The 2026 FIFA World cup kicks-off in 11 days time when one of the three host countries, Mexico take on South Africa. The other host nation and one with arguably the most pressure on them is the United States. One of the darlings of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in which the team made their mark before bowing out to the Netherlands in the round of 16, the US has been pretty lackluster in the four years since.
Whether it be coaching drama or problems with the players and their commitments and egos, the team has not exactly shown that their home fans should be excited ahead of this generation’s biggest moment. That tide may have changed though with the Men’s 3-2 win against Senegal last night in one of their two friendlies before the tournament.
The win marks the team’s second against a top-15 ranked opponent, an achievement in and of itself, having gone 17 winless prior to head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival.
While nearly all 26 players on the roster played last night in the win due to the game being only a friendly, the limit will be set to 16 in real games (11 starters and five subs). And while some names put themselves in the lineup, some other spots are more than likely up for grabs.
The goalkeeper position is definitely one of those spots. The position seemed to be New York F.C. keeper Matt Freese’s to lose, but inexperience and lack of solid performances as of late has allowed Matt Turner, who started at the last world cup, back into the mix. Turner has the experience and showed up for the team last night when he started against Senegal. While he’s not always been the first choice, he should be in net for the team again against Paraguay on June 12.
The rest of the defense does seem to pick itself though. Assuming Chris Richards is good to go off his ankle injury he sustained a couple weeks ago, the Crystal Palace center back will surely be the heart of the backline. 38 year-old Tim Ream was named captain before the Senegal match, signaling he’ll start alongside Richards, while Alex Freeman would be my pick to fill the final spot in the back three. The Villarreal defender has been a breakout star in the La-Liga (Spain first division) and would add speed and versatilely that Richards and Ream don’t excel in.
The outside backs/wingers also seemed to be locked in already, with Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson already penciled in. The pair’s speed and offensive threat they provide on top of the stable defending they usually offer are a manager like Pochettino’s dream players to play in the defense.
Moving on to the midfield where there do seem to be more questions than answers. Probably the position that’ll see the most fluidity and rotation, Tyler Adams does appear to be the lock in one of the spots. If we’re to believe that the team plays more of a 3-4-3, then that other position could be vitally important. Sebastian Berhalter has been one of Pochettino’s favorites as of late, but more talented prospects like Malik Tilman or Max Aaronson could force their way into the fold. As of now, I’d say that Berhalter, rather controversially, holds the spot.
Finally the attack, Christian Pulisic will be the first name on any USMNT team sheet as long as he’s active. Alongside him will be Folarin Balogun, who is the most talented striker the US has maybe ever had. Balogun scored 19 goals across 43 appearances for Monaco this season, and has scored nine in 26 caps for the US.
The other spot is another which could see flux. Tim Weah played alongside Pulisic and Balogun last world cup, but Gio Reyna has also seen more minutes under Pochettino. Malik Tilman is coming off a successful season with PSV in the Netherlands, and could also make an argument. Even though Reyna has been trusted and Tillman should see a lot of minutes for the team in a couple weeks, I think Weah will get in the final spot in the lineup.
Now with the lineup picked, what are some realistic predictions for this team. Personally, I’m a huge critic of the team and how they have been setting up lately. Large losses to Belgium and Portugal lately has continued to show me that this team doesn’t have what it takes to win the World Cup. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise to many.
I think the US can easily make their way through their group, though. Paraguay has proved to be a consistent thorn in the side for the US, but Australia shouldn’t be a realistic threat. Türkiye will be an intriguing matchup, having beat the US in June of last year. But if last night’s performance demonstrates anything, it’s that there are still growing pains amongst the young core, but the moment hasn’t looked to big for them.
The USMNT might not be ready for the task of winning it all, but they for sure can live up to the moment and better their performance from last go around.
The US will kick-off their World Cup campaign on June 12 against Paraguay at 9 P.M. They’ll face Australia on June 19 at 3, before closing out the group against Türkiye on June 25 at 10 P.M.
