The USMNT's to-do list before the 2026 World Cup, ranked by urgency

So, uh, 2025, huh?

If we enactment the U.S. men's nationalist team connected the aforesaid August-to-July calendar arsenic nine teams, it's been an incredibly disappointing twelvemonth for the Americans.

It started retired great! After flaming retired of the Copa América, the USMNT got escaped of the manager that astir of the fans didn't privation and replaced him with, theoretically, 1 of the champion coaches successful the world. Mauricio Pochettino is the benignant of manager that USMNT supporters person been claiming the squad deserved for a decade. He was besides the benignant of manager that radical similar maine said they would ne'er get.

He's overseen the emergence of multiple, athletic, palmy young teams successful the Premier League. He managed the astir dysfunctional postulation of superstar attackers ever assembled with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar astatine PSG. And overall, his teams person mostly done what each well-coached teams do: execute astatine a higher level than their corporate endowment suggests they should.

Well, until helium got to the USMNT. Under Pochettino, the Americans struggled to make immoderate chances against Panama successful the Nations League semifinals. They played poorly successful the we're-not-sure-how-much-this-matters third-place crippled against Canada. They got whupped by Turkey and Switzerland successful a brace of pre-Gold Cup friendlies. And successful the knockout rounds of the Gold Cup, they needed penalties to bushed Costa Rica, conceded 20 shots to Guatemala, and were comprehensively outplayed by Mexico successful the final.

Oh, and past there's the full happening wherever Pochettino and Christian Pulisic mightiness beryllium in a feud. Really, it's unclear wherever thing stands with any of the players who didn't play astatine the Gold Cup.

However, since games are fewer and acold betwixt successful planetary soccer, it's usually a bully regularisation of thumb that things are ne'er arsenic bully oregon arsenic atrocious arsenic they seem. Italy won Euro 2020 and past missed the 2022 men's World Cup. Argentina mislaid the opening crippled of the 2022 World Cup to Saudi Arabia and past won the 2022 World Cup.

So, for things to get amended for the USMNT earlier they co-host the World Cup adjacent summer, what needs to happen? Here is the USMNT's to-do database earlier the 2026 World Cup, ranked successful the bid of importance.

1. Get everyone connected bully presumption again

When asked astir re-integrating each of the European players aft the nonaccomplishment to Mexico, Pochettino was vague and a small irritated successful his answer. Given the frustrating effect -- and the performance, and the information that English isn't his archetypal connection -- it's understandable that helium wasn't capable to connection up the astir eloquent effect successful the moment.

That said, the manager of the USMNT fundamentally has 3 jobs arsenic acold arsenic I'm concerned. The first: fig retired what achievable benignant of play gets the astir endowment connected the field. The second: really get said endowment connected the field. And the third: fixed the fig of dual nationals successful the USMNT pool, grow the endowment excavation whenever possible.

Now, it was amusive to spot a clump of caller faces get important playing clip this summer. And I don't contradict that determination was a antithetic vibe with the squad erstwhile it was filled with guys who felt similar their USMNT futures were connected the enactment with each match. But vibes tin lone get you truthful far.

In the 3 knockout-round matches astatine the Gold Cup, the USMNT enactment up the pursuing top-line numbers:

• Non-penalty expected goals: 3.39
• Non-penalty expected goals allowed: 3.18
• Final-third possession: 44.4%
• Touches successful the punishment area: 50
• Opponent touches successful the punishment area: 72

This was against 3 teams whose mean ranking successful the World Football Elo ratings was 46th.

Granted, the USMNT are ranked 45th, truthful possibly it makes consciousness that they ended up astir adjacent connected chances created and conceded. But the expectations are evidently mode higher than that for adjacent summer. To get anyplace adjacent them, Pochettino needs arsenic overmuch endowment arsenic helium tin acceptable connected the roster.

2. Stay healthy

The alleged "Golden Generation" of American shot hasn't worked retired arsenic expected.

Pulisic had superstar imaginable and he's settled into much similar a "Champions League starter" level astatine AC Milan. Same went for Gio Reyna and he's been a non-factor astatine immoderate nonrecreational level for the past 3 years. Tyler Adams seemed similar a imaginable Champions League-level holding midfielder and has go much similar an mean Premier League player. Tim Weah astir apt met expectations by becoming an off-the-bench contributor astatine Juventus. Weston McKennie met expectations by becoming thing person to a starter astatine Juve. Sergiño Dest moved to Barcelona erstwhile helium was 19 -- present he's playing successful the Eredivisie. Chris Richards was astatine Bayern Munich; present he's astatine Crystal Palace.

The lone feline who importantly exceeded expectations was Antonee Robinson, who is genuinely 1 of the champion near backs successful the Premier League and would astir apt beryllium moving to a overmuch bigger nine this summertime if helium were a mates years younger.

The main crushed the USMNT isn't amended is due to the fact that astir of these guys landed determination astir their 50th-percentile vocation outcomes, oregon worse. There's a world wherever Dest stays astatine Barcelona, Adams is sidesplitting it for Atlético Madrid, Reyna made a determination to Bayern Munich, and Pulisic is starring other Mohamed Salah astatine Liverpool. Unfortunately, that's not the world successful which we live.

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Robson: The USMNT volition conflict astatine the World Cup

Stewart Robson believes the USMNT mightiness conflict astatine adjacent year's World Cup aft their mediocre show successful the Gold Cup final.

Even accounting for the struggles nether Pochettino, there's a different, superior crushed to beryllium bearish connected the USMNT's chances for the upcoming World Cup, arsenic compared to the past 1 successful Qatar. Outside of Richards and Reyna, each of these guys played a batch successful Qatar -- arsenic did Yunus Musah.

Nine outfield players featured successful astatine slightest 270 minutes of crippled clip successful 2022: 2 of them were 35-year-old Tim Ream and 29-year-old Walker Zimmerman, portion the different 7 were Pulisic, Weah, Adams, McKennie, Musah, Robinson and Dest.

Given the wounded past of immoderate of these dudes -- Pulisic, Adams, and Dest, successful peculiar -- the subordinate availability astatine the past World Cup was rather good. Given however galore games these guys are playing successful Europe and the wide fallibility of the quality body, I don't cognize if I'd number connected arsenic galore of the stars being steadfast capable to play adjacent summer. But truthful agelong arsenic everyone is backmost successful the fold, this question is going to person the biggest bearing connected however good the squad performs adjacent summer: Who is steadfast capable to play?

3. Create gait and abstraction successful the attacking third

Forget dads using ChatGPT to support their sons. Never caput that clip erstwhile the caput manager said the phrase "I americium not a mannequin." No, the strangest portion of Pochettino's tenure frankincense acold has to beryllium the happening with Tim Weah's eye. Here's what Pochettino said backmost successful November:

"We person each a ascendant eye, no? And depending connected your assemblage shape, you consciousness comfy oregon not, depending wherever is the line, what is the goal, what is your presumption erstwhile you person the ball... Always, we effort to check, due to the fact that we request to recognize the player."

The biggest alteration from Berhalter to Pochettino from a lineup standpoint was the shifting of Weah from close helping to near wing. Given that Weah is right-footed, this mightiness look similar Pochettino opting for different winger who tin chopped successful and shoot, arsenic astir apical teams bash these days. But helium claims it's due to the fact that of Weah's eyed-ness (?), not his footed-ness.

Either way, the alteration has affected the mode the squad plays. In Europe, Weah is overmuch much of a helping backmost oregon antiaircraft winger than a extremity threat. He's scored 8 goals successful the past 4 home seasons combined. He's not truly a subordinate you privation playing successful beforehand of the absorption antiaircraft line. Instead, helium stretches the tract by staying wide and moving behind a defense.

That's what helium did nether Berhalter erstwhile helium played connected the right, most notably against Wales successful the opening lucifer successful Qatar.

Under Berhalter, Weah received 0.27 done balls per 90 minutes -- by acold the astir of immoderate subordinate who featured successful astatine slightest 20 matches. Under Pochettino, the USMNT has completed 14 done balls -- and nary of them person been to Weah.

Instead, six were to Patrick Agyemang. And that helps explicate wherefore Pochettino likes the caller Derby County striker truthful much.

Agyemang's quality to tally down and conflict for agelong balls does let the U.S. to determination the shot up the field, but he's inactive truthful below-par successful beforehand of extremity and successful possession that I truly don't deliberation it's worthy it.

With a guardant similar Agyemang, you're constricted successful however you tin really play. You can't enactment much intricate buildup patterns oregon interchanging movements; you person to play agelong to Agyemang to determination the shot up the field, which I deliberation past makes his relation successful the squad look much important than it really is.

Pochettino needs to fig retired however to put his attackers successful a mode that lets the Americans accent absorption defenses horizontally and vertically portion besides allowing him to play a striker similar Folarin Balogun, who volition really get shots and people goals against tougher opposition.

4. Get Matt Turner connected the field

I person nary hint however bully Matt Turner is astatine stopping shots close now. What I bash cognize is that erstwhile helium was successful MLS, helium was one of the champion shot-stoppers the league had ever seen.

What I besides cognize is that nary of the USMNT's different imaginable goalkeepers successful MLS person travel anyplace adjacent to Turner's show level successful MLS. So, based connected each of that, my extracurricular presumption is that if Turner starts playing nonrecreational shot again, helium volition beryllium the team's wide champion enactment successful goal.

Matt Freese was good astatine the Gold Cup. He was lights-out successful the shootout against Costa Rica -- to the constituent wherever it wouldn't beryllium a unspeakable thought to bring him to the World Cup arsenic a break-in-case-of-penalties enactment similar the Netherlands did with Tim Krul backmost successful 2014. But successful regular play, helium looked rather shaky astatine times, adjacent if it didn't effect successful excessively galore other goals being scored against the USMNT.

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Adams & Tillman praise 'unbelievable' Freese aft punishment heroics

Tyler Adams and Malik Tillman talk aft the USMNT's punishment shootout triumph vs. Costa Rica astatine the Gold Cup.

As for the different options -- Zack Steffen, Patrick Schulte -- we truly conscionable person nary thought however good they'd execute successful a leap up successful level from MLS to the World Cup.

Given however overmuch of a relation goalkeepers play successful whether oregon not shots crook into goals, there's an statement that they truly are among the astir invaluable players connected the field. They don't interaction the shot much, but beauteous overmuch each clip they do, it's a high-leverage moment. That's particularly existent successful a limited-game tourney similar the World Cup. A mates large saves tin instrumentality you from "out of the radical stages" to "into the quarterfinals."

It's conscionable ... is Turner really going to get playing time? He's expected to motion with Lyon -- if their fiscal concern gets sorted out -- and that's a massive, neon "if" that's disposable from outer space. But Lyon already person a truly coagulated young goalkeeper successful Lucas Perri, who was fantastic successful Brazil and above-average successful Ligue 1 past season. Unless Perri is going to determination to a caller team, past I don't spot however Turner signing with Lyon solves immoderate of the problems Turner has had successful England.

5. Figure retired the midfield

One of the USMNT's strengths astatine the past World Cup was the midfield. McKennie, Adams and Musah made up a complimentary trio that could outrun fundamentally immoderate different squad successful the tournament. These 3 players were a large crushed wherefore the U.S. was capable to contention possession truthful good against England and besides power truthful overmuch of the shot against the Netherlands.

McKennie and Musah didn't play successful this summer's Gold Cup, of course, but Adams did and I can't retrieve him ever looking worse successful a USMNT shirt. After taking leads against some Costa Rica and Guatemala, the U.S. truly should've been capable to power the matches and suck the beingness retired of the games. Instead, they hung connected for beloved beingness successful both, and past they conscionable couldn't bent against El Tri.

Now, it wasn't conscionable Adams. Sebastian Berhalter's set-piece transportation led to a mates important goals for the Americans this summer, but helium conscionable doesn't interaction the crippled capable otherwise. Luca de la Torre tin beryllium a bully complimentary subordinate -- making the close runs, keeping possession, occupying the indispensable spaces -- but he's much idiosyncratic who volition assistance you erstwhile you've controlled the game, alternatively than assistance you instrumentality power of it.

But Adams, really, was straight-up atrocious successful possession. Per Stats Perform's expected-possession-value model, helium really decreased the USMNT's chances of scoring with his passing. He contributed a full of minus-0.09 xPV implicit the people of the tournament. No 1 other who played important minutes was beneath 0.07.

On apical of each that, Atlético Madrid-bound Johnny Cardoso hardly played astatine the Gold Cup and truly struggled against Turkey and Switzerland. Some different Europe-based players who person featured nether Pochettino successful the past -- Tanner Tessmann, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio -- weren't connected the roster.

Perhaps there's a satellite wherever Reyna becomes a viable pro again, but helium excessively missed the Gold Cup truthful helium could play 12 full minutes astatine the Club World Cup. Malik Tillman emerged arsenic an enactment -- some with his play this summertime and his monolithic determination to Bayer Leverkusen -- but he's much of a floating-between-the-lines tweener alternatively than a existent midfielder.

The midfield 3 utilized to beryllium 1 of the easiest parts of the starting 11 to predict, but present I lone person a vague thought of who mightiness beryllium starting determination travel the adjacent acceptable of friendlies. There is plentifulness of endowment here, though. And aft all, these are the "problems" Pochettino is getting paid to fig out.