Same Old Story: US Men's Soccer Team Has Been Stagnant for Quarter Century
The Americans won three games for the first time but again exited in the round of 16, underscoring a long stretch of stagnation.
- On Monday, the United States men's national team was eliminated from the World Cup after a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 in Seattle. "We just still have that next step to come," Christian Pulisic said after the error-filled match.
- U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who succeeded Gregg Berhalter in late 2024, noted that team growth "is not linear." His tenure included failures to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League before this early exit.
- Goalkeeping has become a significant weakness, appearing at its lowest point since the 1980s. Matt Freese, who supplanted Matt Turner as starter last year, gifted a goal to Belgium that will likely be replayed on blooper reels.
- Forward Folarin Balogun led the U.S. team with three goals and gained notoriety after President Donald Trump called to lift his red card suspension. Younger talents like Gabriel Slonina and Patrick Schulte now face pressure to establish themselves.
- Unless the team shows vast improvement, it will not be seeded for the 2030 World Cup and likely will face a world power in the first round. Qualifying for the expanded 48-team tournament remains manageable for CONCACAF powers including Mexico and Canada.
51 Articles
51 Articles
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Young-ho = The U.S. men's national soccer team, which suffered the bitter disappointment of being eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, 1,600...
U.S. men's national soccer team again fails to make significant progress
Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie fared no better at the World Cup in 2022 and 2026 than Tim Howard, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore did in 2010 and 2014. For all the billions of dollars invested with the goal of boosting the national team into the world's elite, the Americans remain soccer plebians.
Associated Press News
Same old story: US men's soccer team has been stagnant for 25 years
The U.S. men's national soccer team remains stagnant despite growth in American soccer. Christian Pulisic and teammates have not advanced beyond the round of 16 at the World Cup, similar to past teams.
Washington Top News
Same old story: US men’s soccer team has been stagnant for 25 years
SEATTLE (AP) — For all the growth in American soccer over the past quarter-century, the U.S. men's national team remains stagnant. Christian Pulisic…
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