The US swimming team is 'losing control'.

The US swimming team is expected to underperform at the 2025 World Swimming Championships.

According to him, the US swimming team lacks direction and needs a complete overhaul before it's too late. Gaines didn't hesitate to call the US swimming team "a rudderless ship," after the organization operated for almost a year without an official CEO to succeed Tim Hinchey.

"No organization can function effectively under those circumstances," he stated frankly.

At the ongoing tournament in Singapore, the US team has only won 8 gold medals so far – their worst performance since 1988. Part of the reason stems from a controversial training camp in Thailand, where many American athletes contracted acute gastroenteritis, severely impacting their fitness just before the competition.

Gaines also criticized the lax discipline within the team. According to him, some young athletes have a complacent attitude, believing that they "are automatically guaranteed a place in the finals" without needing to put in the effort. This is a sign of a team lacking identity and competitive discipline.

Although the US swimming team recently appointed Greg Meehan as national team director, Gaines warned that he is "walking into a minefield" as he has to deal with too many outstanding issues, from personnel to operational systems.

Nevertheless, the 65-year-old legend still sees hope in bright spots like Luca Uraldo – who just won the gold medal in the 200m butterfly – and the consistent performance of the US women's relay team. However, he emphasized: "We are racing towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and there will be no more time if the US swimming team doesn't start reforming now."

Luca Uraldo, who just won the gold medal in the 200m butterfly, is a rare bright spot for the US swimming team at the tournament currently taking place in Singapore.

Two American swimming legends, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, also spoke out after the disappointing performance of the US swimming team at the 2025 World Championships.

"We can't just keep talking about potential. The issue is how to unleash it at the right time," legendary Phelps remarked. He emphasized the importance of both physical and mental preparation, and suggested that the current team lacks consistency and composure in crucial rounds.

Ryan Lochte, a 12-time Olympic medalist, also expressed his disappointment. “I don’t see a clear leader in the current team. They’re all talented, but they need someone to step up and lead, like Phelps did with the previous generation,” Lochte shared.

Rowdy Gaines' warning reveals that American swimming is facing not only technical problems but also a leadership and internal culture crisis. The decline at the World Championships is not an accident, but the consequence of a long-standing lax approach. And without radical change, the US swimming team will continue to lose its former standing in the swimming arena.