Soccer sends local American Outlaws leader around the world

Soccer is more than just a sport to Tanya Keith.

It's a passion that has led Keith, 42, of Des Moines, to several countries and prompted her to write a book about soccer.

"I came to write this book, 'Passionate Soccer Love,' because I was traveling around, and every time I went to a World Cup, I would see three or four stories that were really crazy and funny," Keith said. "I would tell these stories at soccer bars, and people were, 'Oh, you really need to write these down. You need to write a book.' "

Keith will likely have even more stories after returning from the World Cup in Brazil. She and her family of four are in Brazil cheering on the U.S. soccer team.

Before leaving for Brazil, Keith sat down with the Register to talk about how she became interested in soccer and what people can find in her book.

Q. Can you talk about how you're the president of the Des Moines chapter of American Outlaws?

A. Back in 2008, my husband found the American Outlaws website. He was like, "Look at this, it's a support group (for the United States men's national soccer team) and it was what we were talking about."

I emailed them, and it became the start of American Outlaws in Des Moines.

From 2008, we've grown to about 150 members now just in Des Moines. We have also, since then, spun off chapters in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.

I think there's a Quad Cities chapter forming, an Ames chapter kind of brewing and a Marshalltown chapter brewing. ...

The soccer culture has grown a ton in Iowa over the past 20 years, but more specifically recently.

Q. How did you first become interested in soccer?

A. I started off as a soccer referee. I moved to Iowa in … late 1991. My husband, then my boyfriend, was very involved in refereeing, and I decided I would rather become a referee than just sit around watching him or sitting at home waiting around for him.

I started refereeing games here locally, then eventually started traveling around the country refereeing games. Then, the more I reffed, the more things I got to see because … U.S. soccer began to offer tickets to referees.

The first time I got to see U.S. Soccer play was in June of 1993, and I saw U.S. versus Germany in Chicago. It was so cool because the Germans at the time were a very, very strong team, and the United States only got beat 4-3. ...

I went to the World Cup in Chicago in 1994, and I got to watch the U.S. play on TV in '94.

I told my husband, who … was my fiance, that I just wanted to see the World Cup wherever it was, no matter. That would be our thing — we would travel around the world following U.S. Soccer.

We spent three years of our lives being pulled apart by soccer, because he would be at one tournament and I would be at another tournament. We basically never saw each other between April and October, and then we would get together.

For the World Cup, we could go on great vacations. So, we decided that in 1994, and we've done that since.

We traveled to France in 1998, and we went to Korea in 2002. We went to a qualifier at Mexico City in 2005.

In 2006, we went to Germany for the World Cup, and we took our daughter with us, who I had been pregnant with in Korea. We call the Korea games her obstructed-view seat.

In 2010, we went to South Africa. We went to the qualifier in Jamaica, and then at the end of (last) week, we're heading to Brazil.

Q. What can people find in "Passionate Soccer Love"?

A. I think of it as three different books. It's a book of the history of soccer — the past 20 years of soccer in the U.S.

It's about soccer culture and just kind of the changes that have taken place. In the mid-1990s, people didn't really know how to be soccer fans in the U.S. or weren't interested in being soccer fans to the start of clubs, like Sam's Army and American Outlaws and different clubs for MLS teams.

It's kind of a travel adventure book. It's funny because my friends who aren't into soccer are like, "Oh my gosh, you had so many cool travel stories of just adventure and culture. There's just so much of that in your book." ...

So, there's kind of a bit of something for everybody.

Q. What's different about this World Cup in Brazil than the other games you've attended?

A. I travel a lot more now — I went to eight games last year and that's a ridiculous number of games for me because none of them are at home.

I've never been to South America, so I'm excited about that. I think every year is different with going and embracing a new culture.

I'm really excited to go and see Brazil. Brazil is kind of the top of soccer players and fans.

One of the stories I tell in my book is … we were hiking in Paris during the 1998 World Cup, and we were up at Sacre Coeur, the church.

We were up there, and we just heard this music coming up the hill — we couldn't see anything. Then, this parade of people came around the corner.

There must have been 300 or 400 people, all Brazilians, wearing white dresses and crazy clothing and costumes and they had musical instruments.

They were partying in the parade all the way up the hill, and then they went into the cathedral and prayed.

Here I was in 1998, this little American soccer fan going to my first away World Cup, and my head exploded. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Brazilian culture is just so amazing. I just can't wait to see it in person. It's one thing to see a parade of 400 people, but to go to the country and actually be in the Amazon, I can't wait.

Tanya Keith

AGE: 42

LIVES: River Bend Neighborhood of Des Moines

GREW UP: Montclair, N.J.

WHY DES MOINES? I grew up in the New York City metro and loved it, but it's ridiculously expensive. In Des Moines, I live in a beautiful, historic Victorian home in a culturally diverse neighborhood walking distance from downtown, right next to the river trails. All for about 80 percent of prices where I grew up. I love Des Moines for its sane city living.

FAMILY: Husband Doug, and an 11-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son

LITTLE-KNOWN FACT: Soccer travel has given me a tourist vocabulary in five languages.

Interested in "Passionate Soccer Love"?

Buy it at Beaverdale Books or via www.Passionate SoccerLove.com.

Interested in American Outlaws?

Join American Outlaws Des Moines at the Keg Stand and watch the World Cup. For official membership and contact info for other chapters, go to www.theAmericanOutlaws.com.