INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The 1994 World Cup gave much of the country its introduction to soccer. But this 2026 World Cup could spark a love affair.
Midfielder Weston McKennie grew up in Little Elm, Texas, deep in football country. The oblong kind of football, whose fans often mocked soccer as too boring, too low-scoring, too hard to get into. But from McKennie to coach Mauricio Pochettino, they see a chance to change the sport in this country.
Friday’s U.S. 4-1 rout of Paraguay at SoFi Stadium was the perfect way to open the tournament. And open eyes.
“Amazing. That is what we were waiting [for]. When you talk about America, that passion, that feeling, they were amazing,” Pochettino said. “Now they realize that soccer here in America is massive, is big. Be careful, the other sports.”
Despite pre-tourney concerns about ticket prices and possible protests, the crowd wasn’t just sold out but electric. Yes, there were the expected glitterati like Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx and Sofia Vergara. But it was the most-watched U.S. men’s telecast ever with 25 million tuning in stateside.
Clearly, soccer is having a moment. But can they make it a watershed one?
“Because it’s a World Cup and it’s in America, people came out,” McKennie said. “But we’re OK with that. There’s a lot of people here that maybe have never come out to support us. But hopefully [Friday], with this performance, they can see and connect with us. That’s something we want to be, is relatable, and they can see the joy that we have when we play.
“And then for the people, everyone that says, ‘Oh, soccer’s boring,’ well, you have five goals. So hopefully they might not say that anymore, and feel this electricity in the stadium and the passion of fans who’ve been viewing us for years and for decades.
“And even from Paraguay fans. That’s one thing that’s going to change soccer here is having the World Cup here, because a lot of people will be touched by the passion that a lot of the fans have and the extent they go through to be here.”
The atmosphere in the stands was a great advertisement for the sport. So was the play on the field, with the U.S.’ highest goal tally ever at a World Cup.
Brooklyn-born Folarin Balogun’s brace made him the first American with a multi-goal World Cup game since 1930. From McKennie’s movement and Tyler Adams’ work rate and Malik Tillman’s flicks, the midfield dominated. And Christian Pulisic was the best player on the pitch.
It’s raised expectations — and awareness.
“Now at the moment I feel everybody has a different expectation and a different perception of our team,” fullback Sergiño Dest said. “The atmosphere was amazing, it was great. … This is nice. This is what a World Cup should be like, always. All the games should be like this. The stadium is also amazing. It was a nice atmosphere and we appreciate the support, because we need that. We need the country behind us.”
The country tuned in, with 15.986 million watching Friday on Fox Sports platforms and another 8.9 million on Telemundo. It was even the most-streamed English-language U.S. men’s match, drawing an average of 1.13 million on Tubi.
Many were seeing the U.S. play for the first time. Can the performance be a game-changer that turns them into fans, future players or both?
“This is a life-changing tournament when you play at home,” said Tony Meola, who captained that 1994 U.S. World Cup squad. “The people who know football, know soccer, they all know Christian. Right now, there’s someone who doesn’t know Christian, but 32 years from now … someone’s going to say, ‘Hey, you changed my life. I got turned on to the game. I didn’t know anything about the game.’ And that’s going to start 1781479773 for this group.”
If Meola’s team 32 years ago introduced them to soccer, this one has an opportunity to make them fall in love with it.