Several MLS and US national team players have come out of Hawaii, and it turns out the islands' soccer culture may have a chance for an even wider influence.
Tennessee Titans quarterback and recent NFL first-round pick Marcus Mariota, the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Oregon, hails from Hawaii and recently credited his early participation in soccer as a factor in his success.
"I think soccer is a great fundamental sport -- I think it built a foundation for me as an athlete," Mariota told 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, Tennessee. "I think soccer is just such a game where you have to understand the complexities and the system of what's going on, and you have to know that before you get the ball. Once you get the ball, you have to react.
"I think that has helped my growth, not only as a football player, but as an athlete."
The most notable Hawaiian soccer exports in MLS include Houston Dynamo all-time leading scorer
Brian Ching
(pictured at right) and Seattle Sounders defensive lynchpin
Zach Scott
. Other Hawaiian natives include D.C. United goalkeeper
Andrew Dykstra
, former New England Revolution defender
Stephen McCarthy
and former goalkeeper David Vaudreuil, although all were raised in other states.
How Mariota fares in the NFL remains to be seen, but maybe he can go back to his roots and check out the US national team when they host Guatemala in his new home stadium, LP Field, on July 3.
As for a new hometown soccer team, maybe Mariota should go with fan-owned Nashville FC.
