The Year in Review: Emma Hayes and USWNT good as gold, Mauricio Pochettino revives USMNT, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami falter

We certainly couldn't have predicted this one a year ago. Gregg Berhalter is now with the Chicago Fire and Mauricio Pochettino is the head coach of the USMNT.

It all happened this summer when the U.S. crashed out of the Copa America on home soil. That proved to be the end for Berhalter, who never quite got it going during this second cycle in charge. It also proved to be the beginning of this Pochettino era as he was chosen to lead this program towards the 2026 World Cup.

Early signs have been positive. There was a stumble in Mexico, but the USMNT bounced back with two big wins over Jamaica. It's been easy to see the early changes, too, as the USMNT's tactics have shifted game by game. Pochettino is still in the experimenting phase but, despite that, you're starting to see a new identity form within the team.

It's all very early, and Pochettino and the USMNT are in the honeymoon phase - 2025 will be the time to get down to business. But right now, that shine is still there as the USMNT have a world-class head coach to lead them into what will certainly be a momentous World Cup in 2026.

Christian Pulisic has been an American soccer superstar since he was a teenager. Now, he's developing a similar reputation at one of the sport's most legendary clubs.

His first go-round was very good. This second one has been great. Up until his recent injury, Pulisic was constantly proving himself to be the guy at Milan, emerging as the club's most dangerous attacker. Pulisic has come so far since he left Chelsea, and this start of the season has proved that there are still new levels to be reached in his game.

For the USMNT to contend in 2026, Pulisic has to be world-class, and 2024 has shown he can get there. For club and country, Pulisic is a unquestionable star, one who continues to grow into that role on and off the field.

It was educated guess to say that Emma Hayes would turn the USWNT around. But this fast? Few could have seen that coming.

Just a few short months after taking over the U.S., Hayes led the USWMT to a gold medal in the Paris Games. In her first major tournament in charge - and just her 10th game - Hayes made the USWNT golden, restoring the culture and standard that this program had been lacking after the 2023 World Cup.

Under Hayes, the USWNT has once again become the world's premier program - Hayes remains unbeaten in her first 15 matches with the squad. It happened almost immediately. Her combination of character, tactics and confidence saw her rebuild the team on the fly, making it levels better than it was before she arrived - and she was justly rewarded as the 2024 Ballon d'Or women's coach of the year.

The world is watching on once again. That's the Hayes effect in full force and, with her in charge, there will likely be even better days ahead.

Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman - names that will forever be linked. This summer, they were declared "Triple Espresso" and that trio have carved out their spot in USWNT history. Already.

Led by those three, the USWNT won gold in the summer. It was an attacking unit so fierce, so dangerous and, ultimately, so successful, that they needed a name. Several popped up, "Triple Espresso" won out.

Swanson is just 26. Smith is 24. Rodman? Just 22. They have the potential to dominate the landscape for years to come - 2024 was the year they stepped up, but the USWNT will be serving shots of espresso regularly as they march toward future tournaments.

The USWNT is known for developing legends, and 2024 was a year that a new trio took their first steps towards that status.

At this time last year, the LA Galaxy were at a low. It was a place that had become quite familiar over the last decade. As local rivals LAFC rose, the Galaxy struggled to adapt to the new era of MLS.

Well, consider adaptation complete. The Galaxy are right back on their perch, claiming their sixth MLS Cup, and they did it in the blink of an eye.

The Galaxy already had a superstar, Riqui Puig. They added two more in Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec. With that trio leading the charge, the Galaxy went right on to win MLS Cup, toppling the New York Red Bulls at home in the finale - even without the injured Puig. It was an incredible rebuild by coach Greg Vanney, and it reached its peak faster than even the most optimistic Galaxy fan could have anticipated.

Of course, in MLS, the only thing harder than reaching the top is staying there. Still, that's a challenge the Galaxy will be glad to face after once again proving that they're right there with MLS' best.

As crazy as the Galaxy's run was, we know why most folks were watching. Lionel Messi and friends were captivating in South Florida, but their story didn't get a Hollywood ending. Instead, there's a long intermission as they regather and reinforce to go again.

After a record-setting run to the Supporters' Shield, Inter Miami collapsed in the first round of the playoffs, the biggest upset in MLS history. There's no other way to put it. Despite having Messi and Luis Suarez scoring goal after goal, Miami couldn't get it done. They were stunned by Atlanta United.

They're already responding. Tata Martino is out, Javier Mascherano is in. There are big personnel moves to be made and, if we know anything about this club, they will actually be big. Big names are linked, as are smaller ones that could fix the very real deficiencies that this club had this past season. The defense was a mess and, realistically, Messi and his veteran teammates aren't getting any younger.

In 2024, Miami fell way too short. Will 2025 be any different? It better be.

From wire to wire, the Orlando Pride were the team to beat in the NWSL, and they always lived up to that title. That's why, in the end, they had the silverware to show it.

Unbeaten at the time, the Pride lifted the NWSL Shield in October with three games to spare. They brought that momentum into the postseason, too, riding it all the way to a win over the Washington Spirit in the final. In the U.S., sports are often defined by parity and doubt. But, in the NWSL this season, there was no reason to ever believe in anyone as much as Orlando.

They had their international stars, players such as Barbra Banda and Marta. They had an American core, too featuring players like Summer Yates, Emily Sams, Ally Watt and Carson Pickett. It turned out to be the perfect mix of it all, and that's why they were the last team standing in Kansas City to cap a historic season for the league as a whole.

The kids? They are, in fact, alright.

Both the USMNT and USWNT are in good hands, with incredible young talent being developed on both sides. Over the last decade, youth development has taken many leaps forward and, while there's still so much work to do, American soccer is seeing the fruits of that labor.

On the men's side, Cavan Sullivan earned plenty of headlines as he, at just 14, broke onto the scene. The Olympics showcased some of the best young stars in American soccer, too, even if that tournament didn't end in a medal. Cole Campbell made his Borussia Dortmund debut. Seemingly every week, MLS is rolling out a new teenager that could someday contribute. Oh, and many of the USMNT's top stars are still developing.

The USWNT is loaded on this front, too. Jaedyn Shaw is a superstar in the making, even if the Olympics didn't quite go to plan. Lily Yohannes, freshly committed to the USWNT cause, might just be the most promising player in the world. Under Hayes, a new generation is slowly being introduced, and it looks pretty damn good.

There's reason for optimism on both sides as new prospects rise to take their own place among the national teams.

College soccer isn't what it once was. The rise of academies has greatly impacted the game. Instead of being the primary talent developer, it tends to be more of a safety net for players that the system missed out on.

At its best, though, college soccer can still create some incredible stories. This year, that story was Vermont.

The Catamounts are no powerhouse, but they were Cinderella this year. Their run to the College Cup was unprecedented. Unseeded and unheralded, they took down several of the tournament's top teams en route to the final, where they stunned Marshall, 2-1, with a Golden Goal.

Let Vermont serve as a reminder: college soccer can be, and should be, fun. It's a high-level competition that brings passion and excitement. The more of that, the better, even in this wild American soccer landscape.

Less than two years away from a groundbreaking, sport-altering, nation-rejoicing World Cup arriving on U.S. soil, the American game is clearly on the rise. On both the men's and women's side, 2024 was a genuine turning point, a year in which everything - well, eventually - pointed toward growth.

It all began this summer. Starting with the Copa America, the U.S. will be the home of soccer for the next several years, culminating in the 2026 World Cup.

The Copa America, of course, was claimed by Messi and Argentina, who made it three consecutive major trophies with their win over Colombia in the final. Crowd troubles in the final and semis partly defined the tournament, and will be a major talking point going forward, but, in spite of that, the soccer did take centerstage, too.

In June of 2025, the Club World Cup will arrive on American soil, bringing many of the world's top teams overseas. Messi and Miami are involved, as are the Seattle Sounders. So, too, are Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and plenty of other megaclubs. It promises to be quite the spectacle, even if it does overlap with the USMNT and the Gold Cup, also in the U.S. Between those two tournaments, cities all over the U.S. will play host to massive games. That's always fun, isn't it?

And then, of course, comes 2026. The World Cup will be here before you know it, but the road to that tournament really began this summer. All eyes are on American soccer going forward. As Pulisic put it, "A World Cup on home soil is the biggest thing that we'll probably do in our career. It's a special time for this sport in America."