尽管梅西加盟迈阿密国际队，且2026年世界杯重返北美，美国足球长久以来被预言的文化主导地位依然难以实现。虽然足球在美国的经济影响力和普及度达到前所未有的高度，但它仍未能像在南美或欧洲那样，成为单一的主导文化霸权。

两本新书探讨了这一现象：莱安德·沙尔拉克恩斯的《漫长赛局》回顾了美国男足几十年来充满混乱与起伏的发展历程，指出其进步并非有计划的成功，而是断断续续的摸索；而保罗·特诺里奥的《梅西效应》则分析了梅西带来的商业狂潮，并批评大联盟（MLS）决策层过于保守，未能及时调整规则以将梅西带来的热度转化为更持久的文化影响力。

最终，美国足球的成功不能单靠球星或管理者，美国体育文化的多样性决定了足球可能永远无法完全垄断大众关注。然而，美国观众仍将以创纪录的人数观看比赛，并在每四年一次的世界杯后，继续重温关于「足球何时在美国真正普及」的讨论。

Despite the arrival of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami and the return of the World Cup to North America in 2026, soccer's long-promised cultural breakthrough in the United States remains elusive. Although the sport has achieved unprecedented visibility and economic power, it still has not become the singular cultural hegemon that it is in South America or Europe.

Two new books examine this struggle: Leander Schaerlaeckens's "The Long Game" chronicles the decades of chaotic and fitful progress in US men's soccer history, showing that its growth has been sporadic rather than planned; meanwhile, Paul Tenorio's "The Messi Effect" analyzes the commercial boom brought by the superstar and blames a conservative MLS leadership for failing to implement permanent reforms to sustain this momentum.

Ultimately, the success of American soccer does not rely solely on stars or administrators, as the unique structure of US sports culture means soccer may never achieve absolute dominance. Nonetheless, Americans will continue to watch matches in record numbers, only to repeat the same anxious debate about the sport's "arrival" every four years.