What U.S. Must Do to Win a Spot in the Next World Cup
*By Christian Smith*
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the 2018 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 is filled with European and South American teams, and that's not likely going to change any time soon.
Money, national soccer infrastructure, and league leadership are the keys to the success of these two continents says longtime soccer fan and publisher of the World Cup newsletter "[The Banter](http://jointhebanter.com/)," Jeffrey Marcus. These three factors are the reason Europe and South America have dominated world soccer since the first World Cup in 1930, and are what the United States and other competitors will need if they ever want to hoist the golden World Cup trophy in the air.
"I think we have the administrative here in the United States," Marcus said in an interview on Cheddar. "I think it's a question of finding better players and nurturing them."
In Europe's case, math is on the continent's side. Out of the 54 countries competing in UEFA, Europe's World Cup qualifying conference, 13 get spots in the World Cup finals. By comparison, Africa's CAF is made up of 54 nations, and only five will qualify for the World Cup. That's not to say Europe's 13 qualifiers aren't deserving, it just means there more European teams are likely to advance out of the group stage.
South America's story is slightly different. Only five teams from CONMEBOL, the South American FIFA league, qualified for the tournament. Four of those teams made it to the Round of 16: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay. All of those teams except for Colombia have won the tournament two times or more, cementing their dominance in the sport.
Uruguay is an [especially interesting case](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EVr1I6oll0). The country is the size of Florida and has about 3.44 million people, which is just shy of the population of Connecticut. Despite these limiting factors, the country regularly shines on the world stage.
From 1950 to 1990 the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup. If the U.S. men's national team hopes to one day match the success of its South American neighbors, then it will need to focus on finding and developing better talent, Marcus said.
World Cup 2026, which the United States will host along with Canada and Mexico, could provide the best chance for a North American team to win the tournament for the first time. All three host nations automatically qualify for the tournament. Plus, the hometown focus on the World Cup will likely mean more money will be funneled into talent and coaching development.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/previewing-the-2018-fifa-world-cup-round-of-16)
The Winter Olympics is slowly winding down with a lot of competition left. Boston Globe Reporter Nicole Yang, joined Cheddar to discuss more on what we can expect to see and some of the hiccups surrounding the games this year.
Rohit Ponnaiya, betting analysts for Covers.com, discusses the impact Juwan Howard's suspension will have on Michigan and dishes out his picks for Thursday's top college hoops contests.
Ryan Cochran-Siegl earned his silver medal 50 years after his mother won gold in the 1972 Olympic games. Coming in a close second in the men's Super-G, he was the first American skier to snag a medal at the Beijing games this year. J.D. Durkin sat down with Ryan to discuss the highlights from the games, his road to the Olympics, and how he's gearing up for his next shot at gold.
Ben Wittenstein, podcast host for Stadium, joins Cheddar Bets to break down his favorite win total bets for the last quarter of the NBA season. Ben also plays a round of Pick 6.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Today, Apolo Ohno is much more than a former Olympian. He's an entrepreneur, sports analyst, speaker, and New York Times bestseller. His latest book, 'Hard Pivot,' is a guide for any person learning to adapt or wanting to reinvent themselves, just as Ohno did over a decade ago. Ohno joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Dr. Brian Moore, CEO & Co-founder of sports performance and technology company Orrecco, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the @thlete platform is helping pro athletes and Olympians improve their performance, and what the future of tech in the world of sports may look like.
A six-year battle over equal pay has finally come to an end-- as U.S. Soccer and The United States Women's Soccer Team have agreed to settle their lawsuit. Under the terms of the deal, the athletes will receive $24 million from U.S. Soccer, and a pledge from the federation to equalize pay for the men's and women's national teams. Lily Roberts, Managing Director of the Poverty to Prosperity Team at the Center for American Progress joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
In a thrilling overtime finish, 23-year old NASCAR driver Austin Cindric clinched the 64th annual Daytona 500 win. Narrowly beating out legendary race car driver Bubba Wallace, Cindric earned his very first NASCAR cup series victory, and became the second youngest driver to win The Great American Race. Daytona 500 Champ Austin Cindric joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss his historic victory.
