Most Americans don’t realize that the United States held its own in global soccer, for a limited time, nearly a century before hosting this World Cup tournament—in which its best player, Lionel Messi, also represents our domestic league.
The U.S. men’s team reached the World Cup semifinals in 1930, shutting out both Belgium and Paraguay 3–0 before losing to Argentina in the semis.
The 1934 tournament didn’t go as well for the U.S. team, and then they boycotted the 1938 France tournament, joining a protest by South American teams who argued the global event should be held in the western hemisphere instead of in Europe.
International play was then shelved during World War II, and by the 1950s, America was no longer a serious global soccer contender.
“With all that happened in this country and the growth of other team sports here, we kept falling further behind,” James Brown, vice president of the Society of American Soccer History, told The Epoch Times.
A top-tier organization, the North American Soccer League (NASL), was established in the late 1960s, but it struggled for fanfare as some teams folded after just two seasons.
Enter Pelé.
The Brazilian government finally allowed a declared national treasure to leave its domestic league. The striker, then hailed as the greatest ever with World Cup titles in 1958, 1962, and 1970, was past his prime for international play but still better than most in the fledgling NASL. He signed with the New York Cosmos in 1975, appeared in movies and advertisements, and immediately made American professional soccer more visible.
Pelé retired after three seasons. The NASL became the best “retirement” league in the world, featuring European legends who had won trophies for their clubs or countries. But over the course of just a few years, salaries exceeded revenues from ticket sales, sponsorships, and merchandise. The league folded in 1984, and the U.S. men’s team failed to qualify for the World Cup in Mexico two years later.
Even though soccer didn’t catch on in the United States in terms of viewership, Pelé drove American youth soccer participation; he established youth camps to learn and play the game, and inspired others across the nation to follow suit. Recreational and competitive leagues materialized and still exist, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
A Pelé lunch box for children is housed in the museum’s sports history collection, a testament to the late legend’s mission to make soccer accessible to all U.S. children.
“Soccer arrived at local schools, parks, and backyards, creating a new sense of community for those involved,” Erika Zurita, a museum collections assistant, wrote in an article on the Smithsonian website.
“For these families, soccer became part of the typical American sports experience. Arguably the most impactful legacy of Pelé’s career in the United States was inspiring new generations to play what Pelé has famously nicknamed, ‘the beautiful game.’”
The 1994 World Cup hosted by the United States was a huge success, springboarding another attempt at a domestic professional league. Major League Soccer (MLS) began in 1996 with 10 teams.
It chugged along for two decades, gradually adding and losing teams. The MLS was a key player in the national team’s improvement, and the U.S. men’s team consistently beat North and Central American competition to qualify for the next five World Cups.
When the U.S. men’s team failed to qualify in 2018, American soccer players and fans were forced to rethink whether the United States had really made significant progress. The MLS appeared stable, but many teams had yet to report a profit or a strong following.
Enter Lionel Messi.
The 5-foot-7 striker from Argentina had already claimed top honors in Spain’s La Liga and international play before he finally got his first World Cup in December 2022. Six months later, he announced his move to MLS’s Inter Miami.
By then, the MLS had numerous European and South American stars who had won World Cups, but none who were still hailed as among the best in the world and would go on to play in another World Cup final, let alone scoring the most goals in the global event less than a year after winning an MLS championship.
Now in its 31st season, the MLS boasts 30 teams, including three from Canada. Its broadcast viewership in 2025 averaged 3.7 million viewers per week, a nearly 30 percent increase from the year prior, the league reported.
In-person attendance for the 2025 regular season—not including the playoffs and finals—totaled 11.2 million fans with an average of 21,988 per match. All told, that’s a 12 percent increase since 2022, the year before Messi arrived.
As for merchandise, the Messi–Inter Miami combo topped MLS jersey sales for the last three years, the league reported.
While the MLS is paused for the globe’s biggest sporting event, Messi kept recording additional World Cup event records: most matches (34 over six tournaments), most minutes played (2,934), total goals (21), and total assists (12).
He’s also hoping to lead his team to consecutive titles for the first time since Pelé did it in 1958 and 1962.
If he sticks around for international soccer for another four years, and Argentina qualifies, Messi would celebrate his 43rd birthday on the pitch to become the oldest field player to appear in a World Cup match.
Messi hasn’t retired yet, but the Smithsonian is ready to set aside a space for him, next to Pelé.
As the world watches with bated breath to see him score, Zurita wrote, “Americans, however, watch with the hope and aspirations that once eluded New York decades ago. Only time will tell what impact Messi will leave on the MLS and American soccer, but the future sure looks promising.”
