The door is wide open for the United States Men’s National Soccer Team once the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off June 11 in Mexico City.
The U.S. didn’t just get a favorable draw into Group D by being the host nation, it got an invitation to the Round of 32 and now just needs to RSVP.
Playing on home soil for the first time since 1994, the USMNT just needs competence to get out of Group D. But competence has been the one ingredient missing lately.
Christian Pulisic hasn’t scored a goal for the U.S. since 2024. Getty Images On paper, the U.S. should win the group. Australia sits at No. 27 in the FIFA rankings. Paraguay lingers at No. 40. Even Turkey, the toughest of the trio, barely cracks the top 25 at No. 22. There are no juggernauts in this group, no past champions with a wealth of experience.
The U.S. has already proven it can beat these teams. A 2-1 win over Australia last October. Another 2-1 victory over Paraguay in November. And yes, it lost to Turkey 2-1 last June, but that was with the junior varsity team on the pitch.
That team was a patchwork version of the players you’ll see on June 12 against Paraguay. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest. None of them played in that game against Turkey.
USA’s toughest test will come against Turkey on June 25 at SoFi Stadium in its third and final match of group play. That is why it’s imperative that the red, white and blue gets off to a good start in its opening match.
Win that first match against Paraguay and the tournament tilts in its favor. The whole country will be the wind behind its sails.
If they lose, then suddenly the outside noise creeps in. The doubt grows, the pressure lingers and the weight of expectation begins pressing down upon a roster that, despite the hype, hasn’t proven yet it can carry it.
Their last two losses were by a combined score of 7-2. A 5-2 loss to Belgium. A flat 2-0 defeat against Portugal that saw them create many chances but cower when A Seleção went on the counterattack.
Yes, both of those teams are better than the United States, but those losses matter regardless.
“We were competing well, but still we need to learn a lot,” said coach Mauricio Pochettino, who will take the fall if the U.S. flames out early in the World Cup. “We are competing against Belgium and Portugal. I think for sure Belgium and Portugal have in the top 100 players, a few or some playing in that top 100. I think we don’t have. That is why it’s good to play against these types of teams.”
He’s right. If you want to beat the teams ranked in the 22-to-40 range, then you need to play and compete with the teams ranked fifth and ninth, respectively. It’s like the freshman playing on varsity before he’s ready but learning so much from playing with better competition that when he becomes a junior and senior he has all the answers to the test.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino will take the fall if Team USA flames out early in the World Cup. Getty Images Pochettino admitted his team wasn’t a finished project at the end of March, but now he will have just over two months to practice and polish his team into the competitor he wants it to be.
“I am more positive now than before, because seeing the team compete, we are not far away,” he said after the loss to Portugal. “We are going to have three, four weeks to prepare for the World Cup.”
The Argentine coach has had just over a year to mold his team. Which in international football is like trying to build a house during the commercial breaks of your favorite television show. Unfortunately, that doesn’t change the expectations.
And the expectations start and end with the USA’s best player.
Pulisic is the face of this team. He is the engine that will make them go. He will be who opposing defenders strategize for, hoping the ball never reaches him. But even if it does, will he find the back of the net?
Pulisic is on an eight-game scoreless streak. He hasn’t had a goal for the U.S. since 2024. The burst is still there. The creativity, too. But the goals have not been. For the U.S. to advance deeper into this tournament, he has to break that streak in the opening match.
Because momentum in a World Cup on your home soil doesn’t slowly build gradually, it catches fire.
And if this country beats Paraguay and puts on a good showing, then the country will be ready to pour gasoline on that fire.
The X-factor in this World Cup will be the 70,000 screaming fans at SoFi Stadium and the millions more across the country, all pulling on the same rope. Wearing the red, white and blue does something to players in this tournament. It always has. It sharpens edges. It stretches limits. It turns good teams into dangerous ones.
From there, they have enough to win a knockout game — to finally step beyond the familiar ceiling that’s hovered over this program since 2002.
But to get to a quarterfinal, it will likely mean crossing paths with a giant. Could be the reigning champions in Lionel Messi and Argentina, or maybe a rematch with Belgium. That’s where potential alone won’t save you.
The question is whether the U.S. is ready to walk through it — or will they hesitate just long enough for it to slam shut.
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