“Our best athletes play football”: Rob Gronkowski explains why the USMNT isn’t a global powerhouse

The United States is building up for arguably the biggest sports event of the summer - the World Cup. It’s the second time that the US has hosted the event and a lot has changed since 1994.

This globalized, digital age means greater exposure and more hype for a tournament which is now bigger than ever, with 48 teams taking part in this summer’s edition. Major League Soccer has also expanded and grown in prominence across the globe.

How far will the USMNT go at this summer’s World Cup?

All of that means expectation for the USMNT to do well at World Cup 2026 is higher than it has ever been before.

Not, it has to be said, that the US men’s team have ever been in the running to actually win the trophy. The USMNT’s best World Cup performance came at Japan/Korea 2002 when Bruce Arena’s team made it as far as the quarter finals where they narrowly lost to Germany.

In their last two campaigns, the USMNT reached the Round of 16 before packing their bags. The current team, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, is expected to be one of the two teams to emerge from Group D at this summer’s tournament. It will feel like a letdown if they don’t reach the knockout stage - even as one of the eight teams who finish third and advance based on their ranking.

Injuries, demoralizing results

Pochettino’s team haven’t looked particularly inspiring from what we have seen in the friendly matches played since last year’s Gold Cup defeat to Mexico. Defeats to Portugal and Belgium this year won’t have done much for their self-confidence either.

In contrast to the US women’s team, who have been in five World Cup finals and won four of them, the men’s team don’t even look like contenders - despite being 16th in the FIFA world ranking.

Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski thinks he know why that is. He explained hjs theory to Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run.

“If we didn’t have American Football, I believe that Team USA would a top 3 team in the world,” Gronk said. “I think, football, our football in America, kinda ruined our soccer game, our soccer teams. Because our best athletes play the game of American Football“.

He continued: “Like you Chad, if those athletes started at a young age, like our wide receivers and DBs - they’re the best athletes in the world, if they started at a young age... Everyone knows in America, you’re gonna play American Football, you’re not gonna play soccer - that’s the goal.

Football, American Football, comes first

“If we didn’t have American Football, I believe that Team USA would a top 3 team in the world whenever if comes down to the Olympics, World Cup,” he repeated. “And that’s why I think our women’s team is so good because they get their best athletes to play right from the beginning. But we take away our soccer athletes and we make them become American Football players".

Could Gronk be onto something? We’ll soon find out. The USMNT opens its World Cup campaign on June 13 against Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

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