World Cup’s success will pay off for soccer in US — but real growth is a slow burn
Ethan Sears World Cup’s success will pay off for soccer in US — but real growth is a slow burn By Ethan Sears Published July 21, 2026, 1:04 a.m. ET United States fans are pictured before the Round of 16 match July 6. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters The grandiose marketing phrases that came with the World Cup — “change soccer forever in the United States,” and “rocket fuel,” and so on — do us a disservice by setting the sport up for failure.
- ▪Ethan Sears World Cup’s success will pay off for soccer in US — but real growth is a slow burn By Ethan Sears Published July 21, 2026, 1:04 a.m.
- ▪ET United States fans are pictured before the Round of 16 match July 6.
- ▪IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters The grandiose marketing phrases that came with the World Cup — “change soccer forever in the United States,” and “rocket fuel,” and so on — do us a disservice by setting the sport up for failure.
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Ethan Sears World Cup’s success will pay off for soccer in US — but real growth is a slow burn By Ethan Sears Published July 21, 2026, 1:04 a.m. ET United States fans are pictured before the Round of 16 match July 6. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters The grandiose marketing phrases that came with the World Cup — “change soccer forever in the United States,” and “rocket fuel,” and so on — do us a disservice by setting the sport up for failure. See Also Winners, losers from thrilling World Cup that silenced all of its doubts Growing a sport is not like winning an election. Everything doesn’t suddenly change within months. Look back at the 1994 World Cup and you won’t see much impact on how soccer in America looked in 1995. However, listen to how many future members of the U.S.
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