Spain’s Ferran Torres (7) celebrates an opening goal which turned out to be the only goal in the World Cup match Final against Argentina at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey on Sun Jul 19, 2026 (AP News photo)

America Shines in World Cup   – Will Soccer Become Big in the US?

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The 2026 Men’s FIFA World Cup in the United States was a total financial and cultural success, with record attendances at stadiums all over the country and massive television ratings. People from all over the world came to the US and had very positive experiences; many expected hostility and division but found great hospitality, diverse cultures, and communities welcoming people from Norway to Argentina, from Colombia to France.

Soccer, Fúbol, Balompie, is a sport played in 200 countries; there is no argument that this is the most popular sport in the world, and the United States of America, not a Fútbol-Soccer country, was well represented with their team; we should all be very proud of the USA Soccer team in the World Cup, England with the Premier League and Spain with La Liga dominate this sport by quantity of talent at the professional level and it is where the greatest Fútbol players show their talent. For the United States to join the South American and European soccer powerhouses, it could be and will be done, but it is not happening right away.

The USA has the most famous and highest-revenue professional sports leagues in the world. It is home to the “Big Four” most lucrative leagues globally: the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. The United States provides a canvas for sports like nobody else in this world. However, Soccer is NOT  “yet” a sport that can rival the popularity of these other sports. Major League Soccer (MLS) is the highest level of professional men’s soccer in the US and Canada, but it is not close to the quality of play that is featured in the European leagues.

I followed this World Cup like most people, as a fan watching most of the games on TV, unlike the first World Cup that took place in the US in 1994, when I was a credentialed member of the media with Telemundo as their Sports Anchor. 1994 was fun; it was great, but this 2026 World Cup, which also took place in the US, broke all the records. However, the United States, which, according to FIFA, remains an elite top-8% still has a long way to go.

What can the US do to improve their soccer? 

Overhauling our schools’ structures for sports, the great majority of our young athletes play  Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Hockey. Schools should increase their Fútbol-Soccer disciplines. The US does not develop players in this sport as it does in the other sports we have been doing for many decades. It will happen, but it will also take years, because the whole structure of sports in schools will have to change. Young athletes get drafted to play in our main professional leagues; that doesn’t happen today in the world’s most popular sport. We are a country of innovators; I do not see any reason why the US could not become a power in Fútbol-Soccer.

By the way: Felicidades España! 

Quote”  “It’s not that I hate soccer, it’s just that I have time to watch other sports.”  Jim Rome (Sports Broadcaster)

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

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