The US Men’s National Team (USMNT) played in its last friendlies before the World Cup send-off matches. The foes were two of the top European teams, Belgium and Portugal. The US fell to Belgium 5-2 in the first match; the home side scored first but couldn’t hold on to the lead at halftime, as Belgium equalized. Belgium dominated the second half, scoring four times, showing their quality. A rotated squad, with players playing out of position, suffered a 2-0 loss against Portugal, which rounded out this international window.
With just 55 days until Mauricio Pochettino selects his 26 players to represent the USA at this home World Cup, and 70 days until the start of the tournament, time is of the essence to prepare for the World’s biggest sporting event. Here are five things we learned from the USMNT’s most recent friendlies.
Over the last year that Mauricio Pochettino has been the head coach of the USMNT, there has been a sense that the players would find an intensity in their play reminiscent of USA teams of the past. Think of the 2002 team that made it to a World Cup quarterfinal, the 2010 team fighting for every inch of grass in South Africa, and the 2014 team that got out of the group of death. That has not been the case and has led Pochettino to say there are issues getting the players “up” for recent friendlies.
With two tune-up matches before the biggest tournament of these players’ lives, the USMNT will need to maintain its intensity throughout the games. Vs Belgium and Portugal, the USA started well, but when those great teams made in-game changes, the U.S. fell off, which led to their losses. If they do this in the World Cup that’s on home soil, then we may see a huge failure. With that being said, having actual games with stakes should help this team and its players ramp up the intensity needed to win games and get out of a competitive group.
In both of these recent friendlies, the USA played well at the beginning. So much so that they took the lead against Belgium and came close to making it 2-0. The problem is that when the U.S. gets punched in the mouth, it loses the grit needed to get back into the game. This plays off the intensity point and the fact that the US has only played in friendlies since last summer. However, this team tends to get frantic when they get scored on, and that is not the type of thing you want to see from a team just months away from a World Cup.
The USMNT will need to work on this, and while their group opponents aren’t at the level of Belgium and Portugal, grit is needed when facing adversity. Playing Paraguay, Australia, and Turkiye at the World Cup will present moments where they will be “punched in the face.” Their response will need to be a fighting one, organized and precise. This team is good enough to do that; the discipline and coaching needed to get it out of this group will need to be prioritized during the training camp build-up in May if the USMNT wants to make a run at this World Cup.
The USA has not beaten a European team since 2021! They have been on a 10-game winless streak since then, drawing two (Wales and England at the 2022 World Cup), and losing eight straight (starting in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup vs the Netherlands). This is critical since Turkiye has joined the USA’s group at this summer’s World Cup. A Turkiye side that beat the USMNT 2-1 last summer on two unanswered goals. Will this be a major issue in the World Cup, and can the USA break this streak?
The answer to that question could be against Turkiye, but it will also likely be something to keep an eye on should the USA make it to the knockout rounds. It is highly likely that the USA will face a European team in the Round of 32 or the Round of 16. If the expectation is to reach the quarterfinals (tying the furthest a USA team has gone at a World Cup), then beating European nations will need to be part of that run.
It has to be said that the USA’s lineup selection for these last friendlies was interesting. Poch tinkered quite a bit with the players he called in. The formation seems to have changed from a back three to a back four with no wingbacks, and more traditional wingers helping out with the attack. He played players out of position and rotated a lot in two games against high-quality teams. This suggests that Pochettino likely knows which players he is looking to bring to the World Cup and used this international window to test some of them in different positions and situations.
That is the glass-half-full outlook on how things went for the USMNT in terms of players played and formations lined up over the last two matches. If Poch used these games against quality opposition and totally switched up his tactics and formations without knowing who he wanted for his team, then he’s a certified lunatic. The way the USA played in these games shows that Poch must have an inclination of who will be a part of his team at the World Cup… right?
In 2022, the USMNT returned to the World Cup after missing out in 2018. It was the first tournament for the young core of the team, including Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams, and Sergino Dest. The USA leaned on these young stars, then crashed out of their first knockout-round game as their starters were gassed. The depth wasn’t at the level of the Netherlands. In 2026, this team will look very similar in terms of personnel.
The 2026 USMNT will rely heavily on its starters and stars as its anchors. However, there is a bit more depth than in 2022. If they are all fit and on the 26-man roster, they could just dictate how far the USMNT will go in the World Cup. While the makeup of the team hasn’t changed much, we may see a golden generation of the USMNT come together to play in the World Cup on home soil.
The USA’s preparation for the 2026 World Cup is nearly complete. Two more friendlies vs Senegal and Germany before the start of the first home World Cup since 1994.
This USA side has been preparing for this for the last four years, playing in big tournaments, winning the Concacaf Nations League twice in three years, getting grouped in the 2024 Copa America, and losing in back-to-back Gold Cup finals in 2023 and 2025. They have also played 26 of 28 friendlies against nations from every confederation around the world. The USA has won 10, lost 11, and drawn five since the start of 2023. Is this team and its players ready for the moment at hand?
Only time will tell, but poor results against Belgium and Portugal have sparked mixed reactions to this team. Will the top players be healthy for this summer? Will the stars take on the stardom in front of them? Will the coach get this team to reflect the nation they represent? Time’s ticking, and the USMNT is on the precipice of a World Cup that will define the sport of soccer in this country for years to come.
