The year 2010 was quite eventful for the U.S. Men’s soccer team. They advanced to the historic Round of 16, as Landon Donovan scored a last-minute goal against Algeria. Just as America’s men’s soccer team was showing its brilliance more than 16,000 miles away in South Africa, a Big 12 program was also scripting history at home. What started as a happy coincidence for the program has now become a full-fledged tradition whenever a World Cup year rolls around.

In 2010, Gary Patterson’s TCU completed a perfect 13-0 season, won the Mountain West title, defeated Wisconsin 21-19 in the Rose Bowl, and finished No. 2 in the final AP Poll. And the winning tradition has continued whenever a World Cup year rolls in, with the US playing in it. In 2014, when the World Cup was in Brazil, TCU went 12-1, was the Big 12 champion, and ranked third in the final AP Poll. Then came the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Sadly, after a shocking loss to Trinidad and Tobago, the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and just like that, TCU didn’t have a solid season. The team led by Gary Patterson finished 7-6 overall and went 4-5 in the Big 12. Four years later, though, when the USMNT again qualified for the Qatar World Cup in 2022, TCU went back to its winning ways.

The program finished the season with a 13-2 record, reached a historic national championship game, and earned the No. 2 spot in the final AP poll. This year, as the World Cup rolls in again, and that too on American soil, TCU might just continue that trend of winning after the team finished with a back-to-back 9-4 seasons in the last two years.

Sonny Dykes is in his fifth year with TCU and enters this offseason with notable turnovers within the program. TCU returns eight starters from 2025. Still, Dykes welcomes back Jordan Dwyer (WR), Cade Bennett (OL), and Ben Taylor-Whitfield (OL), who were engines of the team in 2025. On the defensive side, Zach Chapman (DL) and Markis Deal (DL) return, along with key secondary players like Vernon Glover and Jamel Johnson.

Despite those starters returning this year, QB Josh Hoover’s transfer to Indiana, along with major offensive line losses, will test the offense. In total, the program lost 21 players to the portal this year, while adding 13 this January. Still, TCU is looking to challenge Arizona State, BYU, and Texas Tech in the conference. It’s notable since Sonny Dykes is hoping for an offensive reset this season.

Sonny Dykes aims for playoff contention this year

Ever since that historic 2022 season, Dykes hasn’t performed to his full potential. The team suffered losses from a 6-6 Kansas State team last year and lost to UCF and Houston a year before that. The program ranked 100th nationally in rushing offense and 40th in scoring offense in 2025. Now, to achieve his 2022 heroics, Dykes has hired new OC Gordon Sammis after Kendal Briles took up the South Carolina position.

“I think we have a chance to be a good football team and a competitive football team, and I’ll be disappointed if we’re not in the conference race in November,” Dykes said to Texastooball.com. “That is the expectation for our football program. We’ve had consecutive nine-win seasons, which is good, but everyone in this building wants to do better.”

Sammis’ UConn offense was electric, committing just two turnovers while averaging 5.15 yards per carry. The new OC’s high emphasis on the run game was the primary reason he joined TCU this year, and with transfer QB Jaden Craig offering a decent run threat, the 100th-ranked rushing offense will surely climb much higher this year. Will that be a key factor in TCU’s success? Probably.

The USMNT is off to a great start to its World Cup campaign with a dominant 4-1 win over Paraguay in its first game. All projections suggest the team will easily reach the Round of 32 and likely the Round of 16. And if TCU’s pattern of performing in the USMNT’s dominant World Cup year rings true in 2026, we are all in for an impressive showing from the Horned Frogs.