<\/p>\n
Fans react after a goal by United States defender Alex Freeman during a Group D match against Australia at FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park on Friday, June 19, 2026, in Dallas.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
As Spain and Argentina prepare to meet in the\u00a02026 World Cup<\/a> final on Sunday in New Jersey, one question still hangs over American soccer: Will the United States ever reach the final stage of the world\u2019s most\u2011watched sporting event?<\/p>\n For a moment this summer, the possibility felt tangible. The USMNT\u2019s run \u2014 energetic, skillful, and unusually elegant for a program long defined by grit \u2014 stirred something rare within the American sporting landscape: a sincere investment in a sport in which the United States has never been a dominant force.<\/p>\n But on July 6 in Seattle, that momentum collapsed under the weight of a 4\u20131 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fox reported that 30 million people watched the match in the U.S., making it the most\u2011viewed soccer broadcast in American history. It had a larger average audience than last month\u2019s\u00a0NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, which averaged 20.6 million viewers on ABC and ESPN.\u00a0<\/p>\n The stage was set for a breakthrough, a chance to convert curiosity into commitment, hype into habit.<\/p>\n Instead, the defeat extinguished the United States\u2019 hopes of making a true leap forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n The U.S. didn\u2019t just lose heavily to Belgium; its performance fell short of the historic urgency of the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seattle\u2019s stadium was packed to capacity \u2014 70,000 raucous fans backing not only the team, but a project meant to elevate soccer in this country to another level.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And yet, the question remains: How big was the opportunity the USMNT let slip?<\/p>\n RELATED: Nine World Cup matches. One lingering question: Why didn’t D-FW get the final?<\/a><\/p>\n A focusing event \u2014 and a mirror<\/p>\n To understand the long\u2011term impact, Matt Bowers, a professor at UT Austin\u2019s\u00a0McCombs School of Business and the managing director of the Business of Sports Institute, urges Americans to see the World Cup as more than a tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime we have an event of this magnitude, it\u2019s what we in policy\u2011making terms call a focusing event,\u201d Bowers said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to shine a light that everyone is looking at and allows us to ask questions of how we do things. Could we do them better?\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For Texas \u2014 home to host cities Dallas<\/a> and Houston \u2014 that spotlight was especially bright.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bowers notes that while economic benefits are often overstated and \u201ca lot less money tends to flow to the local economy than it does to\u00a0FIFA,” the cultural impact is undeniable.\u00a0<\/p>\n Visitors reported overwhelmingly positive experiences in both Texas cities, a meaningful counternarrative at a time when global perceptions of the U.S. are politically polarized.<\/p>\n But for Bowers, the most important legacy lies in athlete development \u2014 a system he has studied extensively.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was an opportunity for us to really look at the state of the soccer development landscape in the United States,\u201d he said. \u201cNine of our 11 starters are playing in top global European leagues. That\u2019s different than what we\u2019ve seen in years past.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Progress, yes \u2014 but also a reminder of how far the U.S. still has to go.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have a soccer development system in the U.S. that is pay\u2011for\u2011play,\u201d Bowers said. \u201cParents and youth athletes pay thousands of dollars a year to access elite pathways. That closes off the system to millions of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n He points to FC Dallas as a rare bright spot \u2014 \u201cone of the crown jewels\u201d of youth development<\/a> \u2014 but stresses that the broader system remains fragmented, inequitable and incoherent.<\/p>\n Closing the gap<\/p>\n FC Dallas president Dan Hunt<\/a> sees the moment through a similar lens \u2014 one that blends pride with frustration.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cHere\u2019s what I would say: the U.S. team\u00a0performance was good, maybe not great. Had we advanced, you could have started to argue it was a great performance,” Hunt said in response to harsher criticism circulating online.<\/p>\n \u201cYou look at how much soccer has grown, the level we\u2019re able to compete at,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you look at that starting 11 and the clubs those players play for \u2014 Juventus, PSV, Crystal Palace, MLS clubs \u2014 we have come a long way. Major League Soccer has really helped contribute to this.\u201d<\/p>\n If the Belgium match was a missed opportunity, was it also a setback?<\/p>\n Bowers doesn\u2019t think so.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think this is a watershed moment when you look at the viewership,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a net positive overall impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He believes the disappointment will fade quickly, especially among younger fans inspired by the team\u2019s skillful group\u2011stage performances.<\/p>\n \u201cThat will still capture the imagination of an 8\u2011year\u2011old,\u201d he said. \u201cIt will still inspire a 16\u2011 or 17\u2011year\u2011old to care even more the next time around.\u201d<\/p>\n Bob Heere, professor of Sport Entertainment Management at the University of North Texas, agrees \u2014 but adds a twist.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think they lost fans just because they lost this game against Belgium,\u201d Heere said. \u201cThe United States, until that game, played really well and excited a lot of fans.\u201d<\/p>\n But Heere believes the real damage came from the political controversy that erupted before the match following a phone call from President Donald Trump to FIFA <\/a>that became known as \u201cBelgium\u2011gate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat phone call should\u2019ve never happened,\u201d Heere said. \u201cA lot of the goodwill they gained was lost with that action.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n