In less than a year, the US men’s national soccer team (USMNT) will be competing in the World Cup, which they will co-host along with two other countries.
Out of the 16 venues selected for the tournament, 11 will be located in the United States, playing host to key matches including quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals.
Historically, the USMNT hasn’t excelled in the World Cup; they reached the Round of 16 in both 2010 and 2014, but missed out on the tournament in 2018. They made it back to the Round of 16 three years ago but struggled in the home Copa America last summer, failing to progress beyond the group stage.
Following the 1994 World Cup in the US, soccer saw a significant rise in popularity, paving the way for Major League Soccer. Now, as we look ahead to the tournament, former USMNT player Taylor Twellman feels that the future popularity of soccer in the US hinges on how well the national team performs next year.
Twellman is gearing up for the American Century Championship golf event next month and mentioned that many of his sports friends often ask him more about soccer than his own experiences. This shift in interest, he notes, tells a larger story about the growing awareness and expectations surrounding the sport in the US.
“If the US team reaches the World Cup quarterfinals, it would truly mark a breakthrough moment for North American soccer,” he explained in a recent conversation.
As the World Cup draws nearer, Twellman remarked that the pressure on the team is definitely increasing. He observed that while the four major sports in America often dominate conversations, there’s a noticeable excitement shifting towards soccer.
Twellman emphasized that failing to advance beyond the group stage would signify a “massive failure,” recalling that the last time the US did not make it past this stage was in 2006.
If they can make it out of the group with a favorable draw, he believes they’ll be in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals as hosts. But he acknowledges that much of this hinges on the draw itself, reflecting the urgency and heightened expectations around the US men’s national team as the sport in the country continues to grow.
