Despite Team USA and Team Canada being eliminated, the 2026 World Cup is a massive victory for the Orange and their program.
The 2026 World Cup has officially come to an end for the two former Syracuse Orange players who were competing in this year's event.
But despite that, the World Cup has been a major win for the SU men's program, headed by coach Ian McIntyre.
Here's what you need to know:
Tajon Buchanan and Team Canada's finish
Buchanan spent the 2017 and 2018 season as a member of the SU program. He led the Orange in scoring as a sophomore with 20 points before embarking on his professional career. Buchanan represented Canada in this year's event and helped his country achieve an historic feat.
For the first time in the over 100 year history of the event, Team Canada advanced to the Round of 16. From 1990-2018, Canada did not even qualify for the event. In fact, Canada has only appeared in the World Cup in 1986 and 2022. Canada's run ended on Saturday when it lost to Morocco 3-0.
Buchanan played a pivotal role in the team's success as he played in all five matches. A forward, Buchanan's role on the pitch helped his squad become of the best stories of the entire event.
Miles Robinson and Team USA's finish
Team USA advanced to the Round of 16 but lost on Monday night to Belgium, 4-1.
The Round of 16 finish is tied for the third-best finish for the US Men's National Team.
For the first time in Syracuse history, a player who formerly played for Syracuse represented Team USA in the World Cup. Miles Robinson made his debut in the third match of the event for Team USA, a 3-2 loss to Türkiye.
The Türkiye match was the lone game in which Robinson appeared for Team USA.
Why the 2026 World Cup was a victory for Syracuse soccer
Both Buchanan and Robinson played on teams that advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament. While Robinson did not see as much action on the pitch as Orange fans would have liked, his presence alone sets a new standard for the program moving into the future.
By having two players participate in the World Cup, McIntyre and his program have multiple selling points when it comes to recruiting. He can tell prospective players that coming to Syracuse can yield them an opportunity to win a national title, which SU did in 2022, or that it could lead to World Cup and/or Olympic appearances.
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