It is fitting that this failure came in the same week as the Wikileaks revelations. They both seem to capture this bleak moment for the United States—and not just because of the whiff of incompetence that accompanies these episodes.

They both highlight the paradoxes of American power. Yes, the world still badly needs us. In the State Department cables, foreign leaders are constantly whispering their agreement with American policy— on subjects from Iran sanctions to Pakistani nukes —and, for the most part, seem happy to have us playing an outsized role in the world. The same is true for the world of soccer, where the relatively well-heeled American consumer remains the biggest prize for the game’s marketers. But neither the foreign heads of state nor the rulers of FIFA cared to publicly express their longing for American leadership. We have power without prestige, and allies who are reticent to closely identify with us.