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The United States men’s national team has a chance to make history Monday night by reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup in a home game.
With a victory on Monday over Belgium, the United States team will be one of the “elite eight” remaining in the World Cup, the furthest they have gone since 2002.
Soccer’s popularity grew immensely when the 1994 U.S. team reached the knockout stage at home, and John Harkes, one of the members of that team who is the focus of FOX ONE’s “Summer of ’94” documentary series, believes this year is a “coming full circle moment.”
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USA’s John Harkes (6) in action against Switzerland’s Marc Hottiger (2) during Group A at Pontiac Silverdome. Pontiac, Michigan. (John Biever/Getty Images)
“I was with my son, his wife, our grandson and my wife at the (round of 32) game, and the national anthem always hits me hard, and the emotions come. You look back at the years we played and what we contributed to the game in 1990 and 1994. It was huge to be here. Thirty-two years later, it’s really important for us to tell the stories because these are new audiences and they need to know the stories. They need to know the history of the game, and that’s part of the education that goes on in our country,” Harkes told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
“We’re always trying to tell those stories the right way and have those platforms. The best way to do that is to win. And now we have guys that are competing and playing all over the world with great talent, great skill, and we’re seeing them now. But the emotions that come out in the stadium in these games are unreal for me to really control. But I love it. I’m very excited and happy that this is happening.”
Harkes admitted feeling the added “pressure” of trying to grow the game in his home country, while competing for football’s most coveted trophy. But it was something they had to “accept.” They did it with the help of defeating Colombia to advance to the knockout stage, and this year’s team is on track to do the same after last week’s exciting 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United States fans celebrate during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Alex Pantling – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
LANDON DONOVAN REMEMBERS LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT AT WORLD CUP AMID PLAYERS’ ‘RESPONSIBILITY’ FOR THE GROWTH OF THE GAME IN THE US.
“When you do something like that, it wakes up a nation,” Harkes added.
Harkes is now the head coach of McLean Youth Soccer in Virginia and an assistant coach for the U.S. U15 team, and as the sport grows, he wants respectful coaches to grow as well.
“We’re building platforms for these kids to not only have fun and compete, but to have life skills. We need to be mentors. It’s a mentorship that you take on, and when you take on that responsibility, it’s there for the player, it’s there for the kids, and it’s there for the parents,” Harkes, part of the “Yes, Coach!” team, he said. “We’re in a really good situation right now across sport in this country, where coaches need to step in with full responsibility, clear communication and be good role models. “If you can become that good role model and help guide other coaches to be good coaches where they put the player first, these are the life skills they need, and they need to be able to understand the game and respect it.
“We see too many coaches who want a win-at-all-costs mentality. I see them yelling from the sideline at kids, and kids doubt everything. They’re not even having fun. It’s not work. It’s supposed to be a sport. It’s supposed to be for fun, for you to be together as a team, for camaraderie, for you to understand what sacrifice means for the player next to you, your friend, and for you to grow in these relationships. So the more we can guide coaches to understand “That part and their roles and what they do with these kids is the most important part of the game, and there’s no better platform than doing it right now.”
Harkes knows what the 1994 World Cup did to football, and he also knows how much more this year’s event can do.
The United States celebrates victory after the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (François Nel/Getty Images)
“That summer of 1994, it was incredible. What we did in 1994 was unprecedented, to be honest…” Harkes said. “And now we have this opportunity, we’ve created so much passion around men’s soccer. These stories are now preserved from the past. People know who they are. We bring that to today’s game and what they’re doing on the field. It’s just a perfect match. It really is. So a lot of success is coming from that. And I’m very excited about what we’ve done in the past and what we’re doing now. So let’s continue to support our US team and push them as far as they can go.”
