The USMNT saw their 2026 World Cup campaign end in disappointment following a great start.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated their group and had secured qualification to the knockout round after just two games.
However, after making it past the Round of 32, the USA lost 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16.
It was a tough result to take for American soccer fans, who may have thought their team was much better than the general global perception of the country’s side. But NBA star Victor Wembanyama thinks the US could still be a ‘problem’ in the sport if they took it more seriously.
Victor Wembanyama says America needs to take soccer more seriously
In America, it is clear that sports like the NBA, NFL, and more take precedence over soccer right now.
Will that change after the 2026 World Cup? Only time will tell.
But in a video shared by Men In Blazers, Wembanyama expressed his view that the USA could improve if they started taking soccer as seriously as other major sports.
He said: “If America took football seriously, they could be a problem.
“I mean they already do but more seriously, as much as the major sports in here, they could be a problem.
“I mean as we know, there’s plenty of talents, lots and lots of talents in this country. I think they’re only going to get better.”
While Wembanyama may have a point that soccer is not on the same level as other sports in the USA, there are other reasons the USMNT is not as strong as other nations.
Among them is the cost of playing soccer at youth level in America, which Landon Donovan commented on earlier this month.
He said: “Only 2% of kids who were playing organised soccer in America came from households that made less than $50,000, meaning if you don’t make $50,000, your kid cannot play organised soccer and think about how many kids you’re missing out on, in this country because they can’t afford to play the game.”
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