On Tuesday Oct. 10, the United States men’s soccer team lost 2–1 against Trinidad and Tobago in a World Cup Qualifying match. While the team entered the day with a 97 percent chance to qualify for the World Cup, the surprising upset, combined with late comeback victories by Honduras and Panama, eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup. Prior to the Trinidad loss, the U.S. had qualified for the previous seven World Cups. The last time the U.S. missed the World Cup was 1986.
Since Landon Donovan’s stoppage time goal against Algeria to advance the US to the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup, the quality of soccer in America has vastly improved. In 1999, Major League Soccer consisted of 12 teams. The league now has 22 teams, with more on the way. The value of each team has increased along with the number of teams. The estimated value of a new team is $150 million. This growth makes sense, as more fans have been following the league. One MLS game even drew a crowd over 70,000. The U.S. now has a larger fan base, but they do not have games to watch or a team to support. Cesar Guerrero ’20 remarked, “I’m sad that the U.S. didn’t qualify. I really enjoy watching and was looking forward to watching the World Cup. Unfortunately, I know that I’ll watch less now that the U.S. didn’t qualify.” The World Cup gives casual fans a chance to follow soccer. It is a short and concentrated tournament that is in the mainstream media. It is one of the few times that soccer is talked about commonly and openly in the public. While this means that the majority of Americans will not watch the World Cup, the biggest soccer fans will still watch.
The fact that the men’s team did not qualify means that the next major international competition that the U.S. will compete in is the Women’s World Cup in 2019, assuming they qualify. Catharine Pierce ’20 remains positive in spite of the men’s team’s loss. She said, “Mia Hamm was my first role model. I grew up playing soccer. While I hoped that the U.S. men’s would be playing, this makes me more excited for the women’s world cup.” Jade Thomas ’20 felt similarly. She shared her thoughts, “I am shocked! Now the women’s team can take the national spotlight.” The truth of the matter is that the women’s team is much more successful than the men’s.
The United States women’s team won the most recent World Cup in 2015. Of late, the women’s team has been bringing in similar revenue to the men’s team; soccer is one of few sports where this is the case. I truly believe that the women’s team will be able to become the face of international soccer in the United States of America. The elimination of the men from World Cup contention indubitably hurt American soccer, but it is no death knell. For the quantity and quality of American soccer to continue to grow, the Women’s National Team likely must be the face of the movement.
The U.S.’s failure to qualify for the World Cup has many wondering whether the progress made in American soccer will be lost. That the men’s team failed to qualify for the World Cup is embarrassing given the amount of money spent on the program and will be a setback for the growth of soccer in the U.S.. While it is not a good thing, many bright spots in American soccer remain, and the reason to believe soccer will continue to grow. Soccer is still more popular in America than ever before and the impact has seeped far beyond the professional level. The MLS is growing in terms of the number of teams, the number of fans, and the value of the teams. Youth soccer participation now has over three million members. The state of American soccer is strong.
