By Paul Lucky Okoku
-
From Nearly Empty College Bleachers Decades Ago to Packed World Cup Stadiums in 2026, America’s Football Journey Has Become Personal
-
Football’s growth in America was never a question of possibility. It was only a question of time.
….Permit me, respectfully, to call it football.
Most of the world knows the game by that name, while many Americans continue to call it soccer. Even the debate over whether the game should be called football or soccer occasionally finds its way into public discourse. Yet regardless of the terminology, the sport’s growth in America has become impossible to ignore.
Fortunately, the game itself is bigger than the label. Whether one says football or soccer, the passion, skill, drama, and beauty of the game remain universal. The ball is still round, the goals remain the same, and the emotions it evokes transcend language, borders, and cultures.
A Personal Beginning
When I first experienced collegiate football in America, the contrast was striking.
One of my earliest road trips was for a college match. I remember looking around and seeing only a handful of spectators — students, parents, friends, perhaps twenty people in total.
For someone coming from a football culture where the game could fill stadiums, dominate conversations, and unite communities, it was surprising.
I remember thinking:
Football still has a long journey ahead in this country.
That memory returned to me as I watched the United States defeat Paraguay 4-1 in its opening World Cup match, led by a young striker of Nigerian heritage, Folarin Balogun.
The contrast could not have been more powerful.
America’s Football Journey
There was a time when many football nations did not take the United States seriously.
America was respected in American football, basketball, baseball, track and field, swimming, and Olympic sports. But in the world’s football, the United States was often viewed as an outsider.
That perception has changed.
The 1994 FIFA World Cup gave America a platform. Major League Soccer gave the game a professional home. The women’s game gave America global credibility. Corporate investment, youth academies, immigrant communities, college pathways, and soccer-specific stadiums helped deepen the foundation.
Then came global names such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Kaká, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimović, and later Lionel Messi. Each helped expand the visibility of the game in America. Messi, in particular, brought a level of global attention that few players in history could generate.
But the real story is not only about famous names.
The real story is that America kept building.
The Night America Made History
Against Paraguay, the United States did more than win.
The United States made history.
A 4-1 victory in a World Cup opener is not ordinary. For the first time in FIFA World Cup history, the United States scored four goals in a World Cup match.
That matters.
The Americans played with confidence, speed, aggression, purpose, and belief. This was not a host nation hoping to survive. This was a host nation announcing that it intended to compete.
At the center of that statement was Folarin Balogun.
Balogun’s Moment
Balogun was named Player of the Match.
Two goals.
Sharp movement.
Clinical finishing.
Confidence under pressure.
For years, observers of American football have asked whether the United States could produce or attract the kind of striker capable of deciding major World Cup matches.
Against Paraguay, Balogun gave an answer.
Nigeria’s Loss, America’s Gain
Balogun’s story is also a Nigerian story.
He was born in the United States to Nigerian parents and raised in England. He represents the modern football world: multiple identities, multiple football cultures, multiple possible national teams, and one final choice.
He chose the United States.
That choice is America’s gain.
And, respectfully, it is also Nigeria’s loss.
Not because Balogun did anything wrong. He did not. Every player has the right to choose the country he feels best represents his identity, opportunity, and future.
But when a player of Nigerian heritage scores twice for the United States in a World Cup opener, Nigerians are allowed to notice. We are allowed to reflect. We are allowed to ask why so much Nigerian football talent continues to shine under other flags.
This is not bitterness.
It is reality.
Nigeria remains one of football’s great talent-producing nations. The challenge is not whether Nigeria has talent. The challenge is whether Nigeria has built the systems, trust, planning, and continuity needed to keep more of that talent committed to the green and white.
Pochettino’s Caution
After the match, United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino was careful not to overstate the victory.
That is what serious coaches do.
He understood that this was only one game. World Cups are not won on opening night. Momentum must be managed. Discipline must continue. Focus must remain.
But he also recognized something important: the crowd, the atmosphere, and the growing support around the American team.
That support matters.
It is evidence that football in America is no longer a passing experiment. It is becoming part of the national sporting conversation.
Pochettino has also spoken broadly about America’s athletic potential. His point is difficult to ignore. The United States has elite athletes, elite facilities, elite universities, elite sports science, elite nutrition, elite medical support, and elite commercial structures.
For generations, many of America’s best young athletes gravitated toward American football, basketball, and baseball.
But what happens if more of them choose football first?
That is why America’s football ceiling may be much higher than many people realize.
Why This Victory Felt Personal
Some may ask why I was so excited.
The answer is simple.
Football has been my transportation through life. It has opened doors, created opportunities, and allowed me to witness the game across different cultures.
I take pride in seeing America succeed. Success, wherever it is found, deserves recognition.
So when the United States performs well in football, I feel proud.
Not because I have forgotten Nigeria.
Never.
But because appreciation and gratitude are not mutually exclusive. One can honor where he came from while also appreciating where life has taken him.
Nigeria gave me a dream.
America gave me a stage.
Football connected both.
A Balanced View
Let us also be careful.
One victory does not make a nation a World Cup favorite. One strong performance does not erase the work still ahead.
The United States must still prove itself against stronger opposition. It must show consistency, tactical maturity, resilience, and the ability to handle the emotional weight of hosting.
Pochettino is right to be cautious.
Supporters can celebrate. Players can enjoy the moment. But serious football people know that tournaments are long, unforgiving, and unpredictable.
Still, balance does not require blindness.
To say America still has work to do is fair.
To say America has arrived as a serious football nation is also fair.
Both can be true at the same time.
Conclusion: America Is No Longer A Football Afterthought
America is no longer asking the football world for permission to belong.
It belongs.
The journey is not complete. The ceiling has not been reached. The challenges remain.
But the message is clear.
The United States is a football nation in motion. And when a nation with America’s resources, diversity, ambition, and sporting culture begins to move seriously in football, the world should pay attention.
The question is no longer whether football can grow in America.
The question is how far America can go.
And on the evidence of this opening statement, the answer may be further than many once believed.
When I first saw football played before a handful of spectators in America, I wondered how far the game could travel. Today, America is filling World Cup stadiums.
America’s football story is no longer a promise. It is becoming proof.
Share Note
If this article added value or offered perspective, you are welcome to share it with others.
Paul Lucky Okoku
Former Nigerian International Footballer | Football Analyst
Published Online
Former Nigerian Super Eagles International
• CAF Africa Cup of Nations — Silver Medalist
• WAFU Nations Cup — Gold Medalist
• CAF Tessema Cup U-21 — Gold Medalist
• FIFA World Youth Championship — Vice-Captain, Flying Eagles of Nigeria