In 1994, when the United States kicked off its World Cup campaign against Switzerland, the national team was still very much an unknown quantity. – Then – Serbian manager Bora Milutinović fielded the best eleven the country could offer, while U.S. Soccer had even looked abroad for reinforcements—naturalizing players like Thomas Dooley and Roy Wegerle to bolster the roster. Hosting the World Cup was a landmark moment for American soccer, but the team itself entered the tournament as underdogs, full of determination yet largely untested at the sport’s highest levels. They would eventually go out against Brazil in the last 16, losing 1-0, with both teams seeing red.
A handful of players had managed to carve out respectable European careers. Earnie Stewart was a regular in the Eredivisie, Eric Wynalda and Paul Caligiuri had spells in Germany, Tab Ramos featured for Real Betis in Spain, and John Harkes put together a steady run in England with Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County, West Ham, and Nottingham Forest. Cobi Jones briefly appeared in the Premier League before returning home to become a cornerstone of Major League Soccer with the LA Galaxy. A young Claudio Reyna, still at the beginning of his career, would go on to leave perhaps the biggest European footprint of his generation.
Others were still on the cusp. Brad Friedel, then only 25, would eventually become one of the Premier League’s most reliable goalkeepers, but in 1994 he had yet to make his mark. Alexi Lalas, who emerged from that World Cup as the team’s most recognizable face, earned a short spell in Serie A with Padova, though his reputation at home ultimately overshadowed his European impact.
For many more, however, Europe was either a brief stop or never part of the picture at all. Marcelo Balboa, Tony Meola, Mike Sorber, Cle Kooiman, and Fernando Clavijo built their reputations primarily in North America. Even Thomas Dooley, brought in to add international experience, had played most of his European career at mid-tier clubs rather than among the continent’s elite. The collective result was a team rich in spirit and effort but limited in the week-to-week exposure to the very best players in the world.
Fast forward three decades, and the contrast is striking. The modern U.S. men’s national team is built on a foundation of players not just participating in Europe but thriving at some of its biggest clubs. Christian Pulisic is a Champions League winner now starring at AC Milan. Weston McKennie plays for Juventus and is arguably the club’s most important player. Tim Weah, son of footballing icon George Weah, just signed a loan deal at Champions League club Olympique de Marseille, with an obligation to buy. Tyler Adams anchors midfield in the Premier League. Gio Reyna, forged at Borussia Dortmund and now continuing his career in England, has been one of the most technically gifted players the U.S. has ever produced. Beyond the headline names, players like Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah, Malik Tillman, and Chris Richards are regular starters in Europe’s top five leagues.
The depth is unprecedented. In 1994, if one or two players fell out of form, the drop-off was severe. Today, the U.S. can rotate between multiple European-based options in nearly every position, giving the squad a wider arsenal of tactical and technical weapons than ever before. They are fitter, sharper, and more tactically aware, precisely because they are competing week in and week out against world-class opponents.
None of this diminishes the legacy of 1994. If anything, it underscores their importance as trailblazers. That team, with its mix of domestic stalwarts and a few adventurous pioneers abroad, proved that American players could belong on the world stage. They opened the doors that today’s generation has walked through.
But the shift is undeniable. Where once the U.S. was an outsider with something to prove, now—looking ahead to 2026 on home soil again—it is a program with the talent, experience, and depth to compete toe-to-toe with the game’s global powers. Where the United States of America’s national team looked very raw in Qatar in 2022, we, at Sports-Hop insist that they will be a force to be reckoned with next year.