In the past, children grew up playing catch in the front yard or shooting hoops in the driveway.

More and more these days, kids are starting to put down their baseball mitts and basketballs and are trading them in for soccer balls.

Over the last 10 years, the popularity of soccer has picked up in the United States and the recent success of the men’s national team in the World Cup has given the sport the media exposure to maybe take it to the next level.

The U.S. team is coming off of its best year in history, going 13-6-1 and making it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Korea over the summer. The success could bring more popularity to a sport that is already big around the rest of the world.

“I expect U.S. soccer to get stronger and stronger,” Charleston youth soccer coach Tim Mason said. “I am hoping the fan support can grow though. Success will bring fans.”

Coaching the youth players gives Mason a first look at the increasing level of play in the nation.

“It all starts out in kindergarten and first grade,” he said. “These kids are stronger, faster and more talented than when I was playing.”

With kids having more knowledge of the game at a younger age, it makes it easier on coaches at the high school and college levels.

“That makes my job easier,” Eastern men’s coach Adam Howarth said. “I can spend less time on the basics and more time on tactics.”

With young U.S players like DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan on the rise, the talent can only get better.

“I think there are a lot of good young players coming up,” Beasley said. “In our last game against El Salvador Sunday, the average age was about 23.”

Beasley, 20, the youngest player on the U.S. World Cup team, was pleased to see the support the team got when they returned from Korea.

“A lot of the players appeared on shows like Jay Leno and David Letterman and stuff like that,” he said. “It was nice to see that people were interested and have newspapers talking about us.”

The support for soccer is not only growing on the men’s side. The talent level and popularity in the women’s game is also growing.

“They are so much more technically prepared skill-wise,” Eastern women’s coach Steve Ballard said. “It’s an evolution in the game.”

The 1999 Women’s World Cup opened the eyes of many young girls across the country and helped gain respect from newspapers and magazines.

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“(Soccer) has garnered so much respect because of the World Cup,” Ballard said. “It just became so much more interesting to the female population.”

Images of U.S. player’s Brandi Chastain shirtless celebration after making the winning shot in penalty kicks in the World Cup championship game against China will stick in the minds of many Americans.

That popularity has also made it more appealing for women in other countries making the game more competetive and more fun to watch.

All of this leaves the question of what role will soccer play in the minds of Americans in the future?

With more opportunities for players to turn pro and leagues such as Major League Soccer developing in the country, players can make careers out of playing soccer.

The problem of keeping the young players in the country is a concern. The money and experience gained from playing overseas is something that can attract some of the more talented players away from the MLS.

“I think the opportunity to get to the next level is there, but the money is still in Europe,” Howarth said. “That’s what the kids want. They want to make a living playing the game they love.”

International stars coming here can also give the league a different look. With players like Carlos Valderrama (Colombia), Luis Hernandez (Mexico) and the recently-signed South Korean national team captain Hong Myung-Bo appearing in the league, it gives Americans views of different playing styles.

If the MLS can continue to develop more talent and expand on the international players it has and if it begins to get more media support, then soccer could become a mainstay in homes across the country.

“I just hope it can get better media exposure,” Howarth said. “If it is good enough for the rest of the world, it makes you wonder why it can’t be big here.”