My name is Andrew Ceacatura. I am a 33 year-old former international development professional and a complete soccer junkie who has devoted far too much of his free time obsessing over every pedantic minutiae of the beautiful game. However, my love of soccer extends far beyond what happens on the pitch throughout 90 minutes and touches on what the world’s #1 sport tells us about our culture, our politics, our social norms, and how we view ourselves.

While finishing up grad school, I wrote a master’s thesis that explored crossroads between sport, politics and peacebuilding through the lens of the case study of Didier Drogba, the Cote d’Ivoire national team, and the supporting role they played in bringing an end to a bloody civil war. Through my many years of research into the world of soccer and politics, some academic but mostly just my own passion, I’ve long desired to share these stories with a wider audience, and I can’t imagine a better opportunity than a World Cup in my home country that is fast approaching.

When not writing about soccer, I’m working to grow soccer’s ecosystem in the United States through my coordinator role in U.S. Soccer. My opinions are entirely my own, and they do not reflect the views of the United States Soccer Federation.