The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than 24 hours away from officially getting underway. The opening ceremony will take place at the legendary Estadio Azteca before Mexico faces South Africa in the tournament opener.
While the United States will host its first World Cup match a day later on June 12, the spotlight has already shifted to a different topic which is the current state of American soccer.
Colin Cowherd’s Current Statement Regarding US Soccer
Back in April, American soccer legend Landon Donovan sat down with Rich Eisen on “The Rich Eisen Show.” He argued that many clubs are too focused on making money rather than developing local talent. As a result, homegrown players are often overlooked as teams prioritize short-term success and financial gains.
“The kids get left behind because the clubs want to make money. The coaches want to make money. They want to win. They want to win, and the kids don’t develop. Now we’re seeing sort of the fruits of that, sadly,” Donovan said during the interview.
The problem, as Donovan sees it, is structural. MLS and American soccer in general have leaned heavily on bringing in established talent from outside the United States. They focus on players who bring skill and marketing value. That strategy helps clubs win in the short term and sell jerseys, but it does little for American youth.
The results are visible in the rankings. The U.S. men’s national team currently sits at 17th in the FIFA rankings. For a country with America’s infrastructure and population, 17th is not a failure on its face.
But Argentina, a South American nation that does not come anywhere close to matching the United States in wealth or infrastructure, is currently ranked at the top of the FIFA rankings. The difference is that Argentina built its soccer culture from the ground up.
Now, sports analyst Colin Cowherd has backed Donovan’s argument. In a recent segment, Cowherd agreed that American soccer has a development problem and compared it to AAU basketball.
“So the World Cup starts tomorrow. Landon Donovan very publicly criticized American soccer. He said it’s a money grab. It’s not about really developing younger players. And that’s one of the problems that I have had with AAU basketball,” he said.
It’s all about everyone getting paid, not developing our basketball players. That’s why many of the great stars are now international and not American,” Cowherd added in a recent segment.
He didn’t stop there. He also explained what the recent World Cup looked like to him.
“Even if soccer got everything right. Our academies were great. The MLS was popular. We have always watched the World Cup, and we have always loved it.”
“But every time we talk about a World Cup on American soil, here’s what I hear. This is an opportunity to grow the game, and I don’t see it as that. I see it as four to five weeks of fanaticism, patriotism, globalism, a great four-to-five-week party. And then we will go on with our lives,” Cowherd added.
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According to Cowherd, AAU basketball has become heavily focused on exposure and business opportunities rather than proper player development. Young players often spend their time traveling from tournament to tournament trying to get noticed by scouts. Now, because of that, the focus has shifted toward scoring points and standing out individually.
The downside is that many players don’t spend enough time learning the basics of the game. As a result, some prospects arrive at the college level with impressive scoring skills but noticeable weaknesses in other areas of the game, such as off-ball movement and basketball IQ.
Concerns about AAU basketball are not new. Coach and writer Brian McCormick has previously argued in his Substack writings that the United States should take inspiration from European youth development systems.
“Some suggest the United States should be more like Europe and focus on development in youth basketball, but countries such as Spain compete for national championships as young as U12s. These leagues and organizations certainly develop players and focus on development, but they also compete for medals and trophies,” McCormick wrote in his Substack in 2024.
With the World Cup now literally upon us, the soccer side of this conversation is getting louder. Whether it translates into real structural change remains to be seen.
