"This team has the capability to beat any team in the world. I really mean that." Landon Donovan doesn't do half-measures, and when it comes to the 2026 World Cup, he's not hedging either.
The USMNT's all-time joint top scorer — 57 goals from 157 caps — told Fox News Digital that simply making it out of the group stage isn't the target. Winning it is. That's not blind patriotism from a legend promoting his memoir. USA are drawn against Paraguay, Australia, and one team from a UEFA playoff involving Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo, and Romania. On paper, that's a very winnable group, and the home advantage factor makes it even more so.
McKennie is the name to watch
If you're mapping out USA's chances, Weston McKennie is the thread worth pulling. Donovan's assessment was blunt: "The player playing better than anybody right now for their club team on our national team is Weston McKennie." At Juventus — a club that has won the Serie A title nine times in the last decade — McKennie has put together 15 consecutive strong performances, contributing four goals and four assists in 29 matches this season.
That's not squad depth output. That's a key player in one of European football's more demanding environments. If he carries that form into June, the USA's midfield looks considerably more dangerous than it did at Qatar 2022. And from a betting perspective, McKennie's price to be named in a top performer conversation is almost certainly undervalued right now.
Before the tournament opener against Paraguay on June 12, the USA face Belgium, Portugal, Senegal, and Germany in friendlies — a brutal but useful warm-up schedule that will give a real read on where this squad actually stands.
The home factor is real
Donovan described the snowball effect of a home World Cup better than most: "You win the next game, and you win the next game, next thing you know, you might find yourself in a quarterfinal or semifinal and then anything can happen." He's seen it since 2002. The crowd momentum at a home tournament is a genuine variable, not a talking point.
The challenge Donovan acknowledged is that this squad hasn't yet proven on the field what everyone believes they're capable of. Pulisic, McKennie, Turner, Ream — the names are established. The question is whether they'll perform together when the stakes are highest. That gap between potential and delivery is exactly why USA's knockout stage odds remain a market worth watching as the tournament approaches.
"I grew up too poor to afford cable TV," Donovan said, recalling his path to 157 caps. "There's nothing, outside of military duty, that compares" to representing your country. His book drops this week. His prediction is already out there — USA win the group. Now they have to back it up.
