USMNT changes on the side, a helping of Messi-mania and a scoop of USWNT success: What American soccer fans can be thankful for this Thanksgiving

You can't really talk about American soccer without mentioning the world's most famous Argentine. As long as Lionel Messi remains in MLS, he will largely be the face of the American game, and what a face he is as he continues to run laps around the competition.

Despite all he's already done in MLS, Messi might actually be in his best form yet heading into this year's Turkey Day. He's running riot throughout the MLS Cup Playoffs, making Inter Miami look like a legitimate juggernaut capable of cruising to a trophy. Whether that happens or not surely matters, but Messi's recent run also matters, too, as he continues to take the league seriously while also making it all look so easy.

Say what you want about how Messi being a spokesman for MLS and his PR "requirements", but every week, he steps onto the field and makes magic happen, and there's no better advertisement in the world than that. So, while that is happening, be thankful for it because, regardless of what team you support, you have to acknowledge that Messi brings something unlike anything you've ever seen.

It's all been up and down for Trinity Rodman since the Olympics, and, in truth, there have been more injury downs than ups. She is, however, a special player when healthy, and the good news is that her top running mates will be back alongside her, too.

Throughout this year, one of USWNT manager Emma Hayes’ biggest challenges was navigating life without Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson. She’s handled it well. New faces have emerged in the attack, and when healthy, Rodman has been every bit the superstar American fans expect. And Wilson and Swanson will be back soon, too - which is pretty exciting.

Rodman, meanwhile, faces a massive club decision as her contract with the Washington Spirit winds down. And that, in itself, is something to appreciate: Rodman looks poised to redefine the market for the women’s game’s top stars - and potentially change the NWSL for good.

Some time soon, though, this trio will be back on the field together as they begin a new fight for places in a forward group much deeper than the one they left behind.

All year long, Mauricio Pochettino talked about the importance of culture. The USMNT needed a foundation - only then could anything meaningful be built on top of it. Over the course of 2025, that foundation has started to take shape, and as the year winds down, it’s clear what Pochettino is putting in place ahead of the World Cup.

It wasn't an easy year. March's Nations League exposed flaws, while the Gold Cup began the process of fixing them. By the time Pochettino and his team got to the fall, though, the work began to pay off. The USMNT closed the year on a five-game unbeaten run, one which saw them play their best soccer against multiple teams bound for the World Cup next summer.

Pochettino isn't done, of course, and that'll be good news for USMNT fans. There's plenty of reason for optimism, though, as the coach's vision has truly come to life ahead of this holiday season.

At this time last year, Hayes was just beginning a process. While Pochettino was taking a stunted USMNT back down to studs before rebuilding it, Hayes was taking an Olympic champion and rebuilding that team on the fly. In some ways, they reached the top quicker than expected, but that didn't mean Hayes would rest on her laurels.

Over the last year, Hayes has made that clear. In total, including the run to and during the Olympics, Hayes has coached 28 matches for the USWNT. In that time, 25 players have earned their first senior team caps. Hayes has begun a total turnover while still keeping her most important pieces in place. It's been wildly impressive.

Throughout 2025, we've seen multiple players blossom. Young stars have become stars. New faces have become USWNT mainstays. All the while, the old guard continues to thrive and contribute, helping usher in a new generation that should keep the USNWT near the top of the game for years to come.

With Hayes leading the charge, there's little concern about dropoff or steps back. No, she simply keeps building, which is why this team is in an even better place than it was 12 months ago.

Messi isn't the only megastar in MLS. A rival has emerged, one who has the ability to make a similar mark on and off the field.

Son Heung-min’s arrival in LA was a game-changer. LAFC paid a record $26.5 million to sign the South Korean star, and it already looks like smart business: he’s boosted the club’s profile and reminded everyone why he remains a truly world-class player whenever he steps on the field.

In total, he scored 12 goals in his 13 LAFC appearances, including three goals in the MLS Cup Playoffs. His brace against the Vancouver Whitecaps this past weekend wasn't enough, unfortunately for LAFC, but there is still so much reason to hope for the club as they head towards their first full season with Sonny leading the charge.

This, of course, is all good for MLS. Son is a superstar, one who quite clearly elevates the American game to new heights. Those heights will only get higher, too, as Son looks to go toe-to-toe with the almighty Messi next season in what could be one of the most absurd statistical battles imaginable.

There are countless prospects in American soccer worth getting excited about. On the men’s side, talents like Cavan Sullivan, Mathis Albert, and Diego Kochen are rising fast. With the USWNT, youngsters such as Claire Hutton, Olivia Moultrie, and Ally Sentnor have already begun to break through - as have the Thompson sisters, who both boast massive futures. It’s an exciting moment for both the men’s and women’s games, with elite young talent on the way in every direction.

Lily Yohannes, though, might be the most unique of all of them, and anyone who has watched her play should be thankful, simply because there are few players on the planet with her sort of quality.

Just 18 years old, Yohannes is already one of the classiest players in the sport. Everything she does looks effortless, no matter how difficult the action actually is. She sprays cross-field passes with ease and changes games with a single swing of her foot. It’s wild to think this is still the teenage version of Yohannes - and that she’s nowhere near her prime.

That’s hardly a concern for American fans. In theory, they’ll get to watch her run the midfield for the next decade and a half. She already has that kind of quality, and based on what we’ve seen so far, her ceiling feels almost limitless.

This, of course, is the big one - and it can’t be overstated: a World Cup is coming to the United States. That means something.

The steps along the way have mattered, too. Copa América was here just last summer. The Club World Cup followed a few months later. But a World Cup is different. It shifts the landscape. It changes lives. And we’re now only months away from it. If you’re not excited yet, you probably should be.

Next summer should be the biggest moment in American soccer - if not ever, then certainly in a generation. It will inspire kids to try the sport and adults to fall back in love with it. We’ll see how the USMNT performs once the ball starts rolling, of course, but the bigger picture remains the same: the world’s biggest stars are coming stateside for the sport’s biggest event.

So enjoy it. Be excited about it. And appreciate the current state of American soccer - especially knowing it’s only getting better. This is just the beginning.