'Tremendous opportunity for the sport' - It's a seminal summer of soccer in the United States, and it's exactly what the American game needs ahead of the 2026 World Cup

The Club World Cup really should be a wonderful thing. Picture the scene: 32 of the world's best soccer teams, stacked with some of the world's best soccer players, brought here (mostly) by a statistical calculation of their own success over the past few years, playing in front of distinctly American crowds.

This is the dream, not only for American audiences but also the teams themselves. It is no secret that clubs and owners crave American interest, for both genuine fan credibility and all of the financial trimmings that come with it. Fans, too, have flocked to any semblance of European football in their native country.

European friendlies routinely sell out in the U.S.. The 2023 MLS All Star Game pitted Arsenal against MLS's best XI. Audi Field was packed with not only American soccer enthusiasts but also thousands of Gunners who otherwise would not have access to their favorite team. Those around the game are expecting no different this summer.

"I've been to a Clasico friendly here in the United States and it was fabulous," ESPN analyst Kay Murray told GOAL. "It was absolutely packed. And I have found that whenever I've gone to preseason games that I think there's not going to be too many people, the fans come out in force all the time. So yeah, they probably will come out for the Club World Cup. They surprise me every time, but American soccer fans are amazing and love the game."

There's no reason that a Club World Cup - where there's something to actually play for - will be any different.

And then there's the question of the USMNT. They're an increasingly difficult entity to figure out. Pochettino is clearly a good manager, and has picked up results. But a mixture of injuries and general controversy have made his first nine months in the job far from successful - he's just 5-5 in charge of a team that has lost four straight.

Still, this might just be a decent summer for the Argentine. Yes, former players are furious. There is currently a Landon Donovan band-for-band with Christian Pulisic's father that includes ChatGPT insults (there's a 2025 sentence).

Pochettino has a depleted squad. The USMNT were full of fight and zeal after the showing against Turkey. The youngsters held their own. The effort, something that has been called into question, was by no means in doubt. Glory in defeat isn't sustainable, but it's also what has made the USMNT likeable: hustle, aggression, a refusal to back down - soccer as capitalism.

It might also just make this team fun again, even if the subsequent loss to Switzerland was thorough. All bets are off. Both Mexico and Canada are better positioned to win this year's Gold Cup. You could argue that Panama, too, are in with a better shout.

Any run the U.S. goes on will be a memorable thing. With more than half the starting roster missing - but all expected to be back after the Gold Cup and Club World Cup - and a squad full of players with limited caps, this could be the summer in which Pochettino shows he can embrace American fight in full.

And there's the question of the USWNT. Pochettino and Emma Hayes have been hailed in some corners as a heroic duo, two managers who came into the American soccer sphere at roughly the same time, from the same club, with the same goal: to revive a struggling program.

Hayes completed step one with a remarkably easy Olympic Gold win last summer. But she is now well into the hard part. Her best three attacking players, either injured or on maternity leave, are unavailable. There are question marks throughout the midfield and defense. A legendary goalkeeper needs replacing. This is where most teams, especially national teams, tend to fail.

Instead, she has found new heights. This U.S. player pool, it turns out, is really rather deep, and good. And Hayes has used it in full. The usual suspects have remained in the team, but around them is a wonderful group of talented youngsters. The revival of the once-defunct Under-23 system has allowed for players who aren't quite ready to be developed and then shuffled into the senior side.

The results have been accordingly upbeat. The USWNT battered China and Jamaica last week by a combined score of 7-0, as Hayes handed out a series of debuts and started relatively inexperienced teams.

And there are more to come. A duo of friendlies against Ireland are set for the end of the month. They will take on Canada on July 2. Rose Lavelle, a stalwart of past USWNT sides who still deserves another shot in the first team, is on her way back to full fitness. Perhaps the only disappointing aspect is that - with the 2027 Women's World Cup still two years away - there isn't much on the line other than the swagger of their play and the pride that comes with a win.

Perhaps the best part of this all? The accessibility. Usually, soccer is played in different time zones. West Coast Premier League fans might have to get up as early as 4 a.m. to watch their favorite team. Champions League fixtures are right in the middle of the workday for the U.S. They're also all expensive to watch.

The Club World Cup, meanwhile, will be tangibly accessible. Group stage tickets can now be bought for as low as $30 (much to FIFA's chagrin.) The whole tournament will be streamed for free on DAZN - and select matches on TNT in the U.S. - with a lineup of world-class commentators.

The USMNT, too, will be remarkably easy to watch, complete with favorable kickoff times. The ripple effect brought on by that could be immense. There are three MLS clubs participating in the Club World Cup - Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, LAFC and Seattle Sounders. They will be handed an immense opportunity of their own to show off their quality, and also prove to the world that American soccer is legit.

"I'm excited as an American that lives here because Major League Soccer, their stadiums, their venues, their infrastructure, the clubs, the fan bases, a new fan base is going to be exposed to Major League Soccer - and what we're doing over in this country," Apple TV commentator and analyst Taylor Twellman told GOAL.

And if all of that fails - the clubs, the patriotism, the success, the attendace - then the United States can always fall back on one thing: star power. This is a country that loves its star athletes like no other. MVP races in MLB, NBA and NFL dominate seasons. Individual success and the bragging rights that come with it is coveted. Nowhere else in world soccer do people care as much about the Ballon d'Or (outside of perhaps Madrid.)

Well, how about the biggest stars in world football playing here? Messi has been around in MLS for nearly two full years. Olivier Giroud, Luis Suarez and Marco Reus are all kicking about. And then, there are the people arriving as part of the CWC. Erling Haaland will be here. So too will be Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Ousmane Dembele.

Perhaps Mo Salah and Lamine Yamal are the only two players from the "best of the world" conversation who won't be playing in the U.S. this summer (well, there's also a guy named Cristiano Ronaldo). No matter the result, or how intense the games are, simply seeing players of that stature will be captivating.

“Doing it in an emerging football nation like the United States, I think is a marvelous opportunity for both FIFA, for all the clubs involved as well, because - let's be honest - a lot of teams want to come here and grow their brand and marketing as well,” veteran soccer analyst Callum Williams told GOAL. "From a fan perspective, it's a tremendous opportunity to go and see some really high quality football and competitive football as well. These aren't just preseason friendlies. These are competitive games... it's going to be a tremendous opportunity for the sport in this country.”

And of course, this is all geared towards one bigger event next summer. References to the 2026 World Cup are ubiquitous at this point. Everything here feels like a trial run, a warm up, a proof of concept of sorts. Host committees have been planning for 2026 for five years. This is their big test, one year out.

That's not just a question of general interest, though. It will be a test of venues, crowd control and all of the trimmings that come with a major tournament. The best way to prepare for the biggest World Cup ever is to host a slightly smaller tournament that may yet also bring some of the biggest names out there to the U.S.

Zoom out, and there remains the fundamental fact that there are set to be nearly 100 matches in some 20 cities all over the country in a stretch of wall-to-wall soccer There will literally be no better evidence that the United States can host a World Cup than for what's to come this summer.

And yes, there might be some faults here. Some games may not be fully attended. The USMNT might struggle. MLS clubs could run into stronger opponents in the CWC. But results aren't the main point here. What matters is buzz and vibes and the fun. And with the world's biggest soccer event a year away, this is the perfect summer to soft launch the United States' love affair with soccer.