U.S. Soccer must broaden its vision after the USMNT’s World Cup elimination, addressing everything from coaching and player development to ticket affordability and tougher away fixtures.

The USMNT’s World Cup journey has ended, and the manner of their exit has made the deeper issues impossible to overlook.

Across four matches, the team showed signs of advancement. They produced encouraging performances, won a knockout game, and offered supporters genuine hope that the side was ready to reach new heights. Then came Belgium. When the challenge intensified, the Americans fell short. In the moment they needed their finest performance of the tournament, they instead delivered their weakest.

Such an exit inevitably sparks the usual fallout: finger-pointing, overreactions, and surface-level solutions. Yet the tougher discussion must go beyond one disappointing night or a single manager. Mauricio Pochettino may yet return, with U.S. Soccer already placing a new contract on the table. But whether he stays or departs, the loss to Belgium made it clear that the next phase of the program cannot rely solely on a high-profile coach.

The questions now extend further. How can U.S. Soccer expand its player pool? How can it make youth football more accessible? How can it create stronger atmospheres at home while also testing the team in difficult environments abroad?

The USMNT enjoyed a respectable World Cup run, but to progress further, change must come from the very top. Here are five essential reforms U.S. Soccer can pursue to help the men’s national team advance.

Convince dual nationals to stay committed

Sometimes progress comes down to talent. The most direct way to improve at football is to assemble better players. Investment, infrastructure, and planning all matter, but ultimately, if your 26-man squad is filled with skilled footballers, you will compete at a higher level.

Many smaller footballing nations have improved recently by embracing dual nationals and connecting with their diaspora communities. From Curaçao to Morocco, such strategies have elevated standards. The U.S. itself provides evidence: Folarin Balogun, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, and Malik Tillman all joined through proactive recruitment by U.S. Soccer. Noahkai Banks remains raw but shows potential to follow that path. The U.S. must continue to push aggressively in this area—it’s the fastest way to raise the overall standard.

Appoint a domestic coach familiar with the system

This solution may take longer but is crucial. Hiring a big-name foreign manager can bring short-term gains, and Pochettino did improve the USMNT in several respects. He also unearthed emerging talent such as Alex Freeman, showing willingness to explore the domestic talent pool. Yet if the long-term goal is stability across multiple cycles, deep understanding of the American football landscape cannot be optional—it must be essential.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure demonstrated this as well. Despite successes, his scepticism towards MLS and the local player pathway proved problematic. The USMNT’s next leap forward will not come solely from recruiting dual nationals or waiting for another Christian Pulisic-level star. It will depend on identifying, developing, and trusting talent already embedded within the system.

Short-term spending rarely transforms a player pool. Long-term alignment does. Spain promoted Luis de la Fuente after years with youth teams. Lionel Scaloni rose from within Argentina’s setup. Gareth Southgate came through England’s youth structure. Didier Deschamps, while not a lifelong federation man, understood French football thoroughly before taking charge. The common factor is continuity, not glamour.

Pochettino could remain, and if he commits to the full cycle, that continuity might be valuable. But if U.S. Soccer decides to move on, it must carefully consider the type of manager required. The next coach doesn’t need to be the most famous name—it should be someone who understands the players, the pathway, and the nation he represents. B.J. Callaghan might soon be getting a call.

Reduce the cost of youth football

A strong domestic league doesn’t automatically produce a strong national side. Argentina proves this point: their best players play across Europe, and their domestic competition largely functions as a selling league. Morocco, Switzerland, and Norway have also shown that World Cup success doesn’t demand a top-tier domestic league.

The U.S., however, faces a unique challenge. The question isn’t simply whether MLS can produce more players—it’s already doing that. The bigger issue is how many promising youngsters are missed before they ever reach the professional pathway.

This is where U.S. Soccer and MLS can make a genuine impact. The pay-to-play system remains one of the largest structural hurdles. Many families are priced out by club fees, travel expenses, showcase costs, equipment, and private coaching long before scouts ever notice their children. In a country as vast and varied as the U.S., this isn’t just a participation issue—it’s a talent discovery problem.

The next step must involve a serious partnership to lower these barriers: more subsidised elite programmes, free regional training centres, travel and equipment support, and improved scouting in underrepresented communities. MLS doesn’t need to emulate Europe, and U.S. Soccer doesn’t need to control every local club. But both should share one clear goal: ensuring that talent, not financial background, determines opportunity.

The USMNT doesn’t need every domestic youngster to become Christian Pulisic. It needs a broader, deeper, and more inclusive talent base. That begins long before players reach the national level—by making the sport accessible to those still left out.

Make attending USMNT matches affordable

American fans turned out in force during the World Cup, proving their passion. The bigger challenge is sustaining that enthusiasm when the stakes are lower.

This was a recurring issue in the last cycle. Mauricio Pochettino and several players voiced the need for better atmospheres at friendlies and regional tournaments like the Gold Cup. To maintain the momentum built this summer, U.S. Soccer must make attending these games more accessible—starting with ticket prices.

Friendlies should never be prohibitively expensive. The USMNT’s October friendly against Ecuador had a base ticket cost of $84 before fees, with some seats reaching nearly $300. Yes, revenue matters, and budgets must balance—but attending a low-intensity friendly shouldn’t feel like a luxury.

To truly connect with supporters, it must be easier for them to be present. To its credit, U.S. Soccer has taken steps forward: American Outlaws members could purchase pre-World Cup friendly tickets for $45 each, under a fixed-price agreement lasting through October. That’s progress. Yet the federation could go further, learning from MLS clubs that offer discounted entry-level tickets, community deals, or first-time fan promotions to attract new audiences.

These are precisely the kinds of initiatives the nation needs. The more affordable the matches, the easier it becomes to turn fleeting World Cup interest into sustained USMNT support.

Schedule more genuine away challenges

During Pochettino’s tenure, the U.S. played just one friendly abroad—a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in Guadalajara in October 2024. For a team exempt from World Cup qualifying as co-host, that omission was significant.

Home friendlies can’t replicate the pressure of true away fixtures. While playing domestically helps strengthen fan connections, the USMNT also needed exposure to hostile environments before the World Cup—matches where travel, crowd hostility, and intensity mirrored tournament conditions.

For comparison, the USMNT played seven away friendlies under Gregg Berhalter, 21 under Jurgen Klinsmann, and 11 under Bob Bradley. Those teams also exited in the Round of 16, so away games are no magic fix. Still, this squad was arguably the most talented in U.S. history, and when Belgium raised the stakes, the team crumbled.

More away tests wouldn’t have guaranteed a different outcome, but they would have helped the USMNT face the kind of adversity that ended their campaign. In the next cycle, U.S. Soccer must prioritise competitive, challenging fixtures abroad over convenient or commercially appealing ones. The aim should be to make the team uncomfortable—and ultimately stronger.