The USMNT, following its Round of 16 loss to Belgium, faces the question of “what, if anything, will change after this World Cup,” according to Paul Tenorio of THE ATHLETIC. There were “genuinely fun and good memories” from the past few weeks. The “hope has to be that the positives of the fan engagement will linger” and that the people who watched for the first time “will stick around for more.” The 4-1 defeat “showed how much more there is to be done.” Changing the program’s mentality “is important,” but it also showed that the U.S. “still has to stay rooted in the reality of where it is in the journey.” Tenorio: “Everything around American soccer has to improve, from the youth system to MLS to the national team programs” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/7).
COULDN’T SEIZE THE MOMENT: In S.F., Ann Killion wrote that the defeat to Belgium “wasn’t just a loss,” it was an “embarrassing face plant.” U.S. Soccer has poured resources into the team over the past four years. The players were experienced. Hedge fund billionaires “bought them an elite coach.” The mission was to “leave a historic legacy. To change the narrative.” Instead, the American team was “stopped in its tracks” in the round of 16, the same spot its World Cups ended in 1994, 2010, 2014 and 2022 (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/6). ESPN.com’s Sam Borden writes the U.S. has had great passages before but “always seemed to falter when the level of the opponent rose up that one extra level.” That it “happened again here -- in such a comprehensive, deflating way -- means this 2026 home tournament cannot stand out from all the others” (ESPN.com, 7/7). CBSSPORTS.com’s Chuck Booth notes there are “other ways that the tournament can be a success, depending on how the run ends up impacting interest in youth soccer and how the game is shaped in America, but on the pitch, it feels like a missed opportunity” (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/7).
UNTIL NEXT TIME: The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Beaton & Robinson write this was the summer “the U.S. had gone all in for.” What the Americans “learned instead was that they could still be stopped in their tracks by a middling European side with its stars on the bench” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/7). In N.Y., Mark Cannizzaro writes this loss was a “setback of gigantic proportions.” Cannizzaro: “So begins an agonizing four-year wait for the next World Cup before the USMNT has a chance to prove that this wasn’t the colossal setback it appeared to be” (N.Y. POST, 7/7). USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour writes the USMNT is going “back to the drawing board.” Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s contract is up and the club’s “Golden Generation is not long from becoming the Silver Generation.” Whether the hold the USMNT had on the American public for the first half of the tournament has a lasting impact “won’t be known for years” (USA TODAY, 7/7).
CAPITALIZE ON THE BUZZ: In N.Y., David Waldstein wrote buried “within the disappointment of the sobering defeat was evidence that this World Cup has accelerated soccer’s decades-long climb into the national consciousness.” Despite the end of the U.S.’s World Cup run, soccer’s stakeholders are “eagerly anticipating a boost for the sport’s presence and potential in a nation where it has long battled other sports for attention.” Even with the U.S. out, MLS “still has a presence.” For the first time, FIFA is allowing domestic league games to be played during the World Cup, and MLS will stage three games between the semifinals and the final to capitalize on the buzz (N.Y. TIMES, 7/6).
STAY TUNED: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Alex Weprin noted Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong and Fox analyst Stu Holden, aware that many viewers will be turning off of soccer until 2030, “used the final moments of the match to implore American viewers to, well, not do that, please.” Strong said, “If you’ve enjoyed what you’re seeing, well, support your local team. This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the next four years. It’s a beautiful sport.” Holden said, “The future of American soccer is very bright.” The repercussions for the U.S. loss “will be felt by Fox, which is sure to see its TV ratings fall significantly.” If the USMNT advanced to the quarterfinals or beyond, TV execs were “salivating at potential viewership that rivaled NFL playoff games” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 7/6).
