"Can you win the World Cup?" That's what the US president asked Mauricio Pochettino at the World Cup draw in Washington DC. The Argentine didn't flinch: "Of course. Because it's the USA."
A year ago, that answer would have drawn laughs. After back-to-back home losses to Panama and Canada in March 2025 — listless, shapeless, embarrassing defeats — the question wasn't whether the USMNT could win the World Cup. It was whether they could survive the group stage.
The transformation since then has been sharp enough to make people reconsider.
What actually changed
The autumn of 2025 told a different story. Five wins from six against World Cup-qualified opposition, capped by a 5-1 demolition of Uruguay in Tampa behind a rotated lineup averaging just 14 caps per man. That result wasn't a fluke — it was the product of a tactical overhaul Pochettino introduced after a September friendly against South Korea exposed the limits of his preferred 4-2-3-1.
The switch to a shape-shifting three-center-back hybrid — with wingbacks providing width and a midfield box creating numerical advantages — gave the US something they'd been missing for years: attacking clarity and defensive structure at the same time. Captain Tim Ream called it "a stroke of genius." The numbers backed him up.
Christian Pulisic at AC Milan and Weston McKennie at Juventus anchor a squad that genuinely has more European pedigree than any US group in history. Goalkeeper Matt Freese nailed down the No. 1 shirt with a penalty-shootout performance against Costa Rica at the Gold Cup. Crystal Palace's Chris Richards cemented himself as a first-choice center back. Fullbacks Alex Freeman and Max Arfsten, and midfielders Malik Tillman, Sebastian Berhalter, and Diego Luna all pushed into the regular frame.
This is the deepest pool the US has ever had. That's not hype — it's a measurable shift in where American players are competing week to week.
The weight of history — and the World Cup draw
Context matters here. The US has won two or more games at a World Cup exactly twice in twelve attempts: 1930, and the 2002 quarterfinal run under Bruce Arena, when a Torsten Frings handball that wasn't whistled may have cost them a semifinal against Germany. Since then, three consecutive last-16 exits, two pushes to extra time against Belgium and the Netherlands, a group stage finish ahead of England in 2010. Respectable. Never more than that.
Their 2026 group opener is June 12 against Paraguay. The bracket is winnable. The question is whether this squad has the consistency to do it across five or six matches when the pressure actually lands.
Pochettino spent his first six months at the job quietly working out what he'd inherited — which, by his own admission, was a mess. The Nations League semifinal capitulation to Panama stripped away whatever goodwill remained from the 2022 Qatar run. He told his players afterward they "cannot win with their shirt," that suffering and fighting duels wasn't optional. Tyler Adams said the squad needed to fully buy in. Pulisic admitted things needed to change without knowing exactly how.
- The tactical identity is now clearer than it has been in years
- Squad depth has genuinely improved through Gold Cup and autumn camp experimentation
- Key players are operating at the highest club level in Europe
- Pochettino's staff brings over a decade of continuity at elite clubs
What remains uncertain is the gap between a brilliant November and sustaining that over a tournament. The US were outclassed by Turkey and dismantled by Switzerland earlier in the year. One tactical adjustment doesn't erase those performances from the scouting files of group-stage opponents.
Pochettino's answer to all of it: "Belief in soccer is everything. Without belief, you can have talent, you can have very good strategy, but in the end, you'll fail if you don't have the belief and the spirit to fight."
The last time the US hosted the World Cup, in 1994, the conversation was about how long before America would challenge for the title. That was 32 years ago. Pochettino is the highest-profile manager the program has ever had. The squad is the most talented it's ever assembled. And the tournament is on home soil.
Whether that adds up to something historic, or just another creditable exit in the round of 16, gets decided in June.
