USA - 2026 World Cup Champions

[YayNJ]

very, very quiet in here....

imagine getting beat by a Jessie Marsch side.. ahahahaha

[LittleJimmies]

Originally Posted by YayNJ

very, very quiet in here....

imagine getting beat by a Jessie Marsch side.. ahahahaha

No big deal. This is the 2026 World Cup Champions thread, not the 2025 Nations League Champions thread. We are still very much on track to win the 2026 World Cup....

[YayNJ]

[mfw13]

Typical CONCACAF....

- scheduling the semifinals on a Thursday when many players are coming from Europe, having played the previous Sunday
- scheduling the games in LA (instead of somewhere on the East Coast), when many players are coming from Europe, so that start times are in the middle of the night European time and players are severely jet-lagged.
- scheduling the games opposite the opening weekend of March Madness

That said, with regard to the USMNT, changing coaches hasn't changed several crucial flaws.....i.e. the lack of a top-tier striker, the lack of a second solid central defender, and the lack of a decent keeper.

Is it really a shock that Turner got his positioning wrong on the Panama goal given that he's barely played any club football the past 2-3 years? Would Tim Ream even still be on the roster of most other countries, let alone starting?

The US has a lot of players who showed a lot of talent and promise 4-5 years ago. However, aside from Pulisic, Adams, Antonee Robinson, and McKennie, none of them have developed. Guys like Weah, Musah, and Dest have shown zero improvement since WC 2022. No central defenders have really developed aside from Chris Richards. And the goalkeeper situation is still a giant mess.

[Giroux]

A lot of eyes will be on the Gold Cup in June

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by Giroux

A lot of eyes will be on the Gold Cup in June

The problem is that at least three key players (McKennie, Weah, and Reyna) won't be able to play in the Gold Cup unless the USMNT reaches an agreement with their club teams (Borussia Dortmund and Juventus) for them to be released from World Club Cup duty.

[YayNJ]

Reyna barely even plays football.

Kid has played more than 15 minutes only three times in nearly a year for Dortmund (league).

[dubsea]

Wild that he is not pushing for a move. Playing pretty much anywhere is better than bench warming.

[YayNJ]

Problem is, where does he go?

He looked like a fish out of water when he was on loan at Nottingham Forest. Completely out of his depth. He 100% needs to leave Dortmund though.

[j0shuab]

Trying to play through a Marsch press with a backline of Joe Scally, Max Arfsten (2nd cap), Cameron Carter Vickers, and Mark McKenzie on a narrow field seems like a bad idea in retrospect.

Marsch, of course, made a complete fool of himself getting red-carded for losing his rag over a correct non-penalty call, and is now under the gun for playing a not fully-fit Davies in a 3rd place game, and Davies blowing his ACL.

[chiefs]

Originally Posted by dubsea

Wild that he is not pushing for a move. Playing pretty much anywhere is better than bench warming.

one would think his dad and mom would have already advocated on his behalf for more pt like a proper american soccer player

[YayNJ]

A Marsch Press

The fella literally sets his teams up to look like a cock & balls.

37 games Leeds fans had to endure that embarrassment. He set us back years, and if the Americans want to point a finger at anyone for stifling Aaronson's career, point at him. He broke him.

[j0shuab]

Yes, a Marsch press, he grew up as a Red Bull manager in the US and Austria. That's what he does, and what any opponent should expect.

Brenden Aaronson is having the best season of his career. He is who he is, a fringe USMNT player who can compete in the Championship but is too lightweight for the Premier League.

[YayNJ]

Originally Posted by j0shuab

Yes, a Marsch press, he grew up as a Red Bull manager in the US and Austria. That's what he does, and what any opponent should expect.

Brenden Aaronson is having the best season of his career. He is who he is, a fringe USMNT player who can compete in the Championship but is too lightweight for the Premier League.

No disrespect, but I watch Aaronson in the flesh a couple of times a month. He’s been rubbish outside of three / four games. The only reason he’s getting all the minutes he’s got this season is due to the club selling Georgino Rutter to Brighton and we’ve literally got nobody else. You've looked at the number of goals he's scored and decided he's having his best ever season.. from your sofa. A blind, one-footed 80 year old could score in this Leeds team.

He's been playing as a 10, and has managed 2 assists all season. We're the highest scorers in all four English leagues this season despite of him, not because of him. He's 100% nailed on to be sold at the end of the season. English football isn't for him.

[prznexhibit]

Originally Posted by mfw13

Typical CONCACAF....

- scheduling the semifinals on a Thursday when many players are coming from Europe, having played the previous Sunday
- scheduling the games in LA (instead of somewhere on the East Coast), when many players are coming from Europe, so that start times are in the middle of the night European time and players are severely jet-lagged.
- scheduling the games opposite the opening weekend of March Madness

That said, with regard to the USMNT, changing coaches hasn't changed several crucial flaws.....i.e. the lack of a top-tier striker, the lack of a second solid central defender, and the lack of a decent keeper.

Is it really a shock that Turner got his positioning wrong on the Panama goal given that he's barely played any club football the past 2-3 years? Would Tim Ream even still be on the roster of most other countries, let alone starting?

The US has a lot of players who showed a lot of talent and promise 4-5 years ago. However, aside from Pulisic, Adams, Antonee Robinson, and McKennie, none of them have developed. Guys like Weah, Musah, and Dest have shown zero improvement since WC 2022. No central defenders have really developed aside from Chris Richards. And the goalkeeper situation is still a giant mess.

Tanner Tessmann has stagnated too, I was expecting him to take it to the next level this year after a promising past few seasons in Italy.

[YayNJ]

four losses in nine games for the Poch, and he's already getting linked with jobs in club football...

that's a pretty bad look.

[mikee1186]

Not much to like about that game apart from the first 20 minutes or so. Hard to see any fringe players having made any sort of case for themselves (this was almost fully a B squad, after all). The new right back Freeman held his own okay along with Richards. The quality of Tyler Adams was apparent when he came on at half, and McKenzie was an improvement over Robinson. McGlynn should be applauded as he took his goal well, but he made several other mistakes including passing up an easy pass that may have led to a goal. Love the eagerness to shoot, but he put several over and also gave away a very poor pass that led to a fast break. I don’t understand the Luna hype, worked hard but created nothing. De la Torre continues to be smooth on the ball and an excellent passer, but I don’t really know where he fits as he’s not very mobile and is a liability defensively. I don’t believe he’s a top tier option but should be a bench option with the top team.

[YayNJ]

Are you not concerned that there's paper stories already about Mauricio Pochettino returning to club football?

Stories like that only get leaked with agents approval. Poch 'turning it down' publicaly (he didn't have to say anything) because 'it's not realistic to return to Spurs' just advertises that he could be on the market for the right suitor.

Bruce Arena has been sticking his oar in, suggesting Poch 'doesn't understand US culture'

either way, the US has looked sloppy and disjointed, even in victory, and that's pretty worrying after nine games.

[DCUnited96]

Worried is an understatement.

The press narrative has been about the A-team missing the Gold Cup, but the real narrative should be about them missing the two friendlies. If the Federation can't get A-team players against Top 16 European teams (roughly Top 25 world) a year before the World Cup then Poch probably has every right to walk.

I do get why Pulisic wants nothing to do with CONCACAF games as they are a constant hack fest for him. No enforcer to protect him and no protection from the refs. I miss Jermaine Jones, heck, I miss Kellyn Acosta.

[mikee1186]

Yeah the whole thing is concerning. We didn’t speak about it on here, but all the guys no-showing this summer is pretty disgraceful tbh. Some of the old school guys have spoken out against the current mentality that doesn’t prioritize country appearances - Dempsey for instance. I understand that more is required these days in terms on a nonstop schedule, but guys from other countries (including in South America, who also have tough game and travel schedules from Europe) make it work. It should be an honor to wear the colors any chance that you’re asked, full stop.

And that’s on top of the structural issues from the top down, the Poch rumors, and the general gameplay issues as we haven’t really seen any Poch roster excel yet.

On top of that, we are about to host a World Cup next year, it’s an expanded World Cup that will now include teams like Uzbekistan and Jordan, ticket prices will be nuts and we will be facing many empty stadiums, plus the political situation is polarizing between the involvement of Trump and corrupt fifa in the whole thing.

I wish I did, but I don’t have answers or solutions. What could have been (or even still could be) a brilliant event for soccer in the USA is shaping up to be the complete opposite.

[Giroux]

Aren't most of the guys not playing because of the Club World Cup?

Who else is sitting out besides Pulisic? He's probably the one guy that has the right to some rest

[mikee1186]

Originally Posted by Giroux

Aren't most of the guys not playing because of the Club World Cup?

Who else is sitting out besides Pulisic? He's probably the one guy that has the right to some rest

Musah, Balo, Dest, Jedi (opted for minor knee surgery) I believe

[YayNJ]

Originally Posted by Giroux

Pulisic? He's probably the one guy that has the right to some rest

Why?

He's played about as many minutes as every other top pro this season.

Geriatric Harry Kane who's played the same amount of minutes turned out for England last night and he's at the Corruption Cup the Saudis have created.

[Giroux]

Originally Posted by YayNJ

Why?

He's played about as many minutes as every other top pro this season.

Geriatric Harry Kane who's played the same amount of minutes turned out for England last night and he's at the Corruption Cup the Saudis have created.

I don't question what playing for USMNT means to Puli

[DCUnited96]

Club World Cup not really a factor. International players turned out for their country during this international window.

Just from the games I followed

Akanji put in a shift against Mexico (he has some choice words for the club world cup)
Kimmich went 90 today in a third place game, Goretzka played as well