Soccer Events and Growth in US

[hoyaguy]

I’m just starting this thread to discuss and update news on soccer events and moments of growth in the United States. As it may face some rapid evolution and growth in the next 5 years.

I am doing this now since the 2022 WC has finished, it is time to look forward to the 2026 World Cup that is mainly taking place in the US.

Also it was just announced that the South American championship (copa america) will come to the US for the 2024 edition like they did in 2016 inviting 5 other North American teams (other than the US) to qualify that are TBD. Getting this tournament was vital to the preparation of the US players for 2026 who need more regular top tier competition.

[hoyaguy]

The 2027 womens World Cup bidding process has begun, likely concluding next summer in 2024 and the US has yet to declare but intends to bid for that. They were deciding between bidding for 2027 or 2031 but the US is hosting the rugby World Cup in 2031 so they don’t want any conflict. Bid competition includes a Germany-Belgium-Netherlands, South Africa, and possibly Chile.

[hoyaguy]

Current summer events scheduled
2023 Gold Cup
2024 Copa America
2025 Gold Cup (Probably at least co-hosting)
2026 World Cup
2028 summer Olympic Games

Potential additions:
2027 Womens World Cup

[hoyaguy]

A lot to update, or just jump to the TLDR: The US is now going to be hosting the revamped 32-team Club World Cup in 2025 (competition is every 4 years now). Messi joins Inter Miami in a monster deal over staying in Europe or going to Saudi Arabia for supposedly a billion euros, but this is such a massive thing for the US and decent tickets for his games are already in the thousands with nose bleeds being $400+. Folarin Balogun, a striker which we desperately needed, has decided to join the United States national team over declaring for England or Nigeria, he just finished a great season in the French league (especially for a 21 year old with 21 goals and 3 assists which is amazing) on loan from Arsenal FC where Matt Turner plays. The English premier league has started doing a "Summer Series" this year (and likely future ones) instead of the usual inter-league friendlies played here during the off season as a way of allowing Americans to view matches between English teams in person and should be more competitive and punchy than the old friendlies. US confirms that they will bid for the 2027 Women's World Cup with Mexico as co-hosts, kind of hard to see us getting 2 world cups in a row but not impossible. 

TLDR US Soccer hosting events/news:
2023 MESSI JOINS INTER MIAMI, St Louis City joins the MLS, Gold Cup
2024 Copa America
2025 Club World Cup, New San Diego Club joins MLS as 30th team
2026 Men's world cup
2028 Summer Olympics

Potential addition:
2027 Womens World Cup co-hosting with Mexico

[hoyaguy]

Also wanted to make this a separate post since it is negative news imo, Gregg Berhalter has been rehired by US soccer to be head coach through the 2026 World Cup, personally I am ashamed of the dysfunctional nepotism ridden nature of the US soccer federation that would look past him physically harming his wife. He has only coached outside of the MLS once (in Sweden which is the very bottom of the barrel in Europe and still failed) and seems to have an agenda to promote the MLS or at the very least a stubborn attitude when it came to using sub par MLS players when he had proven talent at his disposal. There has been plenty of interest in the job due to the immense talent pool during his time away such as Patrick Vieira who has coached in England and the US, giving him a unique perspective of understanding the US but also being well traveled in the world of soccer. And I do not hate the MLS, it is simply that leagues are meant to elevate the national team by producing/developing good players while strengthening the league on their own, the national team should never be used as a promotional tool. And rehiring someone who got very obviously out-coached during the World Cup, froze out a player who might have the highest potential ceiling ever in US soccer, assaulted his wife, and has a brother who left the US Federation to become an executive at MLS not too long after getting his brother the national team job by deliberately blocking more qualified coaches from even being interviewed. It is simply too stupid to not be a case of corruption and is a total laughing stock that genuinely makes some South American and Africa federations look like well run entities. This is arguably the most important stretch of 5 years in the history of US Soccer (especially with Messi here for a couple of years) that, if it goes well, could make the sport truly explode and bury its roots deep into the United States forever. I really wish that someone else might lead us through it, but you don't always get exactly what you want so just hoping for the best and pumped that we get so many events over the coming years as this streak of hosting events might never be repeated by anyone.