USMNT has massive opening to breed fandom for the future and they know it

INGLEWOOD, Calif.— The 1994 World Cup gave much of the country its introduction to soccer.

But this 2026 World Cup could spark a love affair.Midfielder Weston McKennie grew up in Little Elm, Texas, deep in football country.The oblong kind of football, whose fans often mocked soccer as too boring, too low-scoring, too hard to get into.

But from McKennie to coach Mauricio Pochettino, they see a chance to change the sport in this country.Friday’s U.S.4-1 rout of Paraguay at SoFi Stadium was the perfect way to open the tournament.

And open eyes.“Amazing.That is what we were waiting [for].

When you talk about America, that passion, that feeling, they were amazing,” Pochettino said.“Now they realize that soccer here in America is massive, is big.

Be careful, the other sports.”Despite pre-tourney concerns about ticket prices and possible protests, the crowd wasn’t just sold out but electric.Yes, there were the expected glitterati like Tom Cruise, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx and Sofia Vergara.

But it was the most-watched U.S.men’s telecast ever with 25 million tuning in stateside.Clearly, soccer is having a moment.

But can they make it a watershed one?“Because it’s a World Cup and it’s in America, people came out,” McKennie said.“But we’re OK with that.

There’s a lot of people here that maybe have never come out to support us.But hopefully [Friday], with this performance, they can see and connect with us.

That’s something we want to be, is relatable, and they can see the joy that we have when we play.“And then for the people, everyone that says, ‘Oh, soccer’s boring,’ well, you have five goals.So hopefully they might not say that anymore, and feel this electricity in the stadium and the passion of fans who’ve been viewing us for years and for decades.

“And even from Paraguay fans.That’s one thing that’s going to change soccer here is having the World Cup here, because a lot of people will be touched by the passion that ...