Thursday, May 28, 2026
This stamp kicks off a soccer-filled summer
The release highlights the sport as the World Cup comes to the U.S.
The Postal Service will release its North American Soccer stamp on Thursday, May 28.
The stamp celebrates the history and growth of soccer in the United States as the nation prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico.
The tournament begins June 11 and concludes July 19.
The artwork features an illustration of a player striking a volley above the famous “Gooooal!” call used by commentators and fans to express excitement.
The stamp was designed by Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, who also designed the Women’s Soccer stamp in 2023.
A dedication ceremony will take place at the Boston 2026 World Exposition stamp show.
The Forever stamps will be available in sheets of 20 at Post Offices and at usps.com.
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On the Job
He gets up early to collect the data
This employee checks packages for correct postage and measures Post Office productivity
I’m Carlos Abin and I’m a data collection technician, or DCT, with the Postal Service’s statistical programs department, which is part of finance, under pricing and costing.
I’ve been in statistical programs for 31 of my 39 years with the Postal Service. I am domiciled to the Red Bank Post Office but work and travel throughout New Jersey District.
I’m one of 20 DCTs in the district, and it’s my job to collect information about parcels, letters and flats in the mailstream.
The data contributes to the development of proposed price changes and budget preparation. The data is also used in studies that support management’s decision-making when it comes to transportation and mail flow operations.
I’m typically on duty from 3 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 4 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. My work is mostly done at Post Offices, but I also work at mail handling facilities.
I will get to an office in the morning when the first trucks with parcels arrive.
I bring my work laptop, a scale, a scanner and a measuring tape to record information such as mailpiece weight, class and dimensions.
The Origin-Destination Information System, or ODIS, test is one of the tests that I do. The program asks for the weight of the piece of mail and its measurements. I check to make sure the price is correct for the weight, especially if there is priority postage or it is metered mail. The program shows if the parcel was overpaid or underpaid.
A lot of times, there are permit imprints on the parcels. The permits won’t tell the price, but I can get it from other information on the piece if it’s USPS Ground Advantage or Priority Mail. The program goes through every type of indicia that we are sampling.
Post Offices usually have more than one truck of mail arriving. I sample all of them, but I don’t have time to scan every parcel. We have charts that guide us. If a truck has 500 parcels, based on the chart, I will sample every third, fifth or 10th parcel. This data also helps measure Post Office workloads and productivity.
I’ve been certified as a subject matter expert, so I train new DCTs until they feel comfortable going out and testing by themselves.
When I train people for this job, they ask what the worst part of it is. I tell them time, especially if they have a family because you have to get up early. But I like it a lot.
This is a very independent job. There are very good jobs in the Postal Service, and this is one of them.
“On the Job,” a column on individual employees and their contributions to the Postal Service, appears regularly in Link.
Employees have July deadlines for cybersecurity training
Postal Service bargaining employees have until Wednesday, July 8, and nonbargaining employees have until Wednesday, July 15, to complete the 2026 CyberSafe Fundamentals training course.
This course provides the information and best practices for keeping USPS electronic data secure.
Employees who do not complete the training by their respective deadline will have limited access to ACE systems until they finish the course.
Employees can access the course through the MyHR website.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue training page has more information. Employees with questions can email the CyberSafe at USPS team.
Atlantic Area, Massachusetts-Rhode Island lead in scanning
A snapshot of Postal Service scanning data shows the national rating was 97.31 percent during the week ending May 22, down 0.35 percent from one week earlier.
The data was collected May 27.
Atlantic led the four areas with a rating of 97.39 percent, while Central ranked last with a 97.26 percent rating.
Among the 50 districts, Massachusetts-Rhode Island, part of Atlantic Area, ranked first with a 98.42 percent rating, while Ohio 2, part of Central Area, ranked last with a 93.78 percent rating.
Scanning data allows customers to track their mail and packages, which helps USPS deliver excellent service, boost loyalty and drive revenue.
To see the latest data, go to the Informed Visibility website and select “Customer Experience,” followed by “DES 2 Scan Performance.” Postal Service employees must request Informed Visibility access through eAccess.
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What's included
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This stamp kicks off a soccer-filled summer
The release highlights the sport as the World Cup comes to the U.S.
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On the Job
He gets up early to collect the data
This employee checks packages for correct postage and measures Post Office productivity
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Brief
Employees have July deadlines for cybersecurity training
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Brief
Atlantic Area, Massachusetts-Rhode Island lead in scanning