U.S. Men’s Soccer Team Gets Timely Image Enhancement In Documentaries

BusinessSportsMoneyU.S. Men’s Soccer Team Gets Timely Image Enhancement In DocumentariesByBeau Dure,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Beau Dure is a sports journalist and author of several soccer books.Follow AuthorMay 31, 2026, 03:59pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Christian Pulisic argues with referee Kevin Ortega during the Copa America 2024 match between the United States and Uruguay.Getty ImagesThe U.S. audience loves a good underdog. The 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey team. Lower seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson. Two documentary series pegged to the upcoming men’s soccer World Cup posit the U.S. team, if not the U.S. soccer community as a whole, as Rocky Balboa vs. Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago put together.Perhaps this depiction seems obvious, but this is a team whose image has taken a battering over the last few years. Viewed in the moment, this team hasn’t lived up to its “Golden Generation” hype, showing more talent than preceding generations but not as much heart.“You are a soccer generation that has been given everything,” Alexi Lalas said in a memorable rant during the team’s ill-fated World Cup qualifying campaign in 2017. “You are a soccer generation who’s on the verge of squandering everything.”Can some documentarians change the narrative? Yes and no.The broad view comes from Soccer’s American Dream, produced by VICE and narrated by Saturday Night Live alumnus Alex Moffat. It delves back into U.S. soccer history to show the breathtaking high of the NASL — think Pele and the New York Cosmos — and the doldrums that followed. MORE FOR YOUOn YouTube, the title of Episode 1 is straightforward: Why Soccer Failed in America. That title isn’t hyperbole. Soccer failed in this country, then failed again, then failed again. The sport has had more failures here than a short series can even mention in d...