When 2026 comes to an end, soccer will be in a new era in the United States, relishing the post-World Cup glow that many hope will push the game to new levels of attention.
Yet 2025 laid the final groundwork for the showcase event in June and July. The U.S. men’s national team failed to win a trophy, finishing fourth and second in two Concacaf competitions before conspiring to play the most entertaining and cohesive enjoyed under manager Mauricio Pochettino. Major League Soccer delivered its own roller coaster of emotions while the nation’s best exports struck new heights in Europe.
As the year draws to a close, here are 12 pictures to remember the last 12 months.
January—Agyemang Marks His Spot
Patrick Agyemang had put himself on the map in MLS in 2024 with 10 goals for Charlotte FC, but it was the January camp for primarily North American-based players where he kick-started a formative year.
He scored a goal in both a 3–1 win over Venezuela and a 3–0 victory over Costa Rica. Later on in the year, he went on to start for the USMNT at the Concacaf Gold Cup and earned a transfer to English Championship side Derby County.
February—Messi’s Cold Night in Kansas City
Lionel Messi has conquered nearly every aspect of soccer, but he’s done so primarily in hot environments. In one of his first matches of 2025, he bundled up in 3°F (-16°C) with a wind speed of 9 mph, resulting in a wind chill of -11°F for a match against Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
He did what he does best, scoring the lone goal in a 1–0 win that advanced his Herons.
March—Waterman Ends USMNT’s Nations League Hopes with Iconic Celebration
The start of 2025’s competitive schedule was rough for the USMNT. The first big test under Pochettino saw the Stars and Stripes falter, losing 1–0 to Panama in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal, with Cecilio Waterman scoring in second-half stoppage time to win it.
It was a heartbreaking moment for the USMNT, but Waterman provided an iconic celebration with the CBS Sports crew perched on the perimeter of the pitch, hurtling towards former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry while screaming, “You are my idol.” As the rest of the Panama squad piled in on the embrace, former USMNT star Clint Dempsey distanced himself.
April—USMNT Stars Trounce Miami with Vancouver
There are plenty of teams that have beaten Lionel Messi-led sides in his two decades of soccer. Still, only the Vancouver Whitecaps can claim to have kept him off the scoresheet in their first two matches against him, as they did in a 5–1 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal victory over two legs in April.
A trio of USMNT players were at the heart of that series as well, with Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White scoring two goals each in the series, and Tristan Blackmon holding down the stingy backline as the Whitecaps advanced to their first of three finals in 2025.
May—American Foursome Win the Eredivisie
The 2024–25 season saw several American players lift trophies in 2025, and the foursome of Ricardo Pepi, Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Richard Ledezma stands out, as they hoisted the trophy for winning the Dutch Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven.
While Pepi and Dest dealt with injuries throughout the season, Tillman impressed and brought that form into the summer at the Gold Cup, where he turned heads before signing with top-tier Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Ledezma, meanwhile, has since moved to Liga MX and hopes to represent the Mexican national team despite previous experience with the USMNT.
June—Matt Freese’s Penalty Shootout Heroics vs. Costa Rica
2025 was the year of Matt Freese taking over the starting goalkeeper position for the USMNT.
No moment drew as much excitement as his three penalty saves against Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. It was an emphatic moment for the New York City FC goalkeeper, allowing him to start through the semifinal and final, as well as the fall friendlies to wrap up 2025.
July—Trump’s Trophy Gatecrash
The 2026 World Cup will be one of the most significant moments for American soccer and the 2025 Club World Cup gave some hints of what it could look like.
From President Donald Trump’s odd appearance in Chelsea’s trophy celebrations, to the exuberance of fans from around the world and Inter Miami’s historic win over FC Porto, it was a month of club soccer few will ever forget.
August—Vermont Green Win USL League 2 With an Undefeated Season
August was an incredibly formative month for American soccer. It saw Son Heung-min join LAFC on a record transfer fee of $26.2 million and Thomas Müller join MLS too, albeit in Canada with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Yet, one of the best stories happened three tiers below in USL League 2, as Vermont Green FC stunningly won the league title against Ballard FC to complete an undefeated season, with over 5,000 fans packed in and around Virtue Field. Backed by music star Noah Kahan and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who featured on a prematch tifo, it was a moment that showcased the game’s growth beneath the bright lights of MLS in the U.S.
September—Christian Pulisic Returns to the USMNT
Christian Pulisic was not a key player for the USMNT in 2025, but his lack of appearances was undoubtedly a key storyline.
The AC Milan superstar opted to rest instead of play in the Gold Cup and summer friendlies, but returned in September with a solid performance in a 2–0 loss to South Korea and a 1–0 win over Japan, a match which turned the fortunes of the USMNT for the rest of 2025.
October—U.S. U20s Dominate Italy at the World Cup
The growth of the USMNT has been undeniable, but the youth levels remain a work in progress. After participating in the U23 tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics, eyes once again turned to the youth stage in October, where the American youngsters trounced Italy 3–0 in group stage action, headlined by a brace from Benjamin Cremaschi.
November—USMNT Cap Off 2025 With Uruguay Domination
The final USMNT game of the year couldn’t have gone better. Despite an MLS-heavy roster, Pochettino’s side dominated Uruguay, with a well-worked set-piece goal from Sebastian Berhalter and several other standout moments in a 5–1 victory.
It capped off a successful fall, as the USMNT wrapped up 2025 on a five-match undefeated run and three-game win streak.
December—The World Cup Draw
It finally started to feel real. In all the preparation, the idea of the World Cup remained relatively distant. Under a snowy day in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 5, though, it all became real as the USMNT and other qualified nations learned their World Cup groups in a flamboyant ceremony that prominently featured President Trump, alongside co-host nation leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The event drew attention worldwide and came a day before the 2025 MLS Cup, where Messi won his world-record 47th trophy with Inter Miami’s 3–1 victory over Müller’s Whitecaps.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 in Pictures: The Year That Was in American Men’s Soccer .
