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The success of the 2026 World Cup in the United States wasn't defined only by the USMNT's performance on the pitch, but by the growth of the sport in the country where American football is king. The United States was a co-host of the tournament with Mexico and Canada.
Former USMNT stars Tim Howard and Landon Donovan were prepared to assist fans old and new with the nuances of the beautiful game through their "Unfiltered Soccer" podcast, which has 92,000 subscribers on YouTube and releases a new episode every Tuesday on major streaming platforms. The two National Soccer Hall of Famers were teammates for several years and played together at the 2010 World Cup, where Donovan famously had the stoppage time goal against Algeria to send the side to the round of 16. It was the last time the United States won their group before doing so again this summer.
This year, the USMNT was kicked out of the round of 16 via a 4-1 dismantling at the hands of Belgium, the team that the United States lost to in the 2014 tournament and Howard had his record 16 saves. The recent match had added tension around a rescinded red card to the United States' leading scorer Folarin Balogun. It had an audience of 30 million viewers on FOX, which made it the most-watched soccer telecast in United States history.
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"I think this was a successful World Cup for our US men’s national team on the field," Howard said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports. "I do. They did some really good things, and of course, stumbling at that hurdle hurts. It was always going to hurt whenever whenever the team went out. But they could be proud of themselves, and they had a really good tournament."
The World Cup, which had an added round with the expanded field of 48 teams, broke the attendance record in group play and finished with 6.8 million fans watching a match in person. Spain won its first men's World Cup since 2010 and Kylian Mbappé was the first player to win the Golden Boot back-to-back. The French star broke the record for most World Cup goals all-time, which was first passed by Lionel Messi during the tournament.
"It exceeded every expectation I had for sure," Donovan said in a separate interview. "... There's a reason why this is the biggest sporting event in the world. It was a massive, massive success, and every record in every way was shattered, including many on the field. ... It was, I think, unequivocally a massive success."
"Overall, for America, for soccer, this has been the best possible outcome," Howard continued. "What a brilliant World Cup! Everything you would, if you wrote down on a piece of paper, what are the top 10 things you hope that will happen? This World Cup, they've all happened."
Not to mention the impact that can't be put into a stat sheet like Erling Haaland going viral again and again, Cape Verde's incredible run and Messi giving baby Lamine Yamal a bath of destiny.
Donovan was part of a similar passing of the torch moment when he and Carlos Bocanegra took a picture with a young Weston McKennie in 2006. McKennie played in his second World Cup this summer and started all five matches. Donovan also pointed to how his experience attending a 1994 World Cup match at the Rose Bowl as a child inspired him to chase his soccer dream.
"Over the next couple decades, there will be many stories of a little girl or a little boy who was watching this summer and became our next great player or next great coach, or works in U.S. Soccer somehow, or works in Major League Soccer," he said. "We're going to find all of these amazing stories that come from people who fell in love with the game this summer."
Donovan and Howard raised eyebrows for some of their hot takes on "Unfiltered Soccer," including Howard saying, "It is literally impossible for the U.S. to win the World Cup" and Donovan questioning Christian Pulisic's toughness after leaving the United States' last match early with an injury.
Howard said the fan engagement is core to the success of "Unfiltered Soccer" and that "they keep us accountable."
The duo also share in the world's embrace of rising stars, including England's Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid star scored one more goal than captain and 2018 Golden Boot winner Harry Kane. Howard had high praise for Bellingham on "Unfiltered Soccer" and offered some additional thoughts.
"It's one thing to be special," he said, "it's another thing to do it on the world stage when it's expected of you. And he has really risen to the top, and an incredible performer. He chases, he runs, he's put on the ball, and he can glide past players. He can tackle. He does everything. And he's 23 years old. And I sometimes forget, like I watch him play, I'm thinking, 'This guy must be 28, 29, 30 years old.' He's 23, and he's almost still a baby, which is really, really brilliant for football fans."
Howard was the same age at a significant stage of his career.
"I signed for Manchester United at 23," he reflected, "and I was like, 'Yeah, I think I'm old and grown,' and you're just a kid."
A memorable episode of "Unfiltered Soccer" was when Donovan and Howard had NFL great Jason Kelce on the show.
"Jason Kelce is God's gift to sport and humanity," Howard said. He also taught the Super Bowl champion how to be a goalkeeper for a video on Kelce's own YouTube channel. "He’s one of the good guys. There's not a lot of those out there, and he is successful, and he is humble, and he is thoughtful, and he's very giving of his help and of his self and of his time."
Donovan explained how Kelce was an important guest because he embodies the audience that "Unfiltered Soccer" hopes to connect with.
"He's someone, obviously played a sport at the very highest level, but he would call himself sort of a casual soccer fan, right?" he said. "He knows a little bit about it, not a lot about it, but really does love the sport and loves watching. And so, he is someone who was able and has been able to learn more by listening and understanding better what's happening at certain times of the game."
Among the technical aspects of soccer that Donovan and Howard broke down for fans like Kelce on "Unfiltered Soccer" were Balogun's red card, Messi's lack of defense and how impressive 40-year-old Vozinha's performance was. And the show, which started in 2025, isn't just about the World Cup. Fans can continue tuning in as Donovan and Howard discuss the Premier League, MLS and other soccer storylines throughout the year.
"We've had this incredible opportunity to bring some color to what people are watching," Donovan said. "And there was lots of controversy, there were a lot of really interesting moments where people wouldn't really understand why something happened or what happened, and we were able to help educate people as to what that meant and why it happened and those kind of things. And the response has been incredible."
"We are delighted to have the platform to speak to our large audience so much so that it's grown to be the number one soccer podcast in America," Howard said. "... We're proud of that and we're humbled by that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tim Howard, Landon Donovan talk USA World Cup, podcast success
