World Cup 2026 Thread

[GAME05]

Getting into the particular sport early isn't really a requirement for greatness. Many if not most top-level athletes did the multi-sport thing and only got into their particular one late. There's a thought that they've come to be so good because they pull from the movements of the other sports, plus it helps them think more creatively when they play. Plus focus on only one sport when really young can cause burnout. It's not getting the seven-year-olds into soccer academies early that matters as much as the 14-year-old future greats deciding to focus on soccer.

[homer]

2 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Getting into the particular sport early isn't really a requirement for greatness. Many if not most top-level athletes did the multi-sport thing and only got into their particular one late. There's a thought that they've come to be so good because they pull from the movements of the other sports, plus it helps them think more creatively when they play. Plus focus on only one sport when really young can cause burnout. It's not getting the seven-year-olds into soccer academies early that matters as much as the 14-year-old future greats deciding to focus on soccer.

Great book on the topic called Range by David Epstein. 

[NeedMoreFans]

We could probably start a separate youth sports topic as we diverge from the World Cup discussion, but I'll say as a parent of youth swimmers- there is so much pressure on kids to excel in their sport.  Our kids attend arguably the best swimming high school in the state, but are not the best swimmers.  So many kids go out for swimming that they have to cut swimmers, so they have to swim club year-round to keep up just to be on the high school team.  If we put our foot down and forced them to do another sport, they could fall behind and not be able to continue on the high school team.  

We have seen first-hand that swimming 42 weeks a year on multiple teams can cause muscle and joint fatigue because they are being overused.  I really want my daughter to do another sport in the spring instead of club swimming, but she doesn't want to get left behind. 

[Joseph Zarr]

2 hours ago, NeedMoreFans said:

We could probably start a separate youth sports topic as we diverge from the World Cup discussion, but I'll say as a parent of youth swimmers- there is so much pressure on kids to excel in their sport.  Our kids attend arguably the best swimming high school in the state, but are not the best swimmers.  So many kids go out for swimming that they have to cut swimmers, so they have to swim club year-round to keep up just to be on the high school team.  If we put our foot down and forced them to do another sport, they could fall behind and not be able to continue on the high school team.  

We have seen first-hand that swimming 42 weeks a year on multiple teams can cause muscle and joint fatigue because they are being overused.  I really want my daughter to do another sport in the spring instead of club swimming, but she doesn't want to get left behind. 

Man. That's real talk right there. I wish you the best navigating all that!

[OldSchoolSnapper]

On 7/9/2026 at 8:12 AM, GAME05 said:

Getting into the particular sport early isn't really a requirement for greatness. Many if not most top-level athletes did the multi-sport thing and only got into their particular one late. There's a thought that they've come to be so good because they pull from the movements of the other sports, plus it helps them think more creatively when they play. Plus focus on only one sport when really young can cause burnout. It's not getting the seven-year-olds into soccer academies early that matters as much as the 14-year-old future greats deciding to focus on soccer.

Ehhhhh, yes and no. The data strongly suggests otherwise. If you don't have strong foundational foot skills by 14, you're not learning them. If you are playing rec soccer a few months a year and doing other sports, odds are very high you're not getting exposed to that level of training, you just have a well-intentioned Dad doing what he can to beat the neighboring town.

You can definitely play 3 or 4 sports and have those foot skills, but soccer is going to be much, much, more difficult to get really into at 14 and be elite than something like American football, where your success is hugely determined by post-puberty growth and the technique basics can be learned in a season. It would be more akin to something like wrestling that has a very high technique demand and can't just be picked up at 16 for 99% of people. The technical requirements of elite soccer are simply too high not to specialize fairly young.

You can watch just about any NFL game and see a good, starting player with poor tackling technique skirting by on speed or aggression. Not a chance you'd see something like that in the EPL.

Getting the 7 /yos into academies absolutely matters, just not for the majority of kids. A ton of the great players in the world do exactly that. If we're talking about making good high school players, then sure, if we're talking about the best of the best, then yeah, unfortunately, they really do have to specialize in soccer early due to the extremely high technical requirements,

The norm for the greats is that they are scouted by 9 and in those academies. 6 and 7 are normal ages for that to happen. The vast, vast majority are in fact in said academies between 5 and 8. Several players on the USMNT are birthright citizens or the children of servicemen who grew up in Europe going to those schools. The gap between Barcelona Youth and anything in the USA is staggering. Lamine Yamal's youth games are on YouTube. His team at 10U is more technically sound than any high school-aged team I've ever seen in this country.

So, my TLDR is that for most kids moving on to office careers, who want to play college soccer, specializing doesn't need to happen. But if the goal is getting US Soccer competitive in Europe, then our best 50 kids should be in those academies.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I think this thread is proof of what actually ails American soccer and it's a topic Landon Donovan has touched on before. I have been coaching youth soccer here for a decade + but guys who watch every 4 years can diagnose the "real problem" and know it better than I do. 

 

The issue is that this thesis is common water cooler talk but it falls apart upon any critical thinking.

 

"There isn't pick-up soccer in the US, the kids overseas learn from the street!"

 

There is pick-up soccer in the US, my kids play it every week. The best players in the world are boarded in elite academies learning technique when they are 6. They are not grabbing Yamal from a street game when he's 12. And he's not playing 4 sports. To be clear I encourage kids to play multiple sports and put the soccer ball down for a season (can do 20 minutes of dribbling or whatever, but don't have to be playing)

 

"It's just not a big deal in the US."

 

It isn't the most popular sport...except it is in youth. And we have more kids playing than ever before. With better (not the best, but better) coaching opportunities. Better facilities...and yet...we're not getting better.

 

"It's pay to play" 

 

This one is closer than the others, but all our sports are pay to play. And to be honest, I don't know of a single youth club that won't absorb the fee or work something out for a special kid. 

 

The real, actual issues I've come across are here, in no particular order:

 

Specialization in a position too early due to an emphasis on winning youth games.

 

All kids should be positionally rotated through age 12. The number of "defenders" on a U9 team is insane. You have to do it all to be a strong player. Aaron Rodgers doesn't have to throw 25% of his touchdowns with his left hand. In soccer you need to be able to use your other foot. Kids grow and change and when your cender mid turns 15 and suddenly isn't that fast, that's a problem because he doesn't want to go anywhere else and doesn't know how to play.

 

But we need to beat Brown Deer this weekend so Ralph needs to play CM for 45 minutes. Running down the field faster than everyone works in American youth soccer. Those kids completely flame out when they have to have ball skills to succeed.

 

Parents interjecting in development

 

This one takes many forms. Can't count the number of times a Dad has asked me why Jonny is playing defense. "He's not a strong defender." Nope, he's not. That's why he's there. Or intervening to get their kids on teams with friends that they should not be on. Clubs usually cave to them. This is where pay to play actually hurts, not in the conventional way you'd think. Clubs don't want to lose registrations so the parents are actually running the clubs. 

 

If I want to teach 12 kids the Cryuff, I need 12 kids with the coordination to do it. If 4 just aren't there, I can't spend 1/4 of practice doing that. It's a waste of time for the 4 who aren't ready and the other 8 get bored. I'll coach those other 4 kids, but I need 12 of them then so I can develop training that's appropriate for where they are.

 

Coaching has tons of red tape

 

You don't have to have been a high level player to be an excellent coach, but we have all kinds of red tape to coach after rec that our other sports don't require. We lose coaches who don't have time or desire to get professional licenses, attend grassroots sessions etc., that are frankly a pain in the butt and provide little to no value when most of the best information is available free online.

[da swedish german]

so much trouble and hassle for such a stupid sport 

my 2nd cousin just made his "professional" debut at age 17.  parents just bought a 2nd house to be  closer to his "academy". what a disgusting culture

I get kids trying to escape the 3rd world 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

On 7/10/2026 at 11:57 AM, da swedish german said:

so much trouble and hassle for such a stupid sport 

my 2nd cousin just made his "professional" debut at age 17.  parents just bought a 2nd house to be  closer to his "academy". what a disgusting culture

I get kids trying to escape the 3rd world 

what exactly makes it "such a stupid sport" any more than any other sport? What about its culture is disgusting relative to hockey, football, basketball or baseball? That you can play it anywhere with just a ball?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

This has been such a great World Cup. What a game between ENG and ARG. Not ready to say goodbye to it.

[OldHeidelberg]

19 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

This has been such a great World Cup. What a game between ENG and ARG. Not ready to say goodbye to it.

I don't know what England was thinking, I guess they got to within 13 minutes of the final trying to hang on but giving maybe he best player of all time the space to create doesn't seem like a great plan. 

But yeah, great game. As far as intensity it's tough to beat these last few World Cup games. Just on the edge of your seat stuff even if you don't have a favorite. 

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

On 7/10/2026 at 10:37 AM, OldSchoolSnapper said:

I think this thread is proof of what actually ails American soccer and it's a topic Landon Donovan has touched on before. I have been coaching youth soccer here for a decade + but guys who watch every 4 years can diagnose the "real problem" and know it better than I do. 

 

The issue is that this thesis is common water cooler talk but it falls apart upon any critical thinking.

 

"There isn't pick-up soccer in the US, the kids overseas learn from the street!"

 

There is pick-up soccer in the US, my kids play it every week. The best players in the world are boarded in elite academies learning technique when they are 6. They are not grabbing Yamal from a street game when he's 12. And he's not playing 4 sports. To be clear I encourage kids to play multiple sports and put the soccer ball down for a season (can do 20 minutes of dribbling or whatever, but don't have to be playing)

 

"It's just not a big deal in the US."

 

It isn't the most popular sport...except it is in youth. And we have more kids playing than ever before. With better (not the best, but better) coaching opportunities. Better facilities...and yet...we're not getting better.

 

"It's pay to play" 

 

This one is closer than the others, but all our sports are pay to play. And to be honest, I don't know of a single youth club that won't absorb the fee or work something out for a special kid. 

 

The real, actual issues I've come across are here, in no particular order:

 

Specialization in a position too early due to an emphasis on winning youth games.

 

All kids should be positionally rotated through age 12. The number of "defenders" on a U9 team is insane. You have to do it all to be a strong player. Aaron Rodgers doesn't have to throw 25% of his touchdowns with his left hand. In soccer you need to be able to use your other foot. Kids grow and change and when your cender mid turns 15 and suddenly isn't that fast, that's a problem because he doesn't want to go anywhere else and doesn't know how to play.

 

But we need to beat Brown Deer this weekend so Ralph needs to play CM for 45 minutes. Running down the field faster than everyone works in American youth soccer. Those kids completely flame out when they have to have ball skills to succeed.

 

Parents interjecting in development

 

This one takes many forms. Can't count the number of times a Dad has asked me why Jonny is playing defense. "He's not a strong defender." Nope, he's not. That's why he's there. Or intervening to get their kids on teams with friends that they should not be on. Clubs usually cave to them. This is where pay to play actually hurts, not in the conventional way you'd think. Clubs don't want to lose registrations so the parents are actually running the clubs. 

 

If I want to teach 12 kids the Cryuff, I need 12 kids with the coordination to do it. If 4 just aren't there, I can't spend 1/4 of practice doing that. It's a waste of time for the 4 who aren't ready and the other 8 get bored. I'll coach those other 4 kids, but I need 12 of them then so I can develop training that's appropriate for where they are.

 

Coaching has tons of red tape

 

You don't have to have been a high level player to be an excellent coach, but we have all kinds of red tape to coach after rec that our other sports don't require. We lose coaches who don't have time or desire to get professional licenses, attend grassroots sessions etc., that are frankly a pain in the butt and provide little to no value when most of the best information is available free online.

I agree with most of this. It's a great post.

I think you're right that soccer probably requires more specialization than other sports because of the technical aspect. As a guy who's played in 30 and 40+ leagues and been among the fittest participants, I can vouch for getting my butt kicked on a weekly basis simply because I lack the foot skills of guys who were mediocre in high school. It reminds a little bit of getting drilled in racquetball by a 70-year-old. If you can execute the right movements, fitness and athleticism matter a lot less. That's certainly harder to see when you're watching elite games on TV. The technical skill is so good it becomes the water the game is played in, and what you can see more easily are things like speed and endurance.

Where I'd differ slightly is whether that level of technical expertise needs to be taught through an academy system beginning at 6 or 7 or 8. Japan doesn't do that. They've probably only been about as successful as the US (and never made a WC QF), but with a much smaller population and in a tougher qualifying region. They've also, I would argue, more consistently produced contributing players in top-5 leagues. The median age at World Cup 2022, in terms of starting at a pro academy, was 13 years old. I think we tend to overrate specialization, especially pre-puberty. An easy place to agree to disagree.

I will say that I think your broader point is right on. Caring about the results in individual games tends to be intoxicating in the US, and skill development suffers because of that. That's a pretty deep cultural problem, and I think changing that will, as you say, probably go the longest way to fixing the issue.

I think the easiest peer country to consider is Australia. A sports-mad country. Lots of success in certain sports (swimming, rugby, etc.) but always having to scrap in soccer. The difference there is probably expectations. Maybe the answer is to assume the US is too much divided in its attention to really care about soccer, to recognize we'll never match the passion of Argentina or England, and that that has pros and cons. Maybe it means caring less about talent development and more about cohesion and tactics and group attitude. I don't know. 

Either way, good thoughts.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

1 hour ago, OldHeidelberg said:

I don't know what England was thinking, I guess they got to within 13 minutes of the final trying to hang on but giving maybe he best player of all time the space to create doesn't seem like a great plan. 

But yeah, great game. As far as intensity it's tough to beat these last few World Cup games. Just on the edge of your seat stuff even if you don't have a favorite. 

100. 

You can shell up for 10-15 minutes, but 30-40 is a whole different animal, especially with maybe the most creative player in history on the other side. That kind of thinking has hurt a lot of teams this tournament. I think Spain handled their lead against France best of all.

I'll be rooting for them on Sunday (I root for Betis and probably follow La Liga most closely), but it's been a fascinating tournament. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 hour ago, OldHeidelberg said:

I don't know what England was thinking, I guess they got to within 13 minutes of the final trying to hang on but giving maybe he best player of all time the space to create doesn't seem like a great plan. 

But yeah, great game. As far as intensity it's tough to beat these last few World Cup games. Just on the edge of your seat stuff even if you don't have a favorite. 

The end of the game is grounds to dismiss Tuchel. I don't think that's extreme. You can't talk tough and be honest about your team's shortcomings and preach a new mentality and then immediately shrink into those habits when it counts. You just can't sit 5 back and let Messi create. They thought marking him aggressively was sufficient but once he realized he wouldn't be the one to score the goal, he adapted and tore them apart.

England had a team good enough to win it this year. That was a disgraceful final 1/3. I said to the room I was watching that I believed Argentina would win the game in regular time once I saw England sit 5 back. It was just so predictable. They changed tactics completely and it was just open season on England's goal in the blink of an eye. I just can't believe Tuchel let that slide without an adjustment.

Also, just for emphasis and I haven't seen it mentioned enough, Messi's winning cross came off his right foot.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

42 minutes ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

 

Where I'd differ slightly is whether that level of technical expertise needs to be taught through an academy system beginning at 6 or 7 or 8. Japan doesn't do that. They've probably only been about as successful as the US (and never made a WC QF), but with a much smaller population and in a tougher qualifying region. They've also, I would argue, more consistently produced contributing players in top-5 leagues. The median age at World Cup 2022, in terms of starting at a pro academy, was 13 years old. I think we tend to overrate specialization, especially pre-puberty. An easy place to agree to disagree.

 

You're hitting the nail though on why it works in Japan. They could not be more culturally divergent from the US in that regard. EVERYTHING is for the good your peers, team and country. It's downright disgraceful in Japan to be self-serving.

[Jimbo]

On 7/15/2026 at 4:22 PM, OldSchoolSnapper said:

This has been such a great World Cup. What a game between ENG and ARG. Not ready to say goodbye to it.

Yes, it's been a great World Cup.  However, I'm ready to watch baseball again.  :)

And to follow up, Kansas City was a wonderful experience.  Well organized for the most part.  Fun being a part of the world coming together for a party.

[Jimbo]

Superlatives, anyone?

 

Instant classic

Video game futbol

What else?

 

[madbad2000]

What a crazy game.  Probably exactly what you like to see in a third place game.  Definitely an instant classic. 

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Spain the deserved winner today. Argentina was justifiably passive after the red card, but I thought they played a bit too defensive overall, especially given how dangerous Messi made them look in the last 10 minutes.

Kind of had a feeling Nico Williams would make a difference in this one, but it's stunning how Spain managed to do this after both he and Yamal (the two main reasons Spain was won the '24 Euros) had just so-so tournaments. That's a really complete side. When you factor in their Olympic gold medal and their Women's World Cup trophy, you'd have to say they have the most successful program in the world right now and up there with one of the best runs ever.

As a La Liga partisan, I think how good that league is gets lost in the focus on the Prem. There are a whole bunch of really, really good teams. It's that Barca and RM are on another level. Athletic Club might be one of the most underrated sides in Europe, and they do it all with only Basque players. Real Sociedad is quite good, so are Betis and Villareal. Rayo punches above its weight. Definitely the second best league in Europe for my money, and it's paying off at the international level. When you consider this side didn't even have any Madrid players (I know Cucurella is headed there), that tells you how good the system is.

EDIT: No problem with the second yellow on Enzo. I thought the disallowed goal after the foul was soft, but probably a foul. Some close calls, but all in all I thought a pretty well officiated match, especially given Argentina's overall approach.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

Spain was clearly the best team in the tournament. Their lack of really blowing anyone out overshadowed that they were scored on once the entire time. 

Still a bit bummed to see Messi lose, but glad he did get to win it. I have a gut feeling he'll be back for 2030 but maybe that's just fantasy stuff. 

I felt myself getting sad every time someone lost 😂. I couldn't help it. I just felt bad for the players and fans and how much they put into this tournament. 

Definitely in the dumps it's over. So glad I bit the bullet and attended a USA game too. It's going to be a long four years. 

The Golden Ball was the only disappointment. That was such a lame selection. To me, that was Messi without a doubt. 

[madbad2000]

Spain was my pick from the beginning and they dominated everyone.  I'm a little disappointed they pulled back at the very end.  I wanted them to press and counter like they did to finish off France in the semi finals.  Watching them drop back and let Argentina actually get some shots off was a mistake that England just showed you not to do against them.

I wish I had grabbed some tickets in Atlanta, but cost and timing wasn't perfect.  I'm thinking about trying to do a Euro 2028 run since it's in England and Ireland.  I wanted to go back at some point and take the kids.  Will probably look to hit up a Germany game somewhere and let the schedule/locations determine the trip.

Portugal is on our to do list, so world cup 2030 may actually be a thing for us as well.  Weird to think I'm planning vacations around soccer.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

1 hour ago, madbad2000 said:

 

Portugal is on our to do list, so world cup 2030 may actually be a thing for us as well.  Weird to think I'm planning vacations around soccer.

Lots of great locations for major soccer tournaments upcoming. The women's World Cup will be in Brazil, and then you've got Euro 2028 in Ireland and the UK, World Cup 2030 in (mostly) Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, and the 2031 women's tournament back in North America. Combine that with the Olympics in LA in 2028 (plus the French Alps in 2030), and it'll be a good five years to be an international sports fan. Lots of local opportunities, plus some fun possible trips! 

I think this tournament proved what the NCAAT often does--the governing bodies are awful and corrupt and greedy beyond any sense of decency or morality, but at least the games always show up. Whether it was the Tartan army, Yamal's brother, or Cape Verde, there was enough transcendent joy to last the next four years. 

It may well be a 64-team tournament by then, but...

I'll be curious to see how this impacts fan interests in the game here in the US. A rough proxy might be checking to see whether Peacock (the Prem), Paramount (Champions League), ESPN+ (La Liga and Bundesliga), or AppleTV (MLS), get any kind of subscription growth. I think club soccer has a little bit of room to grow, but it might be closer to its ceiling than people think. We'll see. In any case, I'm glad the best team won. 

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I am all for the 64-team tournament. That was a huge net positive this go-around, I absolutely love the group stage, it's by far my favorite part of the tournament. I work remotely and there was just nothing better than wall-to-wall games for 3 weeks. It was one of my favorite things ever as a sports fan. The more teams in this tournament the better. The number of people around the world who get into it, makes it what it is. I know many purists hated it, but I thought it was great. Predictably, the cream rose anyway in the end and we had the four best teams IMO.

The one issue soccer is going to have in the near future is the loss of mega icon players. Obviously there are always new ones coming (Yamal) but at the next cup Kane is 36, Mbappe is a 32-year-old speed player, Ronaldo is gone and Messi very likely as well. Messi and Ronaldo were really unique in that they were still capturing kids who were 6 years old as 40-year-olds. That doesn't really happen. The loss of those two looms large in terms of the sport being absorbed in the US as a commercial product. 

Haaland is definitely going to be Atlas here shortly. I am in no way saying the sport is in trouble worldwide, but those two guys are just enormous cleats to fill.

Most excited for North America joining the next COPA. That's a huge step forward for the US, they really need to be in that tournament.

[owbc]

As an American, I'm glad we showed the world:

- more teams = more games = more money

- interrupting play for commercial breaks

- a halftime show with a positive message

- a 6-4 slugfest with no defense is way more entertaining than 1-nil

- powerful people inserting themselves in the victory celebration

Maybe we can get two more hydration breaks and a three point line by the next World Cup! 

 

[nate82]

49 minutes ago, owbc said:

Maybe we can get two more hydration breaks and a three point line by the next World Cup!

Soccer needs to clear up that stupid offsides on goals also get rid of the stupid review system.  After the red card on the US in the review I stopped watching.  Other casuals that I know also stopped following after that.

Soccer should follow hockey with that offsides stupidness and just have a line your feet have to be behind before getting the ball.  If it’s a rebound or whatever it’s called in soccer then you don’t have to be behind before getting the ball.  

[owbc]

5 minutes ago, nate82 said:

Soccer needs to clear up that stupid offsides on goals also get rid of the stupid review system.  After the red card on the US in the review I stopped watching.  Other casuals that I know also stopped following after that.

Soccer should follow hockey with that offsides stupidness and just have a line your feet have to be behind before getting the ball.  If it’s a rebound or whatever it’s called in soccer then you don’t have to be behind before getting the ball.  

Everyone complains about VAR according to my brother who watches a ton of European soccer. So that one isn't unique to us. 

I watch a ton of hockey and we hate the offsides review in hockey as well. And don't even get me started on deciding what is goaltender interference!