"A longtime friend of mine suddenly became super interested in watching soccer. This friend grew up playing high school and college football, and he has been a high school football coach for around 10 years."
That quote from Buckeye Odyssey Institute coach John Snyder says more about the World Cup's reach into American sport than any participation statistic. A decade-long football lifer, texting Snyder mid-match asking who Erling Haaland was. "Halland is a beast!" — the misspelling very much intact. That's not a niche sport quietly growing. That's a cultural moment.
Arizona coaches are feeling it on the ground
Spain's 1-0 win over Argentina wrapped up a tournament that, for Arizona's high school soccer community, landed differently than most. The games were played in the United States, Mexico, and Canada — and for programs like Tucson Sunnyside, that proximity meant something real. Coach Casey O'Brien said his players felt a "huge sense of pride" seeing matches hosted in Mexico and the U.S., with many of his kids buzzing about players and games throughout the summer.
Phoenix Brophy Prep coach Marc Kelly sees the bigger structural picture. The U.S. reached the round of 16 before Belgium knocked them out, but Kelly isn't concerned. He points to the pipeline — European academies developing American talent, MLS academies expanding domestically — and thinks the next cycle will look different. "In four years, we'll have a whole host of new guys with maybe a star or two developing," he said. He's probably right that the current generation's ceiling was already visible. The question is whether the next one raises it.
Youth participation numbers back the enthusiasm. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 16.8 million young people played outdoor soccer in 2025 — a 15.8% jump in a single year. That kind of growth doesn't come from nothing.
The Haaland effect and beyond
Mesa High coach T.J. Hagen pointed to the star power that pulled casual viewers in: Haaland for Norway, Vozinha in goal for Cabo Verde, Messi and Ronaldo doing what Messi and Ronaldo do. The U.S. television landscape for club soccer remains thin, but a World Cup on home soil with a watchable USMNT and genuinely compelling storylines changed the equation — at least for six weeks.
Whether that window converts into lasting engagement is the real bet here. Club soccer's domestic TV presence is still patchy, and once the tournament ends, casual fans have to actively seek the sport out. But if Snyder's football-coach friend spent a month texting about Haaland, there are probably a few thousand more like him who didn't entirely switch off when the final whistle blew in July.
"Hearing people talk about soccer more has been a very exciting thing for those of us already invested in the soccer community," O'Brien said. He's not wrong — and the Arizona high school season is about to find out exactly how deep that excitement runs.
