Exclusive | US Soccer tells The Post it has three ambitions ahead of huge 2026 World Cup opportunity
When U.S.Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson looks ahead to this summer’s World Cup, the word “legacy” quickly comes to mind. Tuesday marked 100 days until the World Cup kicks off on June 11, and Wednesday marks the 100 days before the U.S.
Men’s National Team begins play in the tournament against Paraguay, putting the biggest tournament in the world center stage in the United States.For American soccer officials, it is an unprecedented opportunity to grow the game of soccer in the U.S.
at every level. “We have three ambitions at U.S.Soccer,” Batson told The Post on Tuesday.
“One, we want our teams to win on the world stage, including World Cups.Two is we want everyone who cares about this sport to feel ownership over the future of this sport and feel connected to U.S.
Soccer.And three, we want U.S.
Soccer to be everywhere.We want soccer to be the No.
1 played sport in every community in the country.” The World Cup this summer is just one part of U.S.Soccer’s plan to grow the game, as Batson included the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2031 Women’s World Cup — which the United States put in a joint bid with Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica to host — as part of the organization’s bigger-picture objective. “We’re excited about using 2026, L.A.
’28 and the Women’s World Cup in 2031 to really accelerate what this sport looks like in this country, and in a way that will leave a legacy forever,” he said.U.S.Soccer announced several initiatives in celebration of the 100-day mark until the World Cup begins — which included an immersive space to watch games during the tournament called U.S.
Soccer House in Los Angeles, community-driven Soccer Forward Fests and a planned roster reveal party in New York City to announce the USMNT roster. The USMNT will also have several send-off matches in the coming months in Atlanta, Charlotte and Chicago before the World Cup kicks off.The U.S.
Women’s National Team is also in the m...