World Cup 2026: how worried should the USMNT be as the tournament looms? | USA

Is panic surrounding the USMNT recently justified?

Yes, whenever a host country of the World Cup and a generation of wonders lose a handful of consecutive games with their team A, or what passes for one, the alarm ringtones should ring. This does not mean that everything is lost. While the optimism of Mauricio Pochettino ranked after a 2-0 defeat in a team from South Korea who had a period in a disconcerting way, there was much more good in 2-0 victory over Japan. However, it was a match. Japan rested a lot of regulars. (Again, the United States was barely at full power.) Ls

As a rule, I preach reason and patience, but frustration after the loss against Korea was legitimate. This version of the USMNT has had many opportunities to prove to the fans that they could be a team that will win several direct elimination games during a World Cup they co-hook. They did not benefit from almost none of these opportunities. Are they important that they still win these direct elimination matches? No. It will be the time of the party. But the concern is justified in the interval. JA

I mean, it is the host country with talented players and one of the most prominent coaches in the world at the helm and they were mainly bad against the opposition of quality last year. I understand that the results do not really matter before June, but the performances are still counting. But I don’t think people are unreasonable to want to be excited more. AA

It is. Usually, the teams hope to close the year preceding a World Cup for the Solidification of a List and perhaps tinkering on the edges; Add a newcomer shiny here and there, or bring a veteran back from an injury to the fold. But the USMNT has made fairly large changes from one match to another. Perhaps some of this can be attributed to the Pochettino limited window with the United States Male Male team, but overall chemistry and disjointed backline game should alarm fans if it cannot be rejected. JF

Who has improved their USMNT cases the most above this window?

Can I say Pocsettino? No. Ok, very good. Folarin Balogun. When he came against Korea, his impact was obvious and the United States suddenly had an attacker capable of creating chances for himself. While Ricardo Pepi is a clinical finisher, Balogun is the only one to constantly play games with the ball at his feet, to sparkle pockets of space or to open corridors to meet. He could have had a handful of this window – his triple manque against Korea was particularly regrettable – but he finally put his first USMNT goal in more than a year against Japan. Balogun is the outgoing striker. Ls

Alejandro Zendejas. The debate on the question of whether MLS players belong or not to the national team or not whether Liga MX, a league whose best teams continuously raise the CONCACAF Champions Cup to the detriment of their MLS competitors, has often been ignored. Zendejas obtained some fast pocket looks from Pochettino, but probably not as much justified for perhaps the best player of the American club, one of the best teams in the region. He had his greatest opportunity in this window and was a bright point against Korea, then scored a goal against Japan. Pochettino himself noted that he was “in the race”. JA

Matt Freese. The lack of game time by Matt Turner and the SO-SO form created a wide open competition for the USMNT n ° 1 shirt, in which Freese has apparently entered directly after two solid games this window and an entire gold cup tournament as a starter. Freeese has been one of MLS’s best shooting strokes for a few years, and he has been combining this with better ability to play with his feet compared to Turner. There are still questions about the organization, the two objectives of South Korea from basic defensive breakdowns, but it seems that the starting work is to be lost for the moment. AA

Can you say it was Christian PulisicWho has been the star of the national team since at least 2018? There was never any doubt that he would make the World Cup list, but after having taken a controversial break from the national team and missed the Golden Cup 2025, there were a lot of questions surrounding the man of Milan. He aligned his share of criticism from Landon Donovan during the summer (who took his own break in the national team), but he proved how critical he was for the team. It was central to the accumulation of the USMNT in both games and providing key aid against Japan. JF

Who injured the most of its USMNT case above this window?

Sebastian Berhalter. After projections outside the competition in the CONCACAF champions cut with the Whitecaps of Vancouver and during the Gold Cup when he had a pocket -looking glance and staff, this window looked like a test to see if he could hang out with more intimidating opposition. It was not a test he succeeded, struggling with his son Heung-Min in the Korean match and not being able to show the type of connective game that made him an asset during the summer. Although its decorated prowess is so unique in the pool, it seems that it can always compete for a place, the fact that it has not entered Japan is auspicious. Ls

Any attacker who is not balogun, but Josh Sargent especially. Who can even say why the national Sargent team is a trembling ball of Club Sargent? All we know is that it’s been almost six years since his last American goal, and there is no more time to try to repair it, in particular with several more viable strikers in the pool. JA

Yeah, I should agree with Jon. Sargent Maybe has been in the best form of his club career with Norwich this season, with six goals in five games. If there should be a window for this to be translated internationally, that would be this. It did not happen. If it was not his last chance, it must be close. AA

TIM REAM I sometimes put myself in his place, keeping his son on the first goal of South Korea. He will be 38 years old for the World Cup, and is the most experienced presence of the team, so his place on the list is not likely (and should not be) in doubt. However, it remains a little worrying that it is counted on if the United States will have an impact on the World Cup. The distribution of Ream is vital in transition, and it will have to be stronger in the coming games. JF

What is the greatest weakness in the United States right now?

THE Press collapse and the inability to create chances. I suppose these are two problems, but I will stay with them both, because I think that one informs the other. The United States fought in these regions against South Korea, but did much better on Tuesday against Japan. However, the endless turnover in the range has made it difficult to train something like pressing cohesion in most games, which has tended to lead to transitional difficulties and a shortage of chance of scoring downstream. Ls

Entirely Immediately after losing the ball. It seems strange because the American midfielder looked like a force, with the midfielder sixty on MMA of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams. Only one of these guys was even called for this window, and although ADAMS is doing well, there must be a partner with him in the midfield that can cover for him when he advances – and prevents the files from running too much. The addition of Cristian Roldan to the list looks like a panic movement aimed at reversing the regression there, but sometimes panic moves the work, right? JA

Chemistry and representatives – Another separate but linked appointment. I would say that the greatest supposed strength of the United States in 2026 was not only that they had more talented players than ever before, but that these players would have played each other internationally for about seven years. This is an advantage that few countries can match, but Pochettino has lost a large part in favor of bringing unicked players to increase competition. There is a sufficiently solid argument in favor of this, I think the time to stop experiment was before the Gold Cup. AA

Consistency of the programming. Each national team must fight against travel and injuries of players who make the same 11 runners almost impossible. Pochettino joining the team halfway through the World Cup cycle makes this even more difficult, because he had to play catching up to familiarize himself with the players. JF

Where will the United States end up at the World Cup next year?

I think they survive the group phase – that two thirds of the teams, in a basin diluted with opponents – largely because of the energy and excitement which will trigger once America will wake up and realize that there is a World Cup at its door. And then I think they mount this momentum to A first victory on stage with direct elimination since 2002. Maybe even another, with a little luck in the support. Ls

Leaving the group should be the minimum, and the right draw means the possibility of winning in the direct elimination tour. So put me for a Elimination of the 16 cycle That, if anything, is only used for more debates around the team, fans and experts weigh on the fact that this has or not as a success at that time. JA

I do not see this team being eliminated in the group phase since it is already in the lead and that the expanded tournament means at least one and potentially the three opponents there will be eminently defeated. But I haven’t seen it enough to convince myself of their bonafids in a high pressure situation. Today, I think they have done a good performance but get out of 32. AA

If the results leading to the tournament continue as they did in 2025, I am not convinced that we will see better than the typical First release of the direct elimination key Let us fans, we are used to it. JF