\u201cWe used to be excited when one of our young players took the field against Chelsea, or Juventus or Milan,\u201d said [Roger] Bennett. \u201cNow we have talents that play for all of those teams and more. They have gained both the self-respect that comes with that, as well as the commercial opportunities.\u201d <\/p>\n
Stereotypes linger, especially overseas\u2014the U.S. as plucky, undertalented overachievers from a country that doesn\u2019t say football and can\u2019t hang with the highest contenders. You could sense a little of this from the disappointed England fans who booed their homeland squad off the pitch following the draw with the U.S.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s an old mindset. The U.S. team is in Qatar not to represent, but to win, the surest signal that the sport has evolved past any kind of existential debate about its future or perception around the world. <\/p>\n
What does Tuesday\u2019s game versus Iran mean for the United States? It means survival at the World Cup. That\u2019s meaningful enough. <\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like every U.S. World Cup game, Tuesday\u2019s match versus Iran is being presented as a referendum about the sport\u2019s future in America. But that\u2019s old thinking, writes columnist @jasongay<\/a>, who says this confident and capable team is well past that point. https:\/\/t.co\/BRqbh7SnEh<\/a><\/p>\n — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 28, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n