{"id":7856,"date":"2026-07-20T11:34:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7856"},"modified":"2026-07-20T11:34:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T11:34:41","slug":"the-1994-world-cup-changed-u-s-soccer-what-will-this-event-bring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7856","title":{"rendered":"The 1994 World Cup changed U.S. soccer. What will this event bring?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7846\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/58d5a42dd7cbe45f019392edf31e24ff-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Cle Kooiman and Thomas Dooley celebrate a 2-1 victory over Colombia during the 1994 FIFA World Cup. (Christian Liewig\/TempSport\/Corbis\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Before the United States could have its first World Cup, it needed its second pro soccer league.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7844\">Trump continues overhaul of White House grounds with new Rose Garden statues<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In the late 1980s, before FIFA awarded the U.S. the 1994 World Cup, American officials had to promise FIFA it would create a professional league.<\/p>\n<p>That wouldn\u2019t be easy. The previous attempt, the North American Soccer League, had fallen apart in 1985 after 18 years in business. But FIFA expected a league, so as the sport\u2019s American governing body, the U.S. Soccer Federation, began planning a World Cup, it also was building Major League Soccer. In 1996, two years after the globe\u2019s biggest soccer stars had gone home, MLS played its first matches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe legacy of 1994 was a league, but it didn\u2019t happen organically; it happened contractually,\u201d recalled Doug Logan, the first MLS commissioner.<\/p>\n<p>Soccer bloomed in the U.S. after the 1994 tournament. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the rise of the MLS, which went from 10 teams in its first season to 30 today, most of which play in soccer-only stadiums built over the past two decades.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7847\" height=\"702\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-1024x702.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-1024x702.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-300x206.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-768x527.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-1536x1053.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/c8672a9a441b783960e167ac947697c2-2048x1405.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>The World Cup opening ceremony in Chicago&#8217;s Soldier Field in 1994. (Jonathan Daniel\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7848\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8586073daa6cf6c2a4267638c96d54d4-768x536.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8586073daa6cf6c2a4267638c96d54d4-768x536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8586073daa6cf6c2a4267638c96d54d4-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/8586073daa6cf6c2a4267638c96d54d4.jpg 966w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>German fans outside Soldier Field in June 1994. (Chris Wilkins\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But the impact of the country\u2019s second World Cup, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2026\/07\/19\/spain-scoring-late-tops-argentina-1-0-win-2026-world-cup\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2026\/07\/19\/spain-scoring-late-tops-argentina-1-0-win-2026-world-cup\/\">ended Sunday when Spain outlasted Argentina to cap the tournament<\/a>, is harder to predict. Exciting matches with stunning finishes have captivated television audiences. Star players have become even more popular, and the debate that followed the U.S. team\u2019s loss in the Round of 16 shows the country is more engaged than ever with soccer.<\/p>\n<p>Yet in a country with two thriving pro leagues, the MLS and NWSL, and robust youth organizations coast to coast, the changes are unlikely to be as obvious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does soccer look like in the United States on the day after the World Cup is over?\u201d asks former U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati, who helped lead the bid that brought this year\u2019s World Cup to the U.S., Canada and Mexico. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to know the answer on Monday, that\u2019s the point. I don\u2019t expect viewership to quadruple on Wednesday for next week\u2019s [MLS] games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, he wonders, how many more people will watch MLS, NWSL and overseas soccer in the coming weeks and months? Will the advertisers that rushed to make World Cup commercials stick around to build campaigns around the pro leagues or the men\u2019s and women\u2019s national teams?<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, this World Cup might bring modest innovations or rules changes. It will set attendance records and, as the first World Cup with 48 teams, will probably lead to more teams and more matches in the coming years. It won\u2019t fundamentally change American soccer. That happened 32 years ago, when the World Cup came here the first time. But it may stoke the fire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe landscape is quite different\u201d than in 1994, Gulati says. It\u2019s not about a new league surviving or getting people to watch soccer games. \u201cThis now is harder than [just] growing the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7849\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-1024x682.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ac33488bc7458a6e627a89fa545bede9-2048x1363.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>San Jose&#8217;s Spartan Stadium during the opening ceremony of Major League Soccer&#8217;s inaugural match in 1996. (Todd Warshaw\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The U.S. was not an obvious choice for FIFA leaders in 1988 when they met to pick a host for the 1994 tournament.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the failed NASL, the country had no soccer tradition, hadn\u2019t been to a World Cup since 1950 and had a rabid sports culture built around the NFL, the MLB and the NBA. The U.S.\u2019s biggest selling point was the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, which had been profitable at a time when many other Games had drained host cities\u2019 budgets.<\/p>\n<p>But any doubts that the country could organize an elite soccer tournament were eased in the early 1980s as the U.S. hosted a pair of test tournaments against some of the world\u2019s top national teams. Once the World Cup came, the stadiums were mostly filled and the U.S. team advanced from the group stage with a win and a tie before losing 1-0 to Brazil in the round of 16.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7850\" height=\"688\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-1024x688.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-768x516.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-1536x1032.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/63673f72a557bb19ef7c296458fdcf16-2048x1376.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>\u201cIt really galvanized our country,\u201d Bruce Murray, a star on the 1990 U.S. team, said of the 1994 event. (Simon Bruty\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>In addition to respect, enough money poured in to solidify U.S. Soccer, build training centers and create a development system. FIFA also felt comfortable letting the U.S. host the Women\u2019s World Cup five years later.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt really galvanized our country,\u201d says Bruce Murray, a star on the 1990 U.S. team, the first to go to the World Cup in 40 years.<\/p>\n<p>Still, when the MLS started, Murray was skeptical. There was worry, he says, that players would get paid well enough to want to stay. But as the years went on and the league got stronger, he saw a change. He noticed players from countries such as Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay coming to the U.S., especially talented wings who were fast and had great skill. The MLS, he realized, was no longer an afterthought to players from other countries.<\/p>\n<p>Stars such as David Beckham and, later, Lionel Messi brought credibility. The MLS has 45 players in this year\u2019s World Cup, the sixth-most of any league, behind only the top leagues in England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7851\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-1024x686.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-1536x1029.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4766c44242eeb4c9c250f740a5863cfa-2048x1371.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>David Beckham is announced as a L.A. Galaxy player in 2007. (Frazer Harrison\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7852\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4dcddeeabb674aabe180534225702db8-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>From left, Jorge Mas, Lionel Messi, co-owner Jose Mas and co-owner David Beckham as Messi is introduced by Inter Miami CF in 2023. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The debate that raged after the U.S. loss to Belgium in the round of 16 is also seen as progress by some in the soccer community.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7838\">Small-town fight over corruption, abuse may haunt GOP candidate for Arizona governor<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt came up more than in 1990 because more people care,\u201d Gulati says. \u201cNow we have 50 million people watching. That\u2019s a positive sign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The other day, while out on a run, Murray stumbled across a group of men around his age arguing about soccer. Intrigued, he stopped and asked the men how much they knew about the game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut they had been watching the World Cup, and now they were interested,\u201d Murray says.<\/p>\n<p>If there is a legacy of this World Cup, it might be the stories. Murray and Gulati both imagine people remembering for years Messi\u2019s late-game goals, and England holding on to beat Mexico in Mexico City with only 10 players, and Cape Verde\u2019s incredible run behind a 40-year-old goalkeeper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe it\u2019s me, but I can\u2019t remember a better World Cup than this one,\u201d Murray says.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7853\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-1024x683.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d8c89acdaa35d4cee2aeeef530074ab9-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>An expanded World Cup introduced such smaller countries as Cape Verde, whose goalkeeper Vozinha became a viral star. (Rebecca Blackwell\/AP)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Much of that is probably due to what he calls \u201cthe late game fireworks\u201d: the flurry of goals scored in extra time or overtime, periods that have often been devoid of action in past World Cups. He suspects this is because of the hydration breaks, added to this tournament to handle the extreme summer heat. He believes the breaks, especially in the second half, give a boost of energy that teams have never had at the end of matches before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving fitness is part of the game,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you get five minutes of rest, you are a whole new man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He predicts the hydration breaks will become a regular part of professional soccer, as do others who recognize the potential to sell ads for slots in the middle of games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the biggest problems is calling it a hydration break. They should just split the game into quarters,\u201d says Alan Rothenberg, who ran the 1994 World Cup and was president of U.S. Soccer in the 1990s. \u201cBut the breaks also help. They let teams come together. Traditionalists will be upset \u2026 but they\u2019ll get over it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rothenberg says this World Cup will lead to another change in global soccer: examining the replay system.<\/p>\n<p>Video Assistant Referee, or VAR, was supposed to help determine whether balls had actually crossed the line into goals and to make it easier to see whether a player is offside. Rothenberg is dismayed at how much VAR is now used to look at fouls and to hand out yellow or red cards, including the controversial card shown to American Folarin Balogun that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2026\/07\/05\/us-top-scorer-folarin-balogun-allowed-play-world-cup-showdown-against-belgium\/\" rel=\"\" target=\"_self\" title=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/sports\/2026\/07\/05\/us-top-scorer-folarin-balogun-allowed-play-world-cup-showdown-against-belgium\/\">drew President Donald Trump into the fray. <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s led to silly replays,\u201d Rothenberg says.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7854\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-1024x682.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b9d6cecaafea95f31c798e00b3a1b84e-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Referee Raphael Claus shows Folarin Balogun a red card against Bosnia. (Michael Steele\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Logan, appalled by the costs of tickets to this World Cup, where prices soared into the thousands of dollars, wonders whether this tournament will serve as a tipping point. He sees it as a prime example of a sports system that has been pricing out average fans for years, and he worries about the impacts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose of us in our industry who have stoked these differences, from sushi to VIP seating where you watch the game on television even when you are in the stadium, are creating a VIP culture for an entire stadium,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>It especially bothers him to see this in soccer, a sport he has always seen as the most democratic in the world, since all you need to play is a ball.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just a validation of who we are now,\u201d he says, adding: \u201cI suspect that by the time we get to [2030 World Cup hosts] Spain, Portugal and Morocco, [FIFA] won\u2019t be able to get away with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But ticket prices and VAR reforms are smaller details for future World Cups. Gulati keeps thinking about the question he kept asking himself several years ago, when he pushed the bid this World Cup: What will American soccer be like on Monday?<\/p>\n<p>What is the legacy of these past six weeks?<\/p>\n<p>Murray figures it will be European players, still in the prime of their careers, leaving top European leagues for the MLS because they enjoyed playing this World Cup in cities such as Atlanta or Houston or Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>Gulati imagines a time 10 or 12 years in the future when a young American star player is telling reporters that he first fell in love with soccer when his parents brought him to a game at this World Cup and he watched Messi or some other great.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7830\">The Supreme Court grapples with a new era of political violence<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Gulati is sure the game will continue to boom here in the coming years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut how much?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7855\" height=\"677\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-1024x677.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-1024x677.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7db16b9b6bf8065c90f435bf9913056c-2048x1354.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Mascots Maple the Moose (Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (US..) greet kids ahead of a match between Germany and Paraguay on June 29. (Mauro Pimentel\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The impact of the World Cup in a country with two thriving pro leagues and robust youth leagues coast to coast won\u2019t be as obvious this time around. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 1994 World Cup changed U.S. soccer. What will this event bring? - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=7856\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 1994 World Cup changed U.S. soccer. 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