With less than one hundred days until the 2026 World Cup starts on June 11, Mauricio Pochettino He has four friendlies left to find a formula for his American team, called to react as host after failing to qualify for the 2018 Russia World Cup and falling in the round of 16 in Qatar 2022.
Pochettino, at the head of the United States since September 2024, assured that the “success” for his team would be to win the World Cup, although he also highlighted the need to go step by step, with respect for any rival who crosses his path.
The United States team has been paired in group “D” along with Australia, Paraguay and the team that emerges from the March playoff between Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania.
The beginning of the Pochettino era has not been the easiest for the United States. In 2025 they lost in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League against Panama and the final of the Gold Cup at home against Mexico, two tournaments to which they arrived with title ambitions.
The 0-2 defeat suffered at the beginning of September against South Korea worsened his team’s crisis, but since then the Argentine coach has managed to change the dynamic.
rudder stroke
The United States squad is undefeated in its last five games, of which it won four. They defeated Japan 2-0, Paraguay and Australia, their two rivals in the World Cup group, 2-1, and defeated Uruguay 5-1.
The American coach took a breath, planning a series of four demanding friendlies to reach the next World Cup with a competitive pace.
The “Stars and Stripes” team will face Belgium this March (Saturday 28, 3:30 pm ET) and Portugal (Tuesday 31, 7 pm ET), both duels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA, before facing Senegal in May (Sunday 31, 3:30 pm ET) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, and Germany in June (Saturday 6, 2:30 pm ET) at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
It should be noted that forward Christian Pulisic is the great figure of the American team and a regular starter, with the permission of injuries, in Milan of the Italian Serie A.
At his side, the presence of long-standing players in European football such as Weston McKennie or New Yorker Tyler Adams stands out, but also that of young talents competing in Major League Soccer (MLS).
This is the case of Sebastian Berhalter, a midfielder who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps (son of former US coach Gregg Berhalter), or Diego Luna, a midfielder of great technical quality for Real Salt Lake.
The New Yorker Folarin Balogun, from Monaco, and Haji Wright, from the English Coventry, are in charge of scoring goals up front for a team in which Ricardo Pepi, from PSV, is also fighting for a place.
In defense, Pochettino’s team has a versatile piece like Alex Freeman, former Orlando defender and recent signing from Villarreal, who scored a double in the last friendly win against Uruguay.
World Cup matches in Group D
– Friday, June 12, 9 pm:
United States vs. Paraguay (Los Angeles)
– Saturday, June 13, 12 am:
Europe play-off winner vs. Australia (Vancouver)
– Friday, June 19, 12 am:
Europe play-off winner vs. Paraguay (San Francisco Bay Area)
– Friday, June 19, 3 pm:
United States vs. Australia (Seattle)
– Thursday, June 25, 10 pm:
Europe play-off winner vs. United States (Los Angeles)
– Thursday, June 25, 10 pm:
Paraguay vs. Australia (San Francisco Bay Area)
(With a report from Andrea Montolivo, from EFE)
