US national teams make beach soccer debut in Venice Beach

VENICE BEACH, Calif. (KESQ) - The FIFA World Cup is bringing more influence to the sport of soccer throughout the US, and now beach soccer is making an impact here in Southern California.

The USA men's and women's national teams made their debut on home soil over the weekend. Both national teams played Trinidad and Tobago in a doubleheader match at Venice Beach.

The free event attracted bystanders and soccer fans to the sandy beaches to get a glimpse of the growing sport amid the excitement following the World Cup.

"It's gonna inspire young boys and young girls who love soccer to not just play grass soccer or futsal, but to discover beach soccer, which gives them more opportunities. So I think when you see it live, it makes you want to play it more," said Lauren Leslie of the U.S. women's beach soccer national team.

While beach soccer brings more ice to the sport of soccer as a whole, the majority of the game is played through the air, and that is what athletes emphasize gives the sport a fluid and exciting feeling.