EA Sports FC 25 delivers yet another screamer in the long standing franchise, but its significance goes beyond the gameplay.
US soccer fandom doesn’t typically stem from deep family ties to long standing clubs like it does in Europe or South America. Instead, US soccer fandom starts from a different place. On the one hand, it’s formed under the passionate immigrant families coming to the US, which led to the rise of many MLS/NWSL clubs and fútbol culture. But on the other hand, it’s also born out of phenomena like video games, particularly EA Sports FC (formerly known as FIFA).
Video games are deeply intertwined in American culture. Institutional publishers like EA have nurtured many young sports fans on sports like American football, basketball, baseball and hockey. But they’ve arguably done their best work with soccer. The spectrum of millennial and Gen Z fans and players that touch US soccer culture today have likely grown up playing the EA Sports FC franchise. Player-wise, this doesn’t just apply to those who play soccer professionally. It also affects new age athletes like Donte DiVincenzo from the NBA. DiVincenzo is best known for his 3-point prowess and scoring abilities on the court. But before any of this, he was destined to become a soccer star.
Last week, I got the chance to meet and speak with DiVincenzo at the EA Sports FC 25 launch in New York. As he spoke to me, he was surrounded by SoccerBible’s dedicated gallery space, celebrating the creativity and diversity of US soccer culture - it felt fitting to talk to an athlete who represented this. As he looked at the walls, he felt energised by what he was seeing. “There's an aura to US soccer. There's a style around all the players and the teams that I think all the cities get behind. And I think it's so much fun to be a fan of because it's not bland, it's not boring, it's very creative and fun,” said DiVincenzo.
Growing up as an Italian-American, DiVincenzo was bred into soccer early. “I started playing at three years old and things fast tracked pretty quickly. Soon I was playing up in an older age group. I then went to a high school where it was really popular (Salesianum School) in Delaware. But I quickly started to feel burnt out by it, that’s when I pivoted to basketball,”he said. Clearly that decision proved to be a good one and he quickly became a bonafide talent, earning himself a college scholarship to Villanova, a basketball institution. While he left soccer behind on a serious level, he never let the influence of the game leave his side. “I play basketball every single day of my life. But as soon as I have any kind of ball, I start juggling.”
EA Sports FC was another way he kept soccer close. “Jalen Brunson (former college and NBA teammate) and I lived together in college, and we played FIFA (EA Sports FC) every single day. We had a competition going on continually. We would play with all kinds of teams. We learnt all about these different leagues and players through FIFA (EA Sports FC),” said DiVincenzo. Therefore, his excitement at the event for the new game was understandably palpable. DiVincenzo wasn’t just another big name at another branded event, he was a die-hard, just as excited for EA Sports FC 25 as those who had pre-ordered it. “I'm most excited about the new movement in the game. The ball handling, the foot skills, and the way you pass through balls with the controls.”
That particular feature has been one of the most anticipated (and subsequently well received) aspects of the game. It’s a broader aspect of the new FC IQ system. This grants the player more strategic control and realistic collective movement at a team level. After we spoke, DiVincenzo stepped up to the big screen (alongside Midge Purce) to play Alex Carpenter and Dougie Hamilton. Here he was exposed to another new feature of the game, the 5v5 Rush. The exciting new mode puts the competition into hyperspeed, resulting in more action and more goals. While Carpenter and Hamilton ended up getting the best of him and Purce, you could see that his experience from the dorm room days at Villanova still held true.
Beyond DiVincenzo, I watched the diversity of talent that stepped up to play Rush. Legends like Tim Howard and Ronaldinho all played their own rounds. The room pulsated with people that form the modern fabric of US soccer culture, representing all walks of life, bound by their love for this video game franchise.
As guests left the event with a copy of the new EA Sports FC 25 and SoccerBible’s Creative Soccer Culture insights paper, it felt like a full circle moment. The three archetypes (i.e. The CSC Vanguard - Curious, Student, Convert) of our insights paper owes great thanks to the EA Sports FC franchise. The game welcomes the curious, educates and entertains the student and deepens the connection for the convert. EA Sports FC 25 is set to keep that pace up, especially in the US, where a love for video games and global sports combine to make a beautiful expression of the beautiful game.
This article is made in partnership with Drawn Distant, a publisher that brings a style perspective to video game culture. Subscribe here for more.
