As a fan of the United States men’s soccer team since the 1980s, I have always kept my expectations about the team’s World Cup prospects pretty low.
Back in 1990, the U.S. qualified for the first time in 40 years. The Americans lost all three games, but I was just happy the team made it and even scored — twice!
Four years later, the U.S. hosted the global tournament and advanced from its group. In the first knockout round, the Americans lost to Brazil, but the 1-0 score was respectable and the crowds were record-breaking. American fans’ dream that the U.S. would become a perennial powerhouse was real.
The men’s team is approaching a quarter century of disappointing results, including missing the tournament entirely in 2018.
The first hiccup came in France in 1998 when the Americans didn’t win any of their group matches. But in 2002, the U.S. upset pre-tournament favorites Portugal, squeaked into the knockout round of 16 and comprehensively beat rivals Mexico “dos a cero.” In the quarterfinals against perennial power Germany, the U.S. outshot and outpossessed its opponent but lost narrowly after a handball on the goal line went uncalled. Young stars like Landon Donovan seemed poised to take the team even further. From minnows to the final eight — and nearly the final four — in just 12 years, glory seemed like a matter of when, not if.
Since then, all that promise has been almost entirely for naught. Sure, there have been moments, like Donovan’s last-gasp goal to win the group in 2010 or what players like Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard gave to the team, but the victory over Mexico remains the last time the men’s team has won a knockout game in the tournament.
As the team begins its 2026 World Cup quest Friday night in Los Angeles against Paraguay, though, I am done with low expectations.
Yes, the men’s team is approaching a quarter century of disappointing results, including missing the tournament entirely in 2018. But this edition of the USMNT has been billed as a “golden generation.” Seventeen players of the 26-man roster play in Europe’s top leagues. Teams are paying higher-than-ever transfer fees for American stars like Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and, of course, Christian Pulisic — the first American to play in the men’s Champions League final.
With all this talent for the Americans, the mission in 2026 is simple: It’s time to put up or shut up. Anything less than a quarterfinal finish — just like in 2002 — should be seen as a failure in a vastly expanded tournament on home soil. And if the quarterfinals don’t happen, the entire U.S. men’s soccer program should consider serious reforms.
It’s not a mystery what is holding back the men’s team. “We are not developing players like the rest of the world,” Donovan said in a recent interview with Rich Eisen.
The players seem aware this is a pivotal moment for American soccer.
“Our youth soccer in this country is a disaster,” he added. “You have all these youth clubs … [that] charge you crazy fees. It’s all about winning. The kids get left behind because the clubs want to make money, the coaches want to make money, they want to win and the kids don’t develop. And now we’re seeing sorta the fruits of that, sadly.”
The pay-for-play model, where parents like me have had to shell out thousands of dollars to develop their kids in hopes of a scholarship or a pro contract, isn’t working.
That is not what soccer is all about. It is egalitarian. It is working class. It is a sport that anyone can pick up and play. Unless this country leans into soccer’s accessibility and makes it as affordable as possible, the USMNT will never succeed.
Fortunately for this team, the players seem aware this is a pivotal moment for American soccer. “Everyone thinks that this thing of expectation and criticism is a bad thing. But like, if we’re worth talking about, it’s a good thing,” Adams said on the “Late Run” podcast. “Before, I think people wouldn’t even talk about the national team or talk about the players on it. Now we’re making waves at some of the biggest clubs around the world. Like, people want to talk about us. That’s fine. That’s what comes with the business, man.”
Thirty-two years after the last World Cup on American soil, the U.S. men’s soccer team has had enough time. This tournament, the expectations are different. That’s what comes with the business.
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of "The Latino Newsletter" and co-editor of "Pressing Issues from Free Press."