"They did surprise us. Nobody expected that they can play like that." That's Christian Karembeu — 1998 World Cup winner, not a USMNT fan looking for silver linings. When a player who lifted the trophy in France says you exceeded expectations, that's not consolation. That's a genuine assessment.
The U.S. went out in the Round of 16 to Belgium, a loss that exposed exactly what Pochettino's side still lacks: the composure and experience to hold it together when the tournament's margin for error shrinks to zero. Karembeu wasn't pretending the result didn't sting. But he was clear that one bad night doesn't erase what the Americans built across this tournament.
Pochettino's fingerprints are all over this
Three wins, including a Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a style of play — speed, moments of genuine possession, real attacking threat — that had European observers doing double-takes. Karembeu credited Pochettino directly: "I think Pochettino has done a great job and you need to be proud of Team USA because we didn't expect that."
That improvement is real. It's also exactly why the USMNT's odds for 2030 deserve a second look from anyone writing them off after the Belgium defeat. Karembeu, who played in the 1994 World Cup on American soil, went as far as saying he wouldn't be surprised to see the U.S. in the final in Morocco, Portugal and Spain four years from now. "They have the potential," he said. "It was more a lack of experience."
Experience accumulates. And a squad that just played in front of a home crowd galvanized by a genuinely dramatic tournament — including the Folarin Balogun red card saga that drew in President Trump and triggered a furious Belgian Football Federation statement — will remember this. Those moments shape teams.
The road back starts now
The irony is that the U.S., having earned an automatic World Cup berth as host nation, now has to qualify like everyone else for 2030. The grace period is over. CONCACAF qualifying will expose any regression under Pochettino — and equally, it'll be the arena where the next generation proves whether this tournament was a ceiling or a floor.
Karembeu's verdict is a useful benchmark: the Americans moved the needle in 2026. "Focus on the collective result and what they achieved before that," he said. The Belgium loss was a lesson. Whether they learned it is a 2030 question.
