Team USA will play Turkiye in its final group stage game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday night. U.S. soccer icon DaMarcus Beasley discussed the United States’ recent success and the future of soccer in America.
Beasley, who played for Team USA in a record four World Cups, believes this run could be a launching point for the progression of what he believes is the greatest sport on Earth within the United States.
“This game teaches you so much. You talk about togetherness, you talk about teamwork, you talk about attitude, all those things you have to bring to this sport and that’s what it teaches you. I had played this game since I was five or six years old and I still love it [because it] brings people together… it’s the best game in the world.”
After defeating Paraguay and Australia to start the tournament, Team USA has already clinched the top spot in its group and a place in the Round of 32. It marks the third time in team history that the United States has won its group and the first time they have secured qualification in just two games.
Turkiye, meanwhile, has already been eliminated from contention, meaning this match holds little significance for the standings themselves. For this reason, the United States intends to rest the four starters currently sitting on yellow cards.
Midfielder Tyler Adams, forward Folarin Balogun, defender Chris Richards, and outside back Antonee Robinson will start Thursday night’s game on the bench to avoid the possibility of a suspension in the next round.
“You don’t know what to expect because Turkiye is a team that hasn’t won a match yet, and I’m sure they’ll be looking to at least get a point or win to take back to their country, so it’s gonna be a difficult match, but the real World Cup starts in the Round of 32.”
Team USA has played at a high level and has broken numerous program records. The 4-1 win over Paraguay, for instance, featured both the most goals ever scored by Team USA in a single match and tied its record for the largest point differential in a win.
“The results have been great,” Beasley said. “It’s all mentality, it’s all [head coach Mauricio] Pochettino and how he’s transformed this group… When it counts and when it matters, they’ve really shown up and it’s exciting to see. They’ve scored some really good goals.”
Beasley claimed the results of this run are significant not only for the team’s championship aspirations, but also for the future of soccer in the United States.
“The success of this sport in this country has a lot riding on this world cup, and I think so far so good,” Beasley said. “We want this sport to grow… we want to keep [all] these fans and the only way to do that is, for one, to have a team that’s liked and a team that wins… I think we’ll keep some of those fans and hopefully the sport will keep growing.”
Fans have exhibited a sense of camaraderie throughout this year’s World Cup. Millions of locals, visitors from other countries and opposing fans have come together to emphasize passion and excitement. These are virtues that Team USA looks to embrace every match they play.
“The closeness and connection that they have between each other is something that we had in 2002,” Beasley said. “When you listen to these guys speak and when you see them before training, at training, they seem like they have a chemistry on and off the field, you can’t coach that… It’s not always easy to have that collectiveness inside a group so it’s really good to see – and you see how they show it on the field.”
Major League Soccer (MLS), the most prominent soccer league in the United States, has seen record-breaking representation across fourteen different nations in the World Cup so far, emphasizing its progression in talent and investment in American soccer.
Through the beginning of the group stages, 65% of World Cup matches have featured either an active or former MLS player. Players from 17 different MLS clubs have been called up, and 29 players have seen action in-game, both of which are MLS records.
“The growth of the league has been incredible,” Beasley said. “I think the league is in a really good spot; it’s continuing to grow. The only way to do that is to have more stories and to put even more emphasis on our academies and make sure our players are ready so when they do get the call from the national team, that they’re ready to step up.”
