For 30 years, American soccer has been the sport of the almost. Almost breaking through. Almost finding its footing. Almost fielding the team its passionate, fast-growing fan base deserves. The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, kicking off this summer across American stadiums, was supposed to be the moment of arrival—but the federation responsible for putting the best possible team on the field has been quietly grappling with a structural problem that no amount of cultural momentum could fix on its own.
It has never been able to reliably find its own best players.
