Past World Cup appearances: 10
Best performance: 3rd place (1930)
First appearance: 1930 (Uruguay)
Top scorer: Landon Donovan (5)
Most games played: Landon Donovan (12)
Player to watch: Christian Pulisic
FIFA World Ranking: 16th place
Realistically, the U.S. national team should be satisfied with making it to the last 16 of this summer’s World Cup.
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But some, including manager Mauricio Pochettino, believe the team can go even further. There’s nothing wrong with shooting high, but the question is how high?
And that’s where Pochettino may have toned down during Tuesday’s roster presentation in New York. Instead, the broadcast ended with former U.S. national team defender Alexi Lalas and Pochettino saying in unison, “Why aren’t we doing it?” – Implying that the United States has a realistic chance of winning the 2026 World Cup.
“American people, always dream and try to achieve the impossible,” Pochettino said.
Host Landon Donovan passed the ball around early on the show, telling Bournemouth and national team star Tyler Adams that it would be “great” to return to the New York area in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the Hudson River on July 19, the day of the final. Yes, that’s great, and prophets and supporters may go around saying so.
But coaches and players don’t have to go overboard. A proven method is usually to give the impression that you are exceeding expectations rather than falling short.
As for America’s chances of winning the World Cup, remember that since 1930, the team has only advanced to the quarterfinals once.
There were no major revelations on the TV program. First, the U.S. doesn’t have a lot of depth, so there are big questions about the roster. Also, the name had been leaked beforehand.
So there was a lack of suspense, and this served as cheerleading practice, a grandiose “send-off” for a team that hadn’t traveled that far.
The U.S. prepares with a new $200 million-plus training facility in Fayetteville, a suburb of Atlanta. This state-of-the-art facility is being funded by Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL Atlanta Falcons and MLS Atlanta United, and is the type of investment made for teams with high expectations.
It’s a great bargain, but the US is not lacking in facilities and infrastructure. If World Cup success depended on having a comfortable place to practice, America would have been decided on long ago.
As for advancing to the Round of 16, the U.S. has a good chance. The Stars and Stripes are aiming for a chance to win Group D ahead of Australia, Paraguay and Tolkien. If that happens, they will face a lower seeded opponent in the round of 32. After that, the task becomes even more difficult.
They will probably need to win four games to advance to the quarterfinals. Given that the United States has won the World Cup a total of three times since 2002 and has won multiple games in a World Cup tournament only twice (1930 and 2002), even with a favored group in a weakened 48-team field, that leaves a lot of room for doubt.
The key to America’s rise will be avoiding European opponents, and not just because eight of the top 10 teams in the FIFA rankings are European. The United States has a record of 3 wins, 14 losses, and 7 draws against UEFA teams in the World Cup, with their only victories coming against Belgium 3-0 in 1930, England 1-0 in 1950, and Portugal 3-2 in 2002.
However, there may be no benefit to winning the group as they may end up facing a European opponent in the Round of 32. If they finish second in Group D, they will face the runners-up from Group G (likely Egypt, Iran and New Zealand). If they win there, they will advance to the round of 16 and talk of the quarterfinals will naturally begin.
Team status
goalkeeper
Manager Pochettino’s candidate to start was Matt Freeze, but at the roster announcement Matt Turner claimed number one.
Freeze, who tried out for Manchester United as a teenager, was one of the top keepers in MLS but was inexperienced at international level.
Turner struggled after signing with Arsenal in 2022, but has performed regularly for the New England Revolution. Turner pitched two shutout innings for Qatar, tying the team record set by Jimmy Douglas in 1930.
defender
Three defenders will return in 2022: Tim Ream and full-back Sergino Dest and Anthony “Jedi” Robinson.
Will Riem, the team’s oldest player at 38 years old, be able to keep up with the younger, faster attackers? Dest and Robinson appear to have recovered from their injuries. Chris Richards or Myles Robinson will be paired with Reem at center back.
midfield
Adams (Bournemouth), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen) and Weston McKennie (Juventus) all had strong seasons in the top flight. Sebastian Berhalter and Christian Roldan are decent backups.
A lot will depend on whether Christian Pulisic can regain his early-season form. Brenden Aaronson provides consistency. Giovanni Reyna, Tim Weir and Alejandro Zendejas will serve as backup.
forward
Can Folarin Balogun (13 goals for AS Monaco this season) improve his form? Ricardo Pepi finished the season on a high note (scoring in 5 consecutive games for PSV Eindhoven). Hadji Wright missed his goal (his first goal for Coventry since March 7).
USA group match at the World Cup
⚽ Friday, June 12: Group D: USA vs. Paraguay (Los Angeles), 9pm ET/1am GMT (Saturday).
⚽ Friday, June 19: Group D: United States vs. Australia (Seattle), 3pm ET/3pm GMT.
⚽ Thursday, June 25: Group D: United States vs. Tolkier (Los Angeles), 10 p.m. ET/2 a.m. GMT (Saturday).
