The men’s World Cup awakened new American soccer fans. It’s time for NWSL to invite them in

It is one thing to have been on the ground floor ahead of the meteoric rise of an indie band or clothing label, but announcing it undermines whatever social cachet may have been gained from possessing that degree of taste and vision. Claiming to have known about something before it became cool does not, in fact, ensure coolness to the person saying it. This is how many American soccer fans feel after the 2026 men’s World Cup. The vindicating joy of watching the same people who once disparaged th