The 2026 World Cup – earth’s greatest and most watched sports tournament – began last week. Group play will run through June 27 at locations throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.

It’s likely that’s as far as the US National Team will go.

But maybe it doesn’t have to be that way.

Soccer has the two most severe penalties in all of sports – the red card and the penalty kick. Because of that, soccer referees have more power that any officials in any sport

You get a red card and you play a man down the rest of the way. You’re not going to score again, so the best you can hope for is to pack your remaining guys in the defensive zone and maintain the status quo.

A penalty kick is even more severe. For the world’s best strikers, 85% of penalty kicks result in goals. The World Cup is filled with the world’s best strikers.

Since most soccer matches are decided by a single score, the awarding of a penalty kick is akin of granting that team the victory.

Players will draw the slightest contact and go down like they were shot by a howitzer. As soon as the call is made, the injured party – who was in agony moments ago – hops up with the bounce of a puppy in a tennis ball factory.

In most sports, it’s called cheating. In soccer, it’s celebrated as gamesmanship.

We’ve been playing the game in too American a way. We need to cheat. We need “gamesmanship.”

Luckily, with Hollywood right here in the good old USA, we have exactly what we need to make the gamesmanship work.

Midfielder Denzell Washington gets in close and bumps an opposing player, making it look like it’s the other guy’s fault. It’s time for his signature move, “the Book of Eli.” As he lies there, glassy eyed, reciting the King James version of The Bible from memory, the referee is moved by his dedication and courage. The other guy, who through his aggression and negligence put poor Denzell in the situation, is issued a red card. The U.S. is now up a man.

Jussie Smollett was considered for the midfield role, but he doesn’t execute a fake assault very well.

Now, up a man, forward Tom Hanks wanders into the penalty area and does a “Saving Private Ryan.” He makes contact and goes down. Lying against the goal post, he gamely tries to kick a couple of times but clearly, the end is near. Hanks grabs the referee by the jersey, pulls him in close, and whispers “earn this.”

The whistle blows. A penalty kick is awarded. The US wins.

So maybe we can win the World Cup with the help of Hollywood and a little cheating. Whoops, I meant gamesmanship.