Praise

"Soccerhead works on every level...It's a great story, full of history and wisdom. It's an absolutely hilarious look inside the lives of kids trying to figure out a game, while their coach is trying to do the same thing, while the parents are wondering what to make of any of it. And it really does send the message that we're all in this together. It's about family and community and the importance of doing things right. Certainly every coach should read it, and I would hope every parent involved in youth sports would, too. It's going to be a classic for years to come."
Louise Waxler, President, The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)

"From the Native American game to soccer's Civil War Era arrival, right up to his own introduction to youth soccer, Jim Haner sheds light on every aspect of the sport...But you don't have to know anything about soccer to find something in this book that speaks to you. Soccerhead is the story of what every kid in America who plays sports is going through right now...Whether you're a coach, player, referee, team mom or spectator, you'll love this book. Welcome to America's Game!"
Sam Snow, Dir. of Coaching Education, U.S. Youth Soccer

"A fun and witty read. Jim Haner provides insights into the cultural phenomenon of youth soccer while exploring the forgotten history of soccer in America. Haner does all this through the eyes of a soccer-dad turned volunteer coach turned soccer fanatic. Read and enjoy!"
Tony DiCicco, Commissioner, Women’s United Soccer Association, former Head Coach U.S. Women’s National Team

“Jim Haner is a wonderful writer, and he's chosen to write about one of the quiet revolutions in this country. This is a sweet and funny book, light-hearted and charming, but underneath are important insights into that great ongoing mystery -- The American Way of Life.”
Mark Bowden, former youth soccer commissioner and author of “Blackhawk Down” (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999); and “Killing Pablo” (Atlantic Books, 2001).

“By turns laugh-out-loud funny, wise and irreverent, "Soccerhead" hurls the reader into the world of youth soccer, where writer Jim Haner spins a story about a sport into a goldmine of human drama. Issues of parenting, gender and the nature of obsession ricochet through the text. But the real payoff here is Haner himself, whose intoxicating voice and fierce insights make for a wild ride.”
Lauren Cowen, suburban Chicago soccer mom and author of “Daughters & Mothers” (Courage Books, 2000)

“Awesome stuff...tons of energy and passion. Haner is a vivid, urgent and often hilarious writer. ‘Soccerhead’ is not only a probing journey into a surging American phenomenon, but also deep into the author’s own spastic, colorful and often brilliant mind. Haner is a passionately curious journalist… (with) a bulldog’s appetite for the pursuit of truth.”
Neal Thompson, author of "Light This Candle: The Life and Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman” (Crown Books, 2004)

"Big ideas and small children share the same playing field in this antic exploration of America's fastest-growing sport. Weaving together the surprisingly deep history of U.S. soccer with his own mud-spattered misadventures as a youth-league coach, Jim Haner gives us a book that is, like the game itself, nuanced, gritty and endlessly fun.”
Miles Harvey, author of “The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime” (Broadway Books, 2001)