A New Era: Copa America kick-starts a revolution for U.S. soccer, a seismic shift that will change the game forever

It's been 30 years since the World Cup first arrived on American soil and, while there was some history prior to 1994, that summer was the birth of the modern era of American soccer.

The world's game united in America. Superstars such as Roberto Baggio, Romario, Jurgen Klinsmann and Hristo Stoichkov introduced thesmelves to the American audience. The legendary Diego Maradona needed no such introduction. Meanwhile, Americans such as Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola and Eric Wynalda became household names and, eventually, icons.

The next generation cited that tournament as a crucial pivot point. Thousands of kids were introduced to soccer that summer, both in the stands and on television. For the first time, soccer was cool in America, and the game would never be the same because of its impact.

"I think both the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup really helped set the stage and change soccer in America," Berhalter told FIFA. "When I think about how the whole world came together in ’94, I was at games in New York and New Jersey, games in Detroit, games in Orlando, and to see the melting pot and the diversity of the fanbase, it was really a special event. And then you have the 1999 World Cup with the women, and to see how the entire nation got behind that team, it’s something we can hope to have in 2026."

So much has changed since 1994. That U.S. team was a group of trailblazers, but it wasn't a group of world-beaters. Now, 30 years later, American players are starring for world-class clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus. The players have come so far.

So, too, have the fans. A 2022 Gallup poll found that 31 percent of Americans say they're soccer fans, an all-time high. Like America itself, those fans are diverse, each with their own sphere of interest. Some support their local MLS team. Others follow the UEFA Champions League or Premier League. There's a huge contingent of Mexico national team and Liga MX fans in the U.S., too, while countless others consume everything going on in the women's game for club or country, from USWNT to NWSL.

In a Gallup poll released in February, soccer emerged as the U.S.'s fourth-favorite sport, with five percent of Americans naming it as their favorite. The NFL was a resounding winner with 41 percent of those polled, but baseball and basketball were only slightly ahead of soccer with 10 and nine percent, respectively.

Between 1937 and 2004, no more than two percent of Americans had named soccer as their favorite sport. Times are changing, and there's another revolution coming, both on and off the field.

The 2022 World Cup cycle was a reset point for the USMNT. The program was in a dark place after failing to quality for the 2018 tournament, and there was reason for pessimism. Was this as good as it would get? How would the program rebuild from this?

As it turns out, the answer was "quite well." Led by a young core, the U.S. returned to the world stage in 2022 and put in a solid showing, escaping the group stage before falling to the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

In the year and a half since, the team has focused on one big question: how do we go from good to great? The USMNT has established itself as Kings of CONCACAF, a dominant force in the region, but how can this team get to a place where it can go toe-to-toe with the best in the world?

“How do we put in good performances [so] we’re confident that, when we get to 2026, we’re prepared?” Berhalter said. “It’s learning how to navigate through these games, adding that experience on from the 2022 World Cup and now to the 2026 World Cup. Hopefully when you get there, you feel like, ‘OK, this team is ready.’ ”

Many are viewing the Copa as a dry run for 2026 but, for the USMNT, it isn't that simple. Let's not forget that this is a major trophy ... so might as well try to win the damn thing, right?

This isn't a tournament for experimenting. It isn't even a tournament for lessons, although there will almost certainly be some learned. No, for the USMNT, this is a tournament to prove themselves ahead of time, to show the world that, when the World Cup does arrive, they'll be ready.

"How do we beat a team like Uruguay in our group? How do we when we make it out, beat Brazil or Colombia? There are so many challenges ahead," captain Tyler Adams told GOAL. "But this is also a cool opportunity to play opposition from South America.

"For me, it's the toughest category in the world of qualifying. There are so many good teams top to bottom, and it's a different type of team from there. They play with a different type of mentality. It's not like Europe, where they grew up playing on these beautiful grass fields every every week and have the best leagues in the world. In South America, they're battling, so for me, it's a great opportunity for our team to just change the mentality a little bit and learn how to grind."

The U.S. has recent positive history in the Copa. In 2016, they made it all the way to a semifinal before succumbing to Lionel Messi's Argentina. This time around, the goal will be to match, if not exceed, that effort.

“Success, broadly speaking, is inspiring the nation, really putting a type of performance that the entire nation is behind us,” Berhalter said. “It just becomes this catalyst for soccer in the United States. Our vision for this program is to change soccer in America forever. And that’s massive. To do something like that, you’re going to have to perform well.”

While plenty of eyes will be on how the USMNT performs this summer, there's no denying that one of the key drivers of soccer's popularity - globally, as well as domestically in the past year - will be competing for another team. His name, of course, is Lionel Messi, and he might just be doing the heaviest lifting when it comes to soccer's growth in the U.S.

Messi's decision to come into MLS is one that will ripple for years. Like Pele and David Beckham before him, Messi has arrived stateside as soccer's savior, the one that will help lead the sport into a new stratosphere of popularity. Pele and Beckham made strides; can Messi be the one to finally make the sport dominant in the U.S.?

History says he can't do it alone, but he's certainly doing his part. Inter Miami games have become unequivocal events, star-studded celebrity affairs at home and traveling circuses on the road. The country is feeling Messi Mania, and it really is just getting started.

Part of that passion includes the Argentina national team, the reigning world champions. They're also the most recent Copa America winners, too, and will be looking to defend their crown this summer. They're the favorites to do so and they may be the favorites again by the time 2026 rolls around, particularly if Messi is still involved and leading the way.

This isn't just the summer of the Copa America; it's also the summer of the Paris Olympics, which adds extra American flavor.

The U.S. women's national team, of course, will be pushing for another medal. The Emma Hayes era has begun, and the ex-Chelsea boss has as squad full of talented players. Rising stars such as Jaedyn Shaw, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith are ready for more, and this summer could mark the moment that they establish themselves on the world stage.

Meanwhile, for the first time 2008, the U.S. will be represented on the men's side in the Olympics, as well. The U.S. U-23s will also be taking the field in Paris with a squad littered with potential senior team stars. Some could even be in the mix by 2026, which means this Olympic tournament could offer a glimpse into the USMNT's future.

It truly is the summer of soccer for the U.S., and it's all just getting started.

It all kicks off in the Summer of 2024 - Copa American begins Thursday, and the USMNT opens play against Boliva Sunday - but every summer going forward will bring with it something special.

In 2025, the Club World Cup comes stateside. Powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Inter, Juventus and Bayern Munich will headline a 32-team field that will vie for the title of world's best in a new expanded competition. The summer will also see the return of the Gold Cup, which will almost certainly feature the USMNT A-Team (unlike the most recent edition of the tournament).

Then comes 2026, the big one. The World Cup will be a spectacle spanning the U.S., Canada and Mexico, one that will bring fans from all over the world to North America. The hope is that that tournament will inspire a whole new generation, helping soccer claim its place among the Big Four sports.

It doesn't end there, though. In 2028, the Olympics come to LA, bringing with it the men's and women's tournaments. And in 2031, there's the potential that the Women's World Cup may also be held in North America - though the U.S. and Mexico withdrew their bid to host in 2027, there's anticipation about a 2031 entry.

It's all building, and not slowly but surely - rather quite quickly. Where will American soccer be when this run is over?

"You feel the momentum, obviously," said USMNT defender Mark McKenzie. "Wherever you have a big tournament, where you're hosting it as well, when you get in that build up, you feel the energy behind the supporters and everybody buying into that. We have something really important coming and we're going to need everybody to be behind us, supporting us through it.

"Whether it's after the game, during the game, before the game, on the bus ride to the game, things posted around the city, leaving the hotel... all these different bits and pieces that come along and surround the game, I think that's really where you feel the energy and that momentum.

"We are hungry group and when you have a group of hungry people around you, it makes you want to go even harder."