As the World Cup starts, it’s time for the U.S. men’s soccer team to put up or shut up

As a fan of the United States men’s soccer team since the 1980s, I have always kept my expectations about the team’s World Cup prospects pretty low.

Back in 1990, the U.S. qualified for the first time in 40 years. The Americans lost all three games, but I was just happy the team made it and even scored — twice!

Four years later, the U.S. hosted the global tournament and advanced from its group. In the first knockout round, the Americans lost to Brazil, but the 1-0 score was respectable and the crowds were record-breaking. American fans’ dream that the U.S. would become a perennial powerhouse was real.

The first hiccup came in France in 1998 when the Americans didn’t win any of their group matches. But in 2002, the U.S. upset pre-tournament favorites Portugal, squeaked into the knockout round of 16 and comprehensively beat rivals Mexico “dos a cero.” In the quarterfinals against perennial power Germany, the U.S. outshot and outpossessed its opponent but lost narrowly after a handball on the goal line went uncalled. Young stars like Landon Donovan seemed poised to take the team even further. From minnows to the final eight — and nearly the final four — in just 12 years, glory seemed like a matter of when, not if.

Since then, all that promise has been almost entirely for naught. Sure, there have been moments, like Donovan’s last-gasp goal to win the group in 2010 or what players like Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard gave to the team, but the victory over Mexico remains the last time the men’s team has won a knockout game in the tournament. 

As the team begins its 2026 World Cup quest Friday night in Los Angeles against Paraguay, though, I am done with low expectations. 

Yes, the men’s team is approaching a quarter century of disappointing results, including missing the tournament entirely in 2018. But this edition of the USMNT has been billed as a “golden generation.” Seventeen players of the 26-man roster play in Europe’s top leagues. Teams are paying higher-than-ever transfer fees for American stars like Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and, of course, Christian Pulisic — the first American to play in the men’s Champions League final.

With all this talent for the Americans, the mission in 2026 is simple: It’s time to put up or shut up. Anything less than a quarterfinal finish — just like in 2002 — should be seen as a failure in a vastly expanded tournament on home soil. And if the quarterfinals don’t happen, the entire U.S. men’s soccer program should consider serious reforms.