​Following a disappointing finish to the 2026 World Cup for the USMNT, calls for changes within the U.S. Soccer hierarchy have begun to intensify. Before the final defeat to Belgium, supporters rode high after victories over Paraguay, Bosnia, and Australia, but the Round of 16 exit swiftly grounded their optimism. Now the tournament is being framed as a complete catastrophe.
There were moments when the USMNT played superb football under Mauricio Pochettino, showing signs they could contend deep into the competition. That momentum, however, was undermined by the controversy over Folarin Balogun’s red-card reversal by FIFA, which gave Belgium renewed momentum and intensified media pressure on the players.
Tab Ramos, a USMNT legend with 81 caps and eight goals, and one of the first Americans to participate in three consecutive World Cups (alongside Eric Wynalda and Marcelo Balboa), shared his views on the InsideAmericanSoccer show on YouTube with Tom Bogert. Ramos contends that Cindy Parlow Cone, who currently serves as President of the United States Soccer Federation, should step down. He argues that accountability is necessary, pointing back to the 2018 World Cup qualifying failure when Sunil Gulati relinquished his role, as an example of the standard to which the federation should be held.
Ramos believes this World Cup did not meet expectations on the field, and he asserts that accountability must extend beyond the coach to the leadership above him. In his view, this is a universal principle—every club and every team experiences leadership changes when a coach fails to deliver, and the same logic should apply here. He emphasizes that he wants to hear a clear statement about accountability rather than those responsible being brushed aside while the federation touts financial success.
Ramos questions the timing and rationale of an offer reportedly made before the World Cup to keep Pochettino for four more years. He asks who authorized that offer and asserts that, in the absence of a technical director or a single person driving the soccer vision, the federation cannot chart a coherent path forward. The goal, he insists, should be to hire a decisive figure who can appoint the coach and steer the federation toward a new direction—one focused on soccer outcomes rather than merely commercial metrics like shirt sales or stadium attendance.
“After not qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, Sunil had to step down from U.S. Soccer,” Ramos reiterates, framing it as the appropriate model of accountability. The underlying message is that leadership must change to usher in an era of real structural reform, with new leadership bringing in a clear soccer-centric strategy. He hopes this moment signals a serious move toward accountability within U.S. Soccer, rather than letting the situation fade into the background while the federation touts profits.
The overarching expectation is that accountability will extend to the highest levels of the organization, aligning the federation’s leadership with a forward-looking soccer strategy. This would involve establishing a decisive technical director, a clear long-term plan, and a leadership team capable of choosing the next coach and setting a united course for the sport in the United States. The emphasis remains on improving the national team’s performance and restoring credibility on the world stage, rather than merely chasing financial milestones. It is a call for concrete action: real accountability, structural reform, and a renewed dedication to elevating the USMNT toward the level of the world’s best teams.