Member of 1994 USA World Cup team knows how much soccer can grow if this year's team keeps up its success

The United States men's nationalist squad has an accidental to marque past connected Monday nighttime by reaching the World Cup quarterfinals successful a crippled played connected its location soil.

With a triumph connected Monday implicit Belgium, Team USA volition beryllium 1 of the "elite eight" remaining successful the World Cup, making it the furthest they've gone since 2002.

Soccer's popularity grew immensely erstwhile the 1994 USA squad made it to the knockout signifier connected location soil, and John Harkes, 1 of the members of that team, which is the focal constituent of FOX ONE's "Summer of '94" docuseries, believes this twelvemonth is simply a "full-circle moment."

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USA's John Harkes (6) successful enactment vs Switzerland Marc Hottiger (2) during Group Stage A lucifer astatine Pontiac Silverdome. Pontiac, Michigan. (John Biever/Getty Images)

"I was with my lad and his woman and our grandson and my woman astatine the (Round of 32) game, and the nationalist anthem ever hits maine hard, and the emotions come. You look backmost connected the years that we played and what we contributed to the crippled backmost successful 1990 and '94. It was monolithic being here. Thirty-two years connected now, it's truly important for america to archer the stories due to the fact that these are caller audiences, and they request to cognize the stories. They request to cognize the past of the game, and that's portion of the acquisition that goes connected successful our country," Harkes told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

"We're ever trying to archer those stories the close mode and person those platforms. The champion mode to bash that is to win. And present we person guys that are competing and playing each implicit the satellite with large talent, large skill, and we're seeing them now. But the emotions that travel retired successful the stadium astatine these games are unreal for maine to truly control. But I emotion it. I'm conscionable truthful excited and blessed that this is happening."

Harkes admitted to feeling the added "pressure" of trying to turn the crippled successful his location country, each portion competing for soccer's astir coveted trophy. But it was thing they had to "accept." They did that with the assistance of defeating Colombia to get into the knockout stage, and this year's squad is connected the way to doing the aforesaid aft past week's thrilling 2-0 triumph implicit Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fans of the United States observe during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 lucifer betwixt USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium connected July 1, 2026 successful Santa Clara, California. (Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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"When you bash thing similar that, that wakes up a nation," Harkes added.

Harkes is present a method manager astatine McLean Youth Soccer successful Virginia and an adjunct manager for the USA U15 team, and arsenic the athletics grows, helium wants respectful coaches to grow, arsenic well.

"We are gathering platforms for these kids to not conscionable person amusive and vie but to person beingness skills. We request to beryllium mentors. It is simply a mentorship that you instrumentality on, and erstwhile you instrumentality connected that responsibility, you are determination for the player, you are determination for the kids, and you're besides determination for the parents too," Harkes, a portion of the "Yes, Coach!" team, said. "We're successful a truly bully concern close present crossed the crippled successful this state wherever coaches request to measurement successful with afloat responsibility, wide communication, and beryllium bully relation models. If you tin go that bully relation exemplary and assistance mentor different coaches to beryllium bully coaches wherever they are putting the subordinate first, these are the beingness skills that they need, and they request to beryllium capable to recognize the crippled and respect the game.

"We spot excessively galore coaches that privation a win-at-all-cost mentality. I spot them yelling from the sideline astatine kids, and kids are second-guessing everything. They're not adjacent having fun. It's not work. It's expected to beryllium a sport. It's expected to beryllium for fun, for them to beryllium unneurotic arsenic a team, to person camaraderie, to recognize what sacrifice means for the subordinate adjacent to you, your friend, and that you turn successful these relationships. So the much that we tin mentor coaches to recognize that portion and their roles and what they bash with these children is the astir important portion of the game, and there's nary amended level than to bash it close now."

Harkes knows what the 1994 World Cup did to soccer, and helium besides knows however overmuch much this year's lawsuit tin do.

The United States observe triumph aft the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 lucifer betwixt USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina astatine San Francisco Bay Area Stadium connected July 1, 2026 successful Santa Clara, California. (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

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"That summertime of '94, it was incredible. It was unprecedented what we did successful '94, to beryllium honorable with you..." Harkes said. "And we've got this accidental now, we've created truthful overmuch passionateness astir the men's game. These stories are present preserved from the past. People cognize who they are. We transportation that guardant into the crippled contiguous and what they're doing connected the field. It's conscionable a cleanable match. It truly is. So a batch of occurrence is coming retired of that. And I'm truly excited astir what we've done successful the past and what we're doing now. So let's support supporting our U.S. squad and propulsion them connected arsenic acold arsenic they tin go."

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