‘No league in the world has grown like this’ – USMNT icon Tony Meola on the state of MLS, how the 1994 World Cup launched it and the expected impact of 2026 tournament

The growth of soccer in America has surpassed anything Tony Meola could have imagined when he was playing in the 1994 World Cup.

"If I had a nickel for every time someone tells me '30 years [ago] I became a fan because of 1994,' I'd be on an island somewhere working on my golf game and fishing game," Meola jokingly reflected to GOAL.

The USMNT legend, who started four games as a fresh-faced, ponytailed goalkeeper in that tournament, noted that the expectations and roles for American players were vastly different compared to today.

"We always joke about the fact that we had two jobs, right? We had o play. You had to get ready for the game and get ready for trying to make a World Cup team," he said. "But then you had to promote the sport, right? Because the sport clearly wasn't at the level that it is now."

In 1994, American soccer fans had few ways to engage with the sport. There weren’t dozens of streaming packages to follow global leagues, and domestic players struggled to find professional opportunities. That began to change with the advent of Major League Soccer, which emerged as part of the U.S. hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.

"There was a rallying cry, or a belief that at least some of us had to stay in the U.S. to try and help promote the game, to try and help move it forward, you know?" he said. "And there were opportunities for players. It was a new league. No one knew about it. No one had ever seen it before, and the hope was that we would be in the forefront of having it grow."

Now in its 30th season, MLS has exceeded expections. Meola, now 56, helped launch the league as a member of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars.

"If you'd have told me that it would look like this in 2025, I probably would have told you you were crazy," he said. "It's grown to a place that I don't think any of us could have ever imagined, at least not if you were part of 1996 and that group that came into the league."

With the 2026 World Cup now exactly a year away, Meola hopes MLS can take another major step forward.

The goalkeeper turned broadcaster discussed the league’s evolution and his hopes for what’s next in the latest GOAL Convo, a Q&A with central figures in the American soccer scene.

NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.