The wait is finally over, folks! The 2026 World Cup has arrived in Los Angeles, and Marcelo Balboa can barely contain his excitement to watch his country take on the world. It's been a long 32 years since the U.S. hosted the tournament back in '94, but times have changed, and so has the World Cup. Gone are the days of exclusivity; this time around, we're sharing it with Canada and Mexico - two countries that might not exactly have America's best interests at heart.
As I watched our national team muddle through to Friday's opening group match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium (or Los Angeles Stadium, as FIFA calls it), I couldn't help but think about how much better we seemed back in '94. That USA squad had talent and cohesion - a goaltender like Tony Meola who knew how to keep the ball out of the net, feisty defenders like Alexi Lalas and Marcelo Balboa himself, tough veterans in the midfield, and young legs up front.
Of course, it was coached by the Serbian wizard Bora Milutinovic, who was hilarious to listen to even if you didn't know what he was saying half the time. But he knew what he was doing, and his players responded. They beat Colombia 2-1 at the Rose Bowl, a match that would cost Colombian defender Andres Escobar his life weeks later.
Fast-forward to today, and Balboa is hoping this current squad will make a deep run in the tournament. "What impresses me about this team is they still found a way to get a result against Senegal and played well against Germany," he said. "The concern? This might be the first World Cup where we're questioning who our goalkeeper is going to be."
And speaking of goalkeepers, Balboa brought up some nostalgia, reminiscing about the good old days when you knew who your number one was - Tony Meola, Casey Keller, Brad Friedel, or Tim Howard. Now, it's all about Matt Freese and Matt Turner.
Of course, the politics of U.S. Soccer always seem to be a distraction. The current coach, Mauricio Pochettino, was hired in September and is already being reported as possibly leaving after the World Cup. That feels a bit disconcerting.
But Balboa believes this team can make a deep run - all it needs is that one big performance. "What would be a successful World Cup short of winning it?" he asked. "Getting to the quarterfinals. That would be big for the U.S."
Yes, we will see. Starting Friday, as our lads take on Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. The stage is set for some thrilling soccer, and only time will tell if America's team can make us proud.
Written by: Tricky Bobbins | The Citizen Edition
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