United States

USMNT veterans reflect on team's growing diversity

Updated Feb. 25, 2022 11:48 a.m. ET

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Editor's note: This story is part of FOX Sports' series celebrating Black History Month.

At both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, just two members of the United States Men’s National Team’s 22-man roster — or fewer than 10% — were Black.

Three decades later, the face of the USMNT is much different. On the most recent World Cup qualifying roster, named last month by coach Gregg Berhalter, exactly half of the 28-player squad is Black.

How did this growth happen? And as soccer’s popularity continues to soar across all 50 states, what sort of roadblocks remain for aspiring Black pros?

As part of FOX Sports’ celebration of Black History Month, we asked six people from across the landscape of the American game — most of them current or former national team players — to weigh in.

Their comments have been edited for length and clarity.

What factors have led to the increase in Black players on the USMNT?

DeAndre Yedlin, U.S. defender and 2014 World Cup veteran

"We actually talk about this a lot. Some of the group right now doesn’t know what it was like to come up without a lot of African-Americans in the pool.

"Growing up, I remember watching Jozy Altidore. There was a connection on three levels: He was playing soccer; he was young; and he was Black. For kids, that’s so important, to see somebody that looks like them playing soccer and to know that that’s an option.

DeAndre Yedlin, left, grew up watching Jozy Altidore. Then in 2014, Yedlin got his chance to play for the U.S. in the World Cup, inspiring a new generation of kids. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

"Playing in Europe, what struck me was every little town has a team. Kids have access to the game even if they can’t travel an hour to practice. Now, because of the MLS academies, kids in the U.S. are getting that experience at a very competitive level, and it’s only getting better. You can see the talent now coming out of the academy system. It’s so much better from when I came up.

"It’s also becoming trendy to be a soccer player. That’s huge. Trends have a huge impact on kids on social media, whether it’s new dances or things like that. That may make some kids want to try soccer. Sometimes that’s all it takes."

Maurice Edu, FOX Sports soccer analyst, 2010 World Cup vet

"This national team could field a starting 11 of all Black guys. That’s something I’m proud of.

"Thinking back to the 1994 World Cup, you had Earnie Stewart and Cobi Jones, and that was it. Fast-forward to my generation, and you’re starting to see an increase. In 2010, we had myself, Jozy, Oguchi Onyewu, DaMarcus Beasley, Robbie Finley, Ricardo Clark, Edson Buddle and Tim Howard.

Maurice Edu, right, represented the U.S. in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The USMNT reached the Round of 16 before losing to Ghana. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

"The power of representation is a big thing. I was exposed to soccer early because my parents are Nigerian. Most Black kids I grew up and was friends with gravitated toward basketball and football because it’s what they saw on TV.

"Now, soccer is in a much cooler place than when I was a kid. LeBron is one of Liverpool’s owners. Russell Wilson, James Harden and Yo Gotti have all invested in MLS teams. Those things make soccer more culturally significant.

"When I got to high school, I was better at soccer than my friends were at basketball or football. For them, making the high school varsity team was a big deal. I was on the youth national team, but nobody really cared about soccer.

"That’s why it’s so dope to see this national team and how far things have progressed. Most of the kids that I played soccer with growing up in California were either white or Hispanic. Now, more and more kids are not only playing the sport but playing at a high level and being successful and making a name for themselves in Europe.

"If you ever thought playing soccer isn’t possible, that’s wiped from your mind now because you have so many real-life examples."

Eddie Pope, player agent, represented the U.S. at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups

"Youth academies are probably the biggest reason. You see the same thing happening with Canada. They’ve benefited from the MLS academy system, too. We’re finding better players now across all races.

"Talent is being identified at an early age, and those kids are getting high-level coaching. I think all the academies are free now — that’s the big change. Then you add it to the old system, where some kids still come out of college or Europe if they have an American parent.

"Times have changed. I remember seeing Desmond Armstrong and the late Jimmy Banks on television in 1990. I didn’t even know it was the World Cup. It was eye-opening. It made me think that maybe I could play at that level also. I’d seen a video of Pelé, but he seemed so foreign, as a Brazilian. Jimmy Banks and Desmond Armstrong were Black Americans like me. I identified with that.

Defender Eddie Pope, left, played for the USMNT in the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups. (Photo by Eddy LEMAISTRE/Corbis via Getty Images)

"There are more Black players in MLS, too. You have to applaud MLS for making changes. The standing ovation the Black Players for Change got was tremendous. Hiring Sola Winley [as chief DEI officer] and Jalil Northcutt [as SVP of player relations], I think, puts MLS at the forefront of the other sports leagues in North America in terms of being inclusive."

Desmond Armstrong, first U.S.-born Black player to represent the U.S. at a World Cup (1990)

"The national team reflects what America is today. I think the growth of the sport over 30-plus years has coincided with more African-Americans migrating into the middle class. Soccer has always been a middle-class sport in this country.

"I was a middle-class kid. And I was lucky to grow up in Columbia, Maryland, a planned community that was diverse. It had the highest percentage of interracial couples in America. There were upper-, middle- and lower-class families living side-by-side. Soccer was the number one sport. It was an atypical experience.

"The exposure of the sport has exploded. There was no MLS when we played in the World Cup. When I was young, we had to drive to a certain bar that had a big satellite dish on the roof to catch a match. Today, you can see any type of game you want, and there are so many Black dudes. Back then it was like, ‘Hey, there’s a brother out there kicking a ball.’

"Kids today know Kylian Mbappe and Weston McKennie because they’ve seen them play. And McKennie’s got swagger. I think he personifies the attitude of this young generation.

"The leadership inside U.S. Soccer is also different. Earnie Stewart, one of my former teammates, is the sporting director. Gregg Berhalter went to UNC with my brother before going on to play and coach in Europe. They bring a global viewpoint."

Ali Curtis, first Black GM in MLS history, current SVP of the MLS Next Pro development league

"Usually when a goal is scored, it’s the result of a lot of factors: coaching, tactics, different players making runs or passes. It’s rarely just the goal-scorer. Same with this.

"The diversity that we see within the national team player pool, that’s happening within other industries. People are more open-minded than ever. The world is smaller than it used to be. Soccer is such a global sport that sometimes what happens within the game reflects what’s happening in society. There are more players of color on national teams across the world.

Ali Curtis became the first Black general manager in MLS in 2014. (Photo by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

"MLS has made a massive investment in the game, and part of that is player development. It’s paying dividends. Growing up, I was always the poorest kid on my team and one of the few players of color. To play in an academy for free? That opportunity didn’t exist.

"U.S. Soccer has also made investments. When I think of the residency academy in Bradenton, I think of Beasley, Onyewu, Eddie Johnson. Structurally, things have changed. Not only do you have a Division I pro league — you have Divisions 2 and 3 also.

"Tyler Adams — my first homegrown signing in New York — grew up in a much different universe than existed before 1994. He dreamed of playing for his local professional team. That’s how it should be.

"It’s huge to have role models who look like you to aspire to. It gives you belief that it can be done. Players like Desmond, Eddie and DaMarcus Beasley, I think, had the mindset that they had to achieve so young players would emulate them. Give those guys a lot of credit."

Sean Johnson, current USMNT goalkeeper

"It’s incredible to see that type of progress, to see the talent of Black players shine through and be recognized.

"We represent a diverse country. We’ve had a lot of discussions internally about our own personal experiences. We want to come together collectively around certain ideas and principles, the things that drive us as a national team. And part of that is understanding that everyone’s path is different. The open discussions that we’ve had, expressing the sentiment of Black players, it might be different from others of different races within the team. I think that creates a cohesive bond and respect for each other.

"Gregg has been tremendous. I’ve had really good conversations with him. He has been super open, and he has made sure to be inclusive in the conversations we have with the team. I think it’s created a better environment in the national team, which is the most cohesive we’ve had in a very long time."

Goalkeeper Sean Johnson poses with MLS Cup during the celebration for NYCFC winning the 2021 championship. (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

What obstacles still exist for aspiring Black soccer players in the U.S.?

Yedlin: "We need more African-American coaches and executives. That’s one of the biggest ones. People like Earnie Stewart, their points of view and experiences from their own lives start to trickle into the decisions that are made. It’s huge to get that perspective.

"We can look at all the things that have gone right. There’s been a huge growth, and that needs to be recognized. But there are still roadblocks as well."

Pope: "More Black kids are trying soccer at the recreational level, but when you move up to travel, there’s a much larger bill associated with it. It can easily go from $100 to $1,000. Not everybody — and I don’t mean just Black people — can afford that. So they jump to less expensive sports.

"Also, representation in coaching isn’t great at the youth level, either. Everybody has unconscious biases, even if they’re not outright racist and excluding people."

Armstrong: "We’d like to say soccer has arrived in America because we have all these professional teams and youth academies attached to them. There’s high participation numbers. But my true feeling is that soccer won’t fully arrive until it’s easily accessible in the urban centers, the cities.

"[Also], there’s so many more players, but how does that translate when it comes to coaches and executives? There has still never been an American-born Black MLS head coach. There have to be other stations that we can aspire to beyond just playing."

Curtis: "Sports has always been viewed as a level playing field. It’s not. It’s just more level than a whole bunch of other industries. We have more data now, but decision-making on players is largely subjective. That’s especially true for the national team.

"So, it’s really important that whoever is making the decisions on which players to select are exposed to different groups. How do you work with a player who is really talented, but culturally, he comes from a place that’s different from you? The good thing is the experiences of those in leadership positions in U.S. Soccer are more diverse than they’ve ever been."

Johnson: "We’ve made progress, but it’s important to understand that there’s a long way to go. There’s so many committed people that aren’t just Black players. I think the collective is what’s going to move that ball down the road even further.

"As much as Black representation has increased and is continuing to increase, it’s a collective process. Everyone has to understand where we’re trying to go as a country."

One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.