans and young players into the sport during the years between the World Cup.

“I think there’s probably a spike in interest every four years,” Kosmala said. “It would be nice to maintain that interest across the years.”

Both Rausch and Ortopan said it was a bonus to see a player with local ties — recent University of Akron player DeAndre Yedlin — contribute to the U.S. team

Speaking of former University of Akron players, Walsh Jesuit girls coach Dino McIntyre said the Americans’ run will have a “big time” effect on American soccer culture.

“I’ve been around many cultures,” McIntyre said. “I’m sad that they lost, because those kids fight like crazy. You’re getting these great [television] ratings and all these huge turnouts to watch in places like Chicago. All these people are the generation of soccer players who played 15 or 20 years ago as kids. Soccer is their sport.”

Ortopan echoes McIntyre’s sentiments, noting many soccer fans of his generation have grown up watching the World Cup.

“I remember going to the [Pontiac] Silverdome to get a picture with [former U.S goaltender] Tony Meola,” Ortopan said.

“With the United States national team, this was perfect,” McIntyre said. “It’s just like it is in all of Europe.”

Of course, McIntyre has the perspective to compare U.S. soccer to its European counterpart. The native of Naples, Italy still bleeds blue during the World Cup, with blue being the jersey color of the Italian national team knows as the Azzurri.

Eight years after winning the World Cup in 2006, Italy was eliminated in the group stage. It was a result McIntyre said was painful, but not unexpected.

“I usually would be in mourning,” McIntyre said. “Not this year. I keep a close eye on Italian soccer. There’s so much arrogance now. We’ve hit rock bottom.”

Rausch notes one of his best memories from this World Cup was joining his players and their families to watch the American’s opening game vs. Ghana at Wing Warehouse in Cuyahoga Falls.

“There about 40 of us,” Rausch said. “It was pretty exciting for everybody.”

Kosmala also has a set way to watch the World Cup.

“Every four years, some of the guys I coached with always get together to watch the games,” Kosmala said. “We’ve been pretty lucky [for the U.S.] when we’ve watched. It has usually been at my house.”

Kosmala said he hopes soccer gets publicized better on television between the World Cups.

“I think people tend to forget that we’ve made a lot of Cups [seven] in a row,” Kosmala said. “To be in the top 16 teams in the world, the U.S. has really worked hard. If you can consistently get to the round of 16, you are a soccer country.”

While noting he watched most of the World Cup games “with a bunch of ethnic friends,” watching the Azzurri is solitary pursuit.

“Italy … I don’t watch with anybody,” McIntyre said. “It’s like the way I coach on the sidelines, I just get so into it.”

Ortopan said he agrees that the 2014 edition of the World Cup has been high on drama, even for casual fans, which has helped fuel the excitement.

“For my generation, this is by far the most exciting World Cup,” Ortopan said. “For entertainment value, the World cup has been great. For the typical American soccer fan … it’s huge.”

Email: mleonard@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-541-9442

Facebook: MLeonardRPC

Twitter:@MLeonard_RPC