"Why not us?" Mauricio Pochettino said at a March training camp. He told his players they can win the whole thing. On home soil. In front of 80,000 Americans. It's a bold line — and right now, the squad he's working with makes it a very long shot.
The United States enters the 2026 World Cup carrying real structural problems. Their goalkeeper situation is the most obvious. Matt Freese has displaced Matt Turner as the No. 1, and the Americans are set to head into the tournament without a single Europe-based keeper — something that hasn't happened since 1990. Tony Meola, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, Brad Guzan — for four decades, the position was a genuine strength. Right now, it isn't.
"It just seems like we've had a little bit of a rut," Tim Howard said. That's an understatement.
A thin defensive spine
Central defence isn't much more reassuring. Chris Richards, 26, has been outstanding at Crystal Palace this season and is the only American centre-back genuinely holding down a spot in a top European league. Beyond him, the picture gets murky fast. Captain Tim Ream is 38 and left Fulham for MLS last summer. Auston Trusty has been starting for Celtic since October. Mark McKenzie is a regular at Toulouse. That's the depth.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, a 2022 veteran, is out entirely with an Achilles injury. Right back Sergiño Dest is racing to recover from a hamstring issue sustained in March. Pochettino has experimented with a three-man defensive line, which is often what coaches do when they're not convinced by what they have in a back four.
All of this matters for anyone assessing the USMNT's tournament odds. A shaky defensive unit and an unproven goalkeeper doesn't just affect results — it affects the price on clean sheets, goals conceded markets, and how far they can realistically advance.
Everything rests on Pulisic
Christian Pulisic, 27 and in his prime, hasn't scored an international goal since November 2024. He's also gone 14 club games without a goal for AC Milan since late December. That's a drought, not a blip.
Pochettino isn't worried: "He's going to score because he has the quality." Pulisic himself acknowledged the pressure — "it's there but it's nothing I can't handle." He's earned the benefit of the doubt after his goal against Iran in 2022 sent the U.S. through. But the tournament opens against Paraguay on June 12, then Australia and Turkey. The group is winnable. The round of 16 is where things get harder.
The U.S. is 1-7 all-time in World Cup knockout football. That one win came against Mexico in 2002. Since 2022 they've lost eight straight to European opposition, conceding 22 goals and scoring six. The co-host seeding means they likely avoid an elite European side until the last 16 — but eventually, someone serious is waiting.
Pochettino is ambitious and the setup is as favorable as it'll ever get. But a goalkeeping rut, injury-hit defenders, and a misfiring star player aren't exactly the foundation of a deep run.
