The increasing popularity of soccer in the United States has everyone involved in the sport more than excited. Coupled with the country and continent hosting major tournaments through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, stakeholders and supporters couldn’t be more bullish on the beautiful game’s growth in the largest market in the world where it isn’t the most popular sport.
Italian sportswear and footwear brand Lotto is among those emphasizing expansion and awareness in the United States, continuing those efforts by adding St. Louis City SC vice captain Tim Parker to its roster of more than 300 soccer players and 500 athletes globally.
“To be able to sign with Lotto, which not a lot of players in MLS truly wear, I think it’s a really cool opportunity for me to kind of introduce Lotto back into MLS in terms of a soccer boot, and hopefully in St. Louis it catches on,” said Parker, a defender who was named to the 2023 MLS Best XI while helping the expansion side finish with the best record in the Western Conference during its inaugural season.
In conjunction with the addition of Parker, Lotto owner WHP Global also announced former MLS MVP Mike Magee joined as the brand’s first-ever Head of Talent for its U.S. soccer division.
Magee won two MLS Cups, two MLS Supporters’ Shields and was named 2013 MLS MVP during his 13-year career which included playing for the New York Red Bulls, Los Angeles Galaxy and Chicago Fire.
“When I heard about this opportunity, I knew I wanted to be part of team Lotto,” Magee said. “The soccer community is already falling back in love with Lotto and I’m excited about the future. … My goal is to make kids in the United States beg their parents to drive them to Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy them a pair of Lottos.”
Established in 1973, Lotto started a strong expansion drive in the U.S. market last year by securing a deal with investment fund WHP to distribute its products via Dick’s Sporting Goods, which serves as the U.S. anchor retail partner for Lotto’s soccer and tennis products.
With former USMNT midfielder Stu Holden joining the brand in November 2022, Lotto added Seattle Reign FC and USWNT defender Sofia Huerta to its roster this past July.
Lotto is planning to deploy the Leggenda (legend) project, a contemporary take on some of the brand’s iconic sneakers worn in the 1970s and ’80s, to the U.S. market in the second half of this year.
The timing couldn’t be better for Lotto, which boasts a rich soccer history, having been worn by clubs like AC Milan and Juventus as well as players including Dino Zoff, Ruud Gullit and Andriy Shevchenko.
The U.S. will host the 2024 Copa América this summer, while the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup comes to the States next year. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, with the latter two nations submitting a joint bid to co-host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“It’s huge. You obviously hope that on top of MLS, the men’s national team is able to take the next step and continue to grow and grow in popularity, make those competitions and make deeper runs,” Parker said. “Soccer in the U.S., it seems like it continues to grow. I hate to knock on football, but it is trending down and soccer is trending up and you really hope with all of these competitions the popularity grows and people start to attend more matches as more soccer-specific stadiums become available across the country.”
Michael LoRé 