While a long European season has finally ended, it’s a great time to be a soccer fan if you’re in the USA.
The Women’s World Cup is coming up, tons of Premier League squads will be traveling Stateside for their preseason tours and a certain Argentine No. 10 is expected to join MLS this summer.
Here are the 10 reasons it’s a great time for the sport in the USA.
1. USWNT are favorites to win the Women’s World Cup, which starts in a month
The US women’s national team is seeking a sensational World Cup three-peat when it travels to Australia/New Zealand next month.
The Americans are +250 favorites according to FanDuel, with Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith and Rose Lavelle looking to fire the team towards another title.
England, Spain and Germany are expected to be worthy competitors but you’d be foolish to forget about the US women.
The USA women’s national team celebrate winning the 2019 World Cup in Lyon, France
2. Lionel Messi is joining Inter Miami
Just six months after lifting his first World Cup with Argentina, Lionel Messi announced that he’ll be joining Inter Miami in what is a bombshell move for MLS.
Ticket prices are skyrocketing, the hype is already at a fever pitch and the club is rumored to be considering hosting some games at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium to fit more fans.
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas has confirmed the club is targeting July 21 as the Argentine star’s debut date; until then we’ll just have to wait patiently.
Lionel Messi is joining Inter Miami after winning the World Cup mere months ago
3. Premier League is organizing a US preseason tour for the first time
While Premier League teams are no stranger to playing in the US, they’ll arrive this summer on a bigger and more organized scale, as Chelsea, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford will compete over eight days in the Premier League Summer Series.
Fans can catch them in cities like Philadelphia, Orlando and Atlanta.
Separately, Crystal Palace will also be playing in Chicago and Detroit.
Chelsea and Newcastle are among the teams competing in the Premier League Summer Series
4. Manchester United are playing Arsenal too!
Also not part of the official Premier League Summer Series, Manchester United and Arsenal will be facing off on July 22nd at MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants and Jets.
It’s just a friendly, of course, but any chance to watch Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka in person should be taken advantage of.
It will also be the clubs’ first meeting in the United States.
Arsenal and Manchester United will also be playing Manchester United at MetLife Stadium
5. Apple TV’s $2.5billion megadeal with MLS started this season
MLS began a mammoth decade-long contract with Apple this season that has brought the league into a different era.
Game times are now far more standardized and consistent for fans, usually scheduled at 7:30pm local time on Saturday nights, while studio shows like MLS 360 and MLS Countdown have given the league a more legitimate feel.
While some games are still non-exclusive to Apple, the tech giant has given MLS fans more content to consume and better video quality than previous league partners.
6. The 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada is inching closer
We’re less than three years away from soccer’s biggest event coming to America, and a good portion of the tournament will take place Stateside.
Of the 16 host cities for the tournament that were announced last year, 11 are in the USA.
If you’re near East Rutherford, NJ, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia, Kansas City or Boston – you’re in luck.
The 2026 World Cup will come to the New York/New Jersey area among others in the USA
7. Wrexham’s explosion behind Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
People in the small Welsh town of Wrexham may have been skeptical when two Hollywood actors wanted to buy their club, but Reynolds and McElhenney have helped the the Red Dragons get promoted to League 2 – and earned plenty of American fans along the way.
The FX show chronicling the team, ‘Welcome to Wrexham,’ was a massive hit, and the club is playing preseason games vs. Chelsea and Man United in America this summer.
The club earned further exposure by fielding a team of current and ex-pros in ‘The Soccer Tournament,’ and is helping to get American eyes on soccer.
Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob McElhenney (right) pose with Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson after the club earned promotion to League 2
8. The US men’s Golden Generation
With players at clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund and more, the USMNT is in the midst of a Golden Generation.
There’s perhaps no better indicator of where the squad is than Folarin Balogun’s decision to switch to the United States in favor of England (who have fielded him up to the U-21 level) after scoring 21 goals in Ligue 1 this season.
Americans are testing themselves abroad, and very much proving they belong among the elite.
Folarin Balogun switched his allegiance to the USA after playing for England at the youth level
9. The United States is hosting the Copa America next year – a dry run at hosting the World Cup
The USA men’s squad will return to the Copa America next summer for the first time in eight years, and the tournament will be hosted on home soil.
While the Americans will get the chance to test themselves against the likes of Brazil and Argentina, the tournament will also be a good dress rehearsal for the World Cup, which will follow two years after.
It will be the fifth time the USMNT participates in the tournament.
The USMNT celebrates winning the CONCACAF Nations League after beating Canada 2-0
10. San Diego will be the 30th MLS franchise and will debut in 2025
Just like the NBA and MLB, MLS will soon have 30 franchises as it announced San Diego as another expansion team earlier this year.
The team won’t debut until 2025, but expect their 35,000-capacity Snapdragon Stadium to be rocking once that season comes around.
