It's been a chaotic 12 months in American soccer, but who had years to remember, and who would rather forget 2023 ever happened?
Where do we even begin? In a year that included a Women's World Cup, a massive program-altering scandal, huge transfers and the arrival of the greatest player this game has ever seen, how do you even start to break down the chaos that was U.S. soccer in 2023?
It was a crazy year, even by American soccer standards. So much has changed over the last 12 months, and it's not limited to just one section of this beautiful game. Men's and women's, club and international… so many things are evolving in ways we couldn't have imagined this time last year.
But who were the winners and losers of this wild, wild year of American soccer craziness? Which players, clubs and moments stood out in 2023? GOAL breaks down the year that was in the American game…
GettyWINNER: MLS
Probably the big winner of 2023, and that's what happens when you sign Lionel Messi. The Argentine's arrival sent MLS into a new stratosphere, with fans all over the world keeping an eye on Messi's exploits. Inter Miami did the impossible, and now every team in the league will reap the rewards.
It wasn't just Messi, though. He's brought the Barcelona all-stars with him to Miami, turning the Herons into a true MLS super-team. Even so, they'll have to prove in 2024 that they can go toe-to-toe with the league's best, as the Columbus Crew and LAFC, this year's MLS Cup finalists, don't seem to be going anywhere.
Now, it's all about capitalizing on Messi's arrival, both in the short and long-term, as the 2026 World Cup prepares to create even more interest in the game on U.S soil. What happens next? Who knows, but it should be a heck of a ride!
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Vlatko Andonovski
The USWNT fell well short of expectations at the World Cup and, as a result, Andonovski paid with his job. Rightfully so, it's fair to say, as the USWNT always looked like a team that was less than the sum of its parts with Andonovski at the helm.
In attack, the USNWT never looked like a team that had any ideas. Roster selection was questionable, to say the least, and, in the end, Andonovski didn't react until it was too late. The U.S. could have, and maybe should have, escaped from their last-16 loss to Sweden, but there was no way this team was a World Cup contender.
Andonovski has landed on his feet after being handed the controls at Kansas City Current. With the USWNT, it was a case of a wrong fit for the wrong team and, as a result, it all went wrong this summer, too.
Getty ImagesWINNER: The USWNT's young stars
The silver lining for the USWNT is that the next generation is on its way, and you could argue it has already arrived. Trinity Rodman, Naomi Girma, Sophia Smith and Alyssa Thompson were at the World Cup. Meanwhile, Jaedyn Shaw, Mia Fishel and Olivia Moultrie are right behind them and have already made their debuts over the fall.
There's an insane amount of young talent in this pool, and it seems the program hired the right coach to help that young talent grow in Emma Hayes. The opportunity to work with those young stars is probably what brought over from Chelsea to begin with.
It won't be a finished product immediately, as Hayes will likely need some time to figure things out even with the Olympics on the horizon, but she has an incredible amount of quality at her disposal, and those young stars will only get better in the years to come.
GettyLOSER: Megan Rapinoe
She described it herself as "a sick joke", but how could Rapinoe's career end like this?
Both the legendary forward's club and international careers concluded in the worst ways possible. Her last kick for the USWNT was that infamous missed penalty kick against Sweden, while her final club match was over before it could even begin after she suffered a torn Achilles early on in the NWSL Championship game.
This wasn't the send-off that Rapinoe deserved after her years of serving not just the American game, but women's sports in general. This won't be the last we see of her, soccer or no soccer, but her playing career deserved much, much more at the very end.