Why the U.S. Men’s Team Has Never Won the World Cup
Why the U.S. Men’s Team Has Never Won the World Cup  
Podcast: Sports In America with David Greene
Published On: Thu Jun 18 2026
Description: The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is in full swing in North America — but unlike the U.S. women’s team, the men’s national team has never won the tournament. They’ve never even made it to the finals. This week, we sit down with ESPN soccer writer Ryan O’Hanlon to figure out why the men’s team always falls short. And with last week’s dominant win against Paraguay, could this year’s World Cup be any different?Then, we’ll hear from one of the best players that the U.S. men’s national team has ever seen: Jozy Altidore. A son of Haitian immigrants, Jozy is the third-best scorer in the team’s history. We’ll hear how Jozy learned to put the world’s expectations off to the side, and remember his legendary goal that helped the USA beat an undefeated Spain in 2009.Show Notes When the USA stunned super Spain | FIFA Jozy Altidore’s best goals, highlights, skills | Major League Soccer Jozy’s stanky leg 13 Stats that prove USMNT will win the World Cup | ESPN The USMNT is a mess. That's the price of the U.S. becoming a 'soccer country' | ESPN Show CreditsHost: David GreeneExecutive Producers: Joan Isabella, Tom GrahslerSenior Producer: Michael OlcottProducer: Michaela WinbergAssociate Producer: Bibiana CorreaTalent Booker: Britt KahnEngineers: Mike VillersTile Art: Bea WallingTheme Song: Emma MungerSports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.