“America will never win the World Cup.”
This is something a wise young man from England told me some 20 years ago. He quickly elaborated, adding, “As long as there's the NFL.” What he was talking about was real football, or soccer, what we call “in America.”
Admittedly, I have never disagreed with his premise, but he has never seemed more right than he is now.
Currently, in the midst of the world's greatest football festival, our national team's performance has been abysmal. After a comfortable opening win over Bolivia gave us false confidence, or rather, cockiness, we suffered a crushing defeat.
Panama, our long-time (and not so long) rivals, proved us overconfident with a 2-1 win in the second game. Uruguay, one of the favorites to win the tournament, beat the United States 2-0 in their final group game.
It's a shame!
We will be hosting some of the best teams in the world, including number one ranked team and defending champion Argentina, with high quality international soccer matches being played across the United States this summer.
The match is just around the corner, and our population is significantly larger than most of the teams we play around the world, so our talent pool should be better.
it's not.
My friend is right, if the NFL continues to thrive, we will never win, let alone college football. Even high school football is worth mentioning here.
Apparently we haven't learned anything from our recent loss to Trinidad and Tobago (a small country from which I have some great soccer friends) to the World Cup.
The global soccer spotlight is shining brightly right now, with Euro 24 and Copa America filling stadiums and streaming everywhere.
We have a guest visiting from Peru right now. It's fun to root for Peru and to do so with someone who experienced Messi long before we Americans even knew his name or what he looked like. She also introduced a friend into our lives who was born in Spain and now lives in Northern Michigan.
I am only just beginning to sense the passion and love they have for the sports that are dominating the sporting world in their respective home countries.
Nearly 20 years ago, it was a Spaniard who first taught me about the world.
Today, we have many players playing in our country, including Messi. I support Argentina and Spain. I am writing this article when Spain is trying to reach the semi-finals of the Euros, but Messi has already reached the semi-finals of the Copa America. I also support Ecuador, because I have family from Ecuador.
And the United States is preparing to welcome the entire soccer world: The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted in the United States, along with Canada and Mexico. The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994.
There is also the possibility of a coaching change.
We just fired one coach and rehired the same coach. Ironically, the reported issue that led to Gregg Berhalter's initial firing was a serious issue regarding parent playing time, an issue youth and high school coaches face every day. He may not even be a coach by the time this column appears.
I believe the development of soccer in America is still in its early stages, but the sport is growing by leaps and bounds.
Northern Michigan has benefited from the knowledge of people who have immigrated from top soccer countries such as England, Spain and Mexico to play soccer here and teach the game to young people.
I enjoy chatting with them about their national teams and their favorite club teams, and I also enjoy officiating soccer games with guys from Mexico, Spain, Brazil, Romania and Ireland.
When I was a kid, in another time in America, soccer didn't exist, and I grew up with sports like baseball, “America's Pastime.”
Now we cannot live without soccer and I appreciate the contributions of these people who help us learn soccer. We are lucky to have former professional soccer players from the area coaching our youth and high school teams.
I was given the opportunity to coach several exchange students who play with great passion on our pitches and I loved learning about football in their home countries, especially youth football.
We are grateful to the host families, churches, and community organizations that make it possible for exchange students to come and play here.
I look forward to the day that I can go to a World Cup. I don't see that day coming in my lifetime, simply because I see the NFL continuing to thrive indefinitely.
We haven't come very far since 1994 when a famous late-night show host monologues, “The World Cup starts in the United States today,” before quickly joking, “Who cares?”
I did, and I still do.
And it seems that a growing number of Americans think so too.
I'm not ready to give up just yet. Perhaps 2026 will be the year the US proves my British friends wrong.
As my British friend would say, cheers.
