World Cup: From fall guys to contenders, the US mean business against England in Group B clash
“Soccer’s coming home,” they sing, to the tune of the Skinner and Baddiel classic.
It’s a chant of choice for American fans ahead of the World Cup showdown, poking fun at their English opponents.
We heard it from the crowd watching the University of Maryland take on Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The gag is, of course, the replacement of the word “football” with “soccer” – for UK listeners, it’s a lyric that could only have been written in fingernail on a blackboard.
As supporter wind-ups go, it’s at the benign end of the scale, far removed from the terracing attrition in the land where the game began. Some cultural traditions, it seems, take longer to transfer.
US soccer is football, but not quite as we know it in the UK, certainly not as we speak it.
It’s where players “turn and burn”, wear “cleats” on their feet, not boots; take “PKs”, not penalties and, yes, take liberties with the very name of the game.
From fall guys to contenders
However you word it, the US men’s team have come a long way. They are fall guys-cum-contenders in a sport that America found late.
As the game grew worldwide, it struggled for space in a crowded sporting marketplace, squeezed out by American football, baseball, basketball et al.
America’s male footballers have long been in the shadow of the country’s women’s team. They are a sporting superpower and serial winners of the World Cup (a record four times).
The women’s game has reaped the benefit of a college system that was attracting many of the country’s best female athletes to soccer scholarships, while their male counterparts leaned towards more traditional US sports.
The US Soccer Hall of Fame at FC Dallas
The US Soccer Hall of Fame at FC Dallas hosts a display that recalls the 1950 World Cup match when America’s men, famously, beat England 1-0.
It was such a shock that they made a film of it: The Miracle Match. Seventy-two years on, there would be nothing miraculous about a US win against England in Qatar.
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After a stilted journey towards an established soccer set-up, the US men’s team are ranked 16th in the world.
FC Dallas president and chairman Dan Hunt spoke to Sky News about how the men’s game, domestically, has grown.
He said: “The success of American soccer really goes back to 1994. Having the World Cup here in the United States kicked off a new generation of players on the men’s side.
“The women’s game was already successful and doing well, but the excitement and energy that brought really kickstarted soccer again in this country.
“It’s been a history of fits and starts and stops. You look at the big win against England in 1950, which was such a reference point, and then we basically went dark for 40 years, between 1950 and 1990.
Maryland fans are confident their country’s team will have a good World Cup
“The old NASL (North America Soccer League) has come and gone. The promise that we had to make as a country was to create a first division professional league, and that’s what brought MLS (Major League Soccer) to life.
“The early years of MLS were incredibly difficult but, for me, the most pivotal moment was the 2002 World Cup where the US team did really well with a number of MLS players.
“Some had already gone abroad and had success in Europe, but that really was the foundation because, only a year earlier, MLS had talked about going out of business and that was the little bit of momentum we needed.
“Since then, the MLS has really taken off.”
Read more:
US and Wales share the points in World Cup opener
Timothy Weah earned the US a point in their opening match against Wales. Pic: USA TODAY Sports
While football club academies in America have, increasingly, become a feeder to the highest level of the sport, the college system still provides a pathway to the professional game.
The University of Maryland is a powerhouse production line of talent – graduates from its scholarship programme have played in the last five World Cups.
Sasho Cirovski is the university’s coach, whose career has spanned decades of growth in the American game.
Sasho Cirovski says soccer has come a long way in the US
He told Sky News: “The American college system is unique to the whole world. It’s the one place in the world where you can combine high level academics with high-level soccer in a residential setting with tremendous facilities.
“You’re prepared to deal with being away from home, you’re prepared to deal with the expectations of performance.
“You’re scrutinised by the media, you’re challenged by the coaches, and you’re around players who also want to be high-level pros and win championships. So, when you have that kind of support network where you can grow, and you can blossom, it allows players to realise their dreams.
“We have the great advantage in this country of being able to watch and experience and learn from other sports. There is a character and competitiveness about the American athlete – a winning mentality, a toughness that is bred across different sports.
“For a long time, we had to learn from watching the Bundesliga or English Premier League – now we can see it in our own country. But we can also see it from other sports, so there’s a wide array of learning around you that really shows you what it’s going to take to be great.”
Joe Biden has met with Xi Jinping for the last time as US president, where the Chinese leader said he is “ready to work” with Donald Trump.
Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, Mr Biden said the US and China’s relationship should be about “competition, not conflict”.
“We haven’t always agreed, but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank,” he said.
“We’ve never kidded one another. These conversations prevent miscalculations, and they ensure the competition between our two countries will not veer into conflict.
“We’ve been level with one another. I think that’s vital.”
Their last-ever meeting comes as president-elect Donald Trump vows to introduce blanket 60% tariffs on US imports of Chinese goods as part of a series of “America First” trade measures.
Pic: Reuters
But despite Mr Trump’s proposed measures, Mr Xi said his country’s goal “of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship remains unchanged”.
“Our commitment to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and… cooperation as principles for handling China-US relations remains unchanged,” he added.
The Chinese president then said the country is “ready to work with the new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences, so as to strive for a steady transition”.
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Neither Mr Xi nor Mr Biden responded to a question about whether there were concerns about Mr Trump’s proposed tariffs.
The president-elect has also named several China hawks to his transition team, such as Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser.
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Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Under Mr Biden, Washington has introduced restrictions on US investment in Chinese artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors.
Former house speaker Nancy Pelosi also visited the island of Taiwan – which China views as a breakaway province – in April 2022.
In their meeting at this time last year – which followed a surge in tensions when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the US – both leaders said direct communication between American and Chinese military forces would be restored.
Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson says the health scare in June, which forced the postponement of his boxing match with Jake Paul, almost cost him his life.
“I almost died in June,” Tyson wrote on X, adding that he “had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital”.
The 58-year-old, who lost to the YouTuber-turned-boxer in a unanimous points decision in Texas, tweeted that the situation was far worse than people had realised.
Following Tyson’s recovery, after reportedly suffering an ulcer flareup, he reflected on the result of the fight.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won… no regrets to get in the ring one last time,” he said.
That contrasts with Tyson’s comments after the match in which he refused to confirm whether it would be his last fight.
“It depends on the situation,” Tyson said before suggesting a fight with Paul’s older brother, Logan Paul, who was standing near him in the ring.
Critics argued that the revised match – which involved fewer and shortened rounds, as well as heavier gloves – fell short of entertaining.
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Paul beats Tyson by unanimous decision
Some claimed it appeared more like a glorified sparring session.
It was Tyson’s first sanctioned pro bout since 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride and then went into retirement – only briefly reappearing for an exhibition match in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr.
Jake Paul believes he can fight for a championship belt within two years. Pic: AP
Paul has plenty to prove
Paul, 27, still has plenty to prove. The social media influencer wants to be a championship fighter and compete for a championship belt within two years. “I think it could happen in the next 24 months,” Paul said.
“I truly, truly believe in my skills and my ability and my power. And the cruiserweight division is seemingly open for the taking on that timeline,” he added.
The only professional match he has lost so far has been to Tommy Fury, the less-accomplished brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
But there are questions about when Paul will fight a contender in his prime, as opposed to former champions or mixed martial artists.
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Intriguingly, in the days before his fight with Tyson, Paul mentioned super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, considered one of the best boxers in the world.
According to reports, the Texas bout earned Paul $40m (£31.7m) versus $20m (£15.8m) for Tyson.
Netflix said 60 million households worldwide viewed the contest on its streaming platform, and nearly 50 million tuned in to watch the undercard which saw Ireland’s Katie Taylor beat Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
Even so there were some technical glitches. More than 90,000 users reported problems on Netflix at its peak, according to the website Downdetector, which tracks outages.
American presidents must be citizens, born in the US, a resident in the country for 14 years, and at least 35 years of age.
Barron William Trump was born in Florida on 20 March 2006.
He is the only child of Melania and Donald Trump, who has fathered four other children by his two previous wives.
Barron has lived between Florida, New York City and Washington DC all his life.
He qualifies as a potential POTUS – except for his age – the 18-year-old was only a first-time voter this November.
Read more:
Who is Barron Trump?
Meet the Trumps
Barron Trump gives a thumbs up at a campaign rally at Trump’s golf resort in Doral, Florida. Pic: Reuters
But MAGA supporters seem ready to wait for the Trump dynasty to carry on in power – “Barron Trump President 2044” merchandise is already on sale on the internet.
Having guided his father on to the voter-rich “manosphere” of internet sites, Barron has become Donald’s favourite son and the main repository of the Trump family’s political ambitions – if he wants the role.
Young, blonde, with handsome Slavic looks, and towering over his 6ft 3in father, Barron, at least 6ft 7in, is a cult figure with the MAGA faithful who talk of his “aristocratic bearing”.
This year, when he made his first, rare, appearance at a campaign rally, his father suggested his other sons watch out for the competition he represents.
Overtaking his older half-siblings – Don Jr, Eric and Ivanka – in the pecking order is a remarkable metamorphosis for the mommie’s boy who seemed on the brink of tears nine years ago at his father’s first victory rally in New York City.
(L-R) Tiffany Trump, Eric Trump, Lara Trump and Donald Trump Jr at the Republican National Convention before the election.
Pic: Reuters
Donald Trump, Melania and Barron arrive at an election night watch party. Pic: AP
This year at Mar-a-Lago, Barron and his mother were the First Family elect, the first on to the stage with the president-elect.
Barron was singled out for thanks by his father. The young male voters Barron directed his father to woo had indeed made a significant contribution to the Republicans’ across-the-board victory.
The Wall Street Journal reported a shift to the right of some 28 points toward Trump in this group.
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning, 56% of male voters aged 18-28 backed Trump in 2024, up from 41% in 2020.
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How Trump won the election
In the last campaign, Jared Kushner was in charge of the internet, then in his 30s.
This time a 27-year-old Republican consultant called Alex Bruesewitz produced a list of possible podcast appearances, which Trump immediately referred him to his youngest son: “Barron knows this stuff very well”.
Barron and his 18-year-old best friend, Bo Loudon, whose parents appeared on TV’s Wife Swap, then guided Trump to spend hours talking to hosts such as Logan Paul, Adin Ross, the Nelk Boys, Theo Von and, of course, Joe Rogan.
Trump’s interview with the comedian Theo Von has been viewed 15 million times.
Theo Von pictured during a stand-up performance in 2022.
Pic: mpi04/MediaPunch /IPX
His appearance on Joe Rogan has notched up 50 million views on YouTube alone, far more views than the presidential debates and convention keynote speeches.
There are now recriminations in the Democratic camp because Kamala Harris turned down her invitation to go on Joe Rogan for fear of “a backlash with some of our progressive colleagues”.
The left-wing independent Senator Bernie Sanders is almost a lone voice on the left arguing that cancelling right-of-centre outlets is counterproductive.
Trump burnished his celebrity on The Apprentice but was quick to understand that newer media outlets are the way to reach younger voters.
“They don’t grow up watching television the same way as we did. They grow up looking at the internet and watching a computer, right,” he noted.
Jamie Tahsin of Vice, who has spent five years studying the ultimate online bro Andrew Tate, describes Barron as “chronically online”.
The looser conversational style of these podcasts suited Trump, who came across as less aggressive, partly because he was not challenged or asked to talk about policy detail.
He was in tune with their typical obsessions of sports, bling, macho anti-woke posturing, trucks, wrestling and cryptocurrencies.
Tate, an accused rapist and human trafficker, has not been directly involved with Trump but still summarised the election as “men vs gays and chicks”.
Barron follows all this stuff and seems to be most interested in cryptocurrencies.
Donald Trump next to his wife Melania, son Barron (left) and vice president elect JD Vance. Pic: Reuters
He joined his father and brothers to launch the World Liberty Financial.
On a livestream with two of WLF’s other founders, Chase Herro and Zachary Folkman, Trump commented: “Barron knows so much about this. Barron’s a young guy but he knows it. He talks about his wallet.”
Herro is also known for running the Date Hotter Girls service and crypto markets have soared since Trump’s re-election.
The name Barron, with its aristocratic overtones, has long appealed to Trump.
When he was making his way as a businessman, Trump used to call reporters claiming to be “John Barron”, a colleague of Trump’s, who would then go on to praise Trump’s various enterprises.
Then he gave the name Barron to his son.
Barron appears to share the family fondness for money-making schemes but it is not obvious yet that this diffident and polite young man has political ambitions. Those who know Barron say he is quiet, gentle and considerate – the opposite of a MAGA frat boy.
Barron went to three high schools as his father moved around the US. He has just started as a freshman at New York University’s Stern Business School. When fellow students teased him asking how he voted, he declined to say he is a Republican.
As so often his mother, Melania, spoke up for him, also without being partisan. She posted a picture of her son in the polling booth captioned “Voted for the first time – for his dad”.
Earlier Melania publicly turned down the invitation for Barron to speak at this year’s Republican Convention. His cousin Kia took the gig instead. Barron himself has no public social media presence.
Melania and her parents did much of the work raising Barron. They came to the US from Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. Barron speaks fluent Slovenian and as a small boy he spoke English with an accent like his mother.
His father claims he also speaks Chinese. Like her, he is an enigmatic figure, though he dresses in a suit and tie for his public appearances and is unlikely to appear in a coat emblazoned with “I don’t really care do you.”
America may be a republic rather than a monarchy, but dynasties still matter. They accumulate wealth and political know-how. Two generations of the Bush family were elected president.
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Kai Trump vlogs election night
Robert F Kennedy Jr has made a grotesque comeback as a Trump ally, trading on the family name of his father and uncle, President John F Kennedy.
Trump’s other children are dimmer political prospects.
Favourite daughter Ivanka was a close advisor last time her father was president but has repeatedly insisted that she has turned the page on politics.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Don Jr and Eric are keen, but not very bright, even in their father’s estimation.
Eric is concentrating on the commercial side of the Trump empire, while his wife Lara, currently co-chair of the Republican Party, may be in line for a job in the next administration.
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Don Jr goes down well with the MAGA faithful but lobbied hard for JD Vance to be vice president, scoring an own goal by recruiting someone likely better placed to follow his father into the White House.
Tiffany was brought up by her mother, Marla Maples, in California and largely stays away from campaigning.
That leaves the burden of expectation on the shoulders of Barron.
The world will have to wait until 2044 to see if his own ambitions, his mother, and his father’s legacy, leave him with a shot at the presidency.
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