The USMNT finished in the same place as most U.S. World Cup teams since 1994, but the club “did make progress” off the field, according to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. TIMES. In the second World Cup played in the U.S., the Americans played “before live crowds totaling nearly 350,000 people and a domestic TV audience of more than 110 million.” USMNT D Tim Ream said, “A big message throughout the tournament was what kind of impact we would be able to have. Obviously that all comes to a halt now but I don’t think the conversation changes. There are boys and girls who were watching and being inspired. I’m sure people will say, ‘Oh, it now is going to die down.’ But if you look at what we’ve done, I don’t think that conversation should die down” (L.A. TIMES, 7/7). SI’s Ben Steiner wrote the long-term impact of this World Cup “won’t be fully felt for years,” but every indication suggests it was a “highly successful tournament off the pitch, despite its disheartening finish on it.” U.S. Soccer has “never received so much attention as it has in the last few weeks, especially given the influence of social media and some of the prominent celebrities and personalities that bought into the team.” At the same time, the fans at games “brought an unparalleled passion and embraced ‘Country Roads’ as an emphatic win song” (SI, 7/7).
A GROWING PROMISE: SOCCER AMERICA’s Andrew Marszal writes soccer’s boom in America was “well in progress before the World Cup,” with the sport “eclipsing baseball by media rights value, and drawing billions in investment long before the tournament arrived.” But the USMNT’s progress “remains uncertain,” with coach Mauricio Pochettino “so far stalling on signing a contract extension, amid links to various European club teams” (SOCCER AMERICA, 7/8). USA TODAY’s Nancy Armour wrote the USMNT sent out a thank you to the country along with a request. In a social media post the day after they were eliminated from the World Cup, the USMNT said that they “carried the support of the fans with them when they played.” They also “encouraged Americans to stay involved in the game, promising to provide more opportunities to play” (USA TODAY, 7/7).
A STEP BACK: ESPN.com’s Dan Wetzel wrote this group of USMNT players “was a regression, lacking the obvious heart of past teams” that featured players such as Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and others. This one was “more talented but somehow even further behind.” If that is “the trend line, just as youth soccer gets even more expensive and more exclusive and more about coddling for cash than actual coaching ... then what?” (ESPN.com, 7/7). ESPN.com’s Ryan O’Hanlon writes the real problem with the USMNT is the “same problem it has always had: The players still aren’t good enough.” The squad has Americans now playing in Europe, but the talent pipeline “still hasn’t produced a true superstar, let alone someone who is good enough to be a starter for one of the best teams in the world” (ESPN.com, 7/8). In California, Scott Reid wrote American soccer “doesn’t need to grow the game. It needs to grow up” (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/7).
THE SPLIT: ESPN.com’s Jeff Kassouf noted the USMNT earned U.S. Soccer $16M in prize money from FIFA for making the Round of 16 at the World Cup. The prize money “will be split evenly” between the 26 men on the U.S. roster and the 26 women who make next year’s U.S. roster for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, should the Americans qualify. Men’s and women’s players equally share World Cup prize money under terms of the CBA that were ratified by U.S. Soccer with both national teams in 2022. Per the CBAs, U.S. Soccer keeps 20% of the prize money from each World Cup, with the remaining 80% split equally between the men’s and women’s players who make their respective World Cup rosters. That 40% equates to $6.4M per team, and $246,153.85 per player. The same split between the federations and the men’s and women’s national teams “will apply to the 2027 Women’s World Cup prize money collected by the United States” (ESPN.com, 7/7). THE ATHLETIC’s Asli Pelit wrote the arrangement “works for all parties.” While the USMNT’s World Cup run boosted the USWNT’s payout this cycle, the women “could return the favor in 2027.” A deep run in Brazil would “increase the shared prize-money pool, creating a larger payday for players.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino has voiced his “desire for equal prize money by the 2027 Women’s World Cup.” If that holds, and the USWNT achieves what its predecessors achieved, the USMNT “could be looking at” a $25M payout for its female counterparts’ success (THE ATHLETIC, 7/7).
