Post-match: 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw; December 5th - 12pm

The US is MUCH deeper heading into 2026 than we were in 2022.

New players who were not in Qatar: Pepi, Balogun, Tillman, Richards, Tessmann, Scally (didn't play a minute in Qatar), Reyna (we all know that story). Add to this the fact that our extremely young core in 2022 is mostly just reaching their prime.

Also, the coach: I respected Berhalter a lot, but Poch has brought fresh tactical ideas and is using the depth (that Gregg never had) to good effect.

With six months to go, it's still coming together, but the US will be much better equipped to face a Holland in 2026 than we were in 2022.

 

I guess I really haven't compared them yet, but breaking it down.

Strikers: Feel much better about this team in terms off depth and the starter

Wings: I do think Pulisic has grown over the last 4 years but the rest of this is a little questionable. My confidence in Weah back then wasn't really a club performance thing and more about how good he was for in us in qualifying. Tim hasn't played much for us in the last year so it's hard to speak to his NT form, and I'm not even sure he's a starter here anymore. I wouldn't surprised if Poch took a midfielder like Tillman or Weston to play in Tim's spot. The depth question is a hard one to answer, in the buildup to 2022 Brendo and Gio were always perfectly serviceable in these spots when they needed to be and are technically going to be options again, but we haven't seen much of that in this cycle.

Mids: Another tricky one, it is without question deeper but how do I feel about the starters? That MMA midfield was very good for The US up to and through Qatar. Are we sticking with a back 3 and only playing 2? Would we feel better about an Adams/Weston or Adams/Malik midfield pairing than we did with MMA? From a club standpoint perhaps, but we really didn't see Adams and Malik paired in front of a back 3 in The Gold Cup. As for Weston you could argue he's grown as a club player but I would say his post Qatar National Team form was worse than his pre Qatar form and we haven't seen him under Poch much. If we do go back to a Back 4 I do think a Adams/Mckennie/Tillman trio would have the potential to be good, but again we haven't really seen it.

Fullbacks: I do feel better about Arfsten and Freeman than I did about Moore and Yedlin (though Moore did go into Qatar in excellent form). As for the starters, that was when Dest made his terrible AC Milan move and only played 90 minutes once that season before Qatar, so I definitely feel better about him. Antonee's the difficult one, he's grown a ton over the past 4 years, though his health is the big caveat to that right now. Getting the start yesterday was a great sign.

CB's: Richards is better than ZImm or CCV and over the last few months it seems he's finally learned to translate his club form to The NT. Ream's gone the other direction though, he was in the club form of his life going into Qatar and that's fallen off a cliff. If we do play a 3rd one, I loved what I saw out of Freeman in The Uruguay friendly but that's still a small sample size and I'm not sure I'm gonna be particularly confident in whoever that 3rd option is (and CCV is hurt too). I know there's more to goal conceded than just The CB's but in the 30 matches before Qatar this team had 18 clean sheets and only gave up multiple goals 4 times. It does seem this current team is good for switching off once per match and conceding

Goalkeepers: I liked 2021/2022 Matt Turner more than the current iteration of Matt Freese. Though that was when Turner made his Arsenal move and only made 3 starts that season going into The World Cup. I still think it took awhile for Turner's lack of club minutes to really impact his NT performance, but I guess Freese will have consistent club minutes going for him when it comes to this tournament.

 

We’re also down Musah and Ream is four years older. And unclear Freese is as good as Turner in 2022. Plus Jedi has been of uncertain health.

 

Strikers: I agree, we are much, much better in that position now.

Wingers: We don't really use wingers, so this could be moot. Regardless, Weah is a better player with a lot more experience and positional versatility than in 2022. Pulisic is a better player than he was then for sure. Again, this position doesn't matter much, and we certainly aren't as reliant as we were in 2022.

Central Midfield: Much deeper and better there now than we were in 2022. Tessmann is potentially a starter next to Adams. Tillman has come on. Reyna is hopefully in better form than in 2022. McKennie and Adams have matured as players. Musah is still there and could easily still be involved, but probably not as a starter -- that is a good thing, I believe, and adds a lot to our depth.

Wingbacks: Dest and Jedi's roles won't be too much different than they were in 2022, but their strengths should definitely be suited to the new system.

Center Backs: This is a big concern. I like Richards, but I'd feel more comfortable with him on the right or left rather than in the middle. Ream might be as good as he was, or he might not. Who knows? Banks will hopefully come on over the next few months and could be a serious wildcard that improves our defense. Scally has a lot of experience as a RCB in a back three now, so he is a good candidate, too. McKenzie, Trusty, and Freeman are possibilities in the back line, but this is definitely the position with the most questions.

Keeper: Turner still has a chance to come on this spring, but it's hard to say we are any worse off than we would have been in 2022 if Freese beats him out. I'm not sure I agree with that decision, and either way, it's a weakness....

Depth: We are looking at the possibility of bringing players like Musah and Weah off the bench and being able to use them as rotational starters if necessary. One of Pepi of Balo will be coming off the bench. Our center backs are not as much of a sure thing, but we are a lot deeper there, now. We were not able to rotate much at all in 2022, and we were bringing guys like Shaq Moore Kellyn Acosta off the bench. Huge difference that should make a big difference in 2026.

 

We shouldn't necessarily be down Musah. It's just that he would be coming off the bench, which is a perfect role for him and one that he has a lot of experience with, too.

Turner still has a chance this spring to get back in the team. If Freese beats him out, it's hard to say that we are any worse off in that position. People always talk about how good Turner was in 2022, but how many big saves did he make in that tournament? I feel like he was hardly involved outside of one or two moments.

 

Musah has definitely regressed since 2022 and hasn’t done anything with club or country anytime recently that would indicate he’d be at the same level at this World Cup.

 

He hadn't done much before the World Cup at club level either. I don't know why he would be in worse position now if he continues playing off the bench and hopefully gets a couple of starts with Atalanta before the summer.

 

He was much doing both much better for the USMNT and his club team in the lead up to the World Cup in 2022 compared to now.

And decent chance he’s on the move from Atalanta in January given he’s barely played there.

 

Because he's playing 4 minutes here and 20 minutes there? Because the last time he played real minutes he was a liability in terms of keeping defensive shape? Because he's never been productive offensively?

Yunus Musah has plenty of potential, but he is absolutely ponderous with his offensive decision making and has become erratic with his defensive cover. Or at least, he's always been the former and had become the latter when he was playing.

Does anyone think that works in the CM as we're seeing happen?

Meanwhile, all his competition for the spot has become better.

 

Yeah, I guess we'll see what Musah does over the next few months, but it's not uncommon for a player to take a little while to settle in at a new club. Either way, it's not a big blow to our midfield if he's not on the roster in 2026. Could be a really nice sub though if he does start getting more consistent minutes.

 

He just played 30 minutes this weekend. I can see how he might not have the mentality that Poch wants, and I would totally get that, but he's got plenty of talent if things start to click just a little bit over the next few months, which I do think is a possibility. He's got a lot of international experience, including in a World Cup, which I would value and would be wary of that quality lacking in someone like Berhalter.

 

I think where you and I likely differ is that I'm skeptical that things click over the next six months. And really, over the next three months, because I really can't see him starting to do well in May and taking someone else's spot. Poch may change his mind, but I suspect that March is the Last Dance Saloon for getting one's foot back in the door.

In terms of improvement, maybe he gets some defensive consistency back, though it is going to be hard to tell in only reserve levels of time.

But I don't think the change in offensive style is one that is likely to happen. It's not impossible, of course, but I also don't think it's nearly as conscious as people think. I also don't really know if he's even trying to adjust -- Pochettino's hands-off style and perhaps different club demands ... who knows?

World Cup experience is valuable -- I expect it to help us a bit this time around. But Musah is almost certainly going to have to seize a role. Even in comparison to a borderline guy like Berhalter, he's going to have to exceed his likely play net of set piece delivery and plays like that goal against Uruguay or his long passes by a decent amount, because if its close to six of one, half dozen of the other, I don't know how Musah gets that benefit of the doubt.

You can't pound the table for culture, commitment, intensity, etc., and then give the tie of a player selection for some other reason. You certainly don't break that standard for #24+ on the roster.

That said, I think Yunus would greatly benefit from Pochettino the club coach. I just don't know if he can change his mindset as a national team coach. It's clear he tried at the beginning of his tenure.

It's also clear that while Christian, who does work on his weaknesses and play with intensity, can take the summer off, a player who seems to be less focused when in camp and doesn't seem to be focused on improvement asking for the summer off may have been a real dealbreaker.

 

And yet that same Dutch team was completely outplayed by Ecuador and very lucky to escape with a draw. IMHO it should have been a loss as Ecuador's 2nd "goal" was wrongfully disallowed as their "offisde" attacker was not blocking the goalie's line of sight on the shot, nor involved in the play in any way.

 

That doesn’t change the fact that they still had way more talent compared to us. In a one off game anything can happen and soccer is a huge variance sport but us beating the Netherlands would have been an upset any way you look at it (and upsets happen all the time in tournament soccer so not unfeasible).

And we also had a much better game versus an England team with even more talent compared to the Netherlands. But that’s just how the sport works sometimes.

 

I just think that Musah is the more ideal candidate -- not for position 25 or 26, but for position 15 or 16. I don't necessarily see what you do when you talk about his ponderous attacking play although he can certainly improve his play in possession, and his defensive awareness is something that should get better with experience. In an ideal world, he's an incredible player to bring on in the 75th minute to close out a game.

I can't speak to his mentality because we just don't have that insight. However, this seems like it could be a huge weakness of his. This is something that also could turn around with maturity, but that could be a long term process if it happens at all. His coaches are the ones who will make that determination.

As of now, I think it's more likely than not that he's off the roster, but I also think that it's a huge mistake to project the roster based on how the picture looks at this minute. Things change quickly, and half of a season is a really long time.

Ultimately, I think Musah belongs on an ideal roster as a strong depth piece. There is still time for that to happen as his playing time could definitely increase over the next few months for a March invite. He's nowhere near a make or break player, so if it doesn't happen, oh well.

 

Oh please, stop it.
This thread was heading into the right direction with interesting opinion exchanges about what matters now.

 

Unless Musah makes some significant strides in order to get called in for the March window there is zero chance I'd take him over Berhalter. Zero. If we need to defend late with a lead there are better options than either of these two. If we need a goal late then Berhalter's set pieces and passing ability far exceed Musah who has shown almost nothing in the attacking third.

 

Silly take. At least have a sense of humor with it as in, "with the opinions coalescing in a form in concordance with my own, we can now move on to subjects currently more relevant." At least I'd laugh with the self-mocking tone, but of course no....

This is a forum where we still talk about Italy 1 USA 0 from 1990, the upset of Colombia in '94, the disaster class that was France '98, where we argue over whether the US was unlucky or lucky in '02 (I'm in the unlucky camp, though I concede the O'Brien handball going unseen was enormously lucky)....we have virtually no history. We've only been relevant in modern soccer since after you guys hoisted the Euro '88 Trophy. So things from 3.5 years ago are going to matter a lot more to us, than to you, especially when it's a game that wasn't a concern to you.


Thinking about the current draw, it is fascinating to consider how likely it is we draw Italy, Canada or Switzerland as our Round of 32 opponent. This tournament doesn't really have the feel, at least from our path, of a tournament that has been dramatically diluted. A third place opponent being a Swiss team that was unlucky as hell not to be England (and smashed to bits our B/C team in June), traditional power if currently sucky Italy, and a Canada team that beat us in Canada in 2022 in WCQ and in NL in 2025? "Not great Bob".

Will be interesting to see what happens with El Tri. Unlike the oddsmakers, I struggle to imagine Mexico winning the group. They got a group of life, but they are still part of what makes the group suck. If they're runner up, they get either Canada, Switzerland, or Italy or I imagine Wales if they go through. First place is to hard to figure.

People seem to think they'll beat South Africa easily but I'm not so sure, I could see an El Tri blow out, or a close South Africa win depending upon how well South Africa's Defense plays. That fact that so many are club teammates should help. They gave up 6 goals in qualifying in 10 matches (2 to Nigeria, and Rwanda and 1 a piece to Benin and Zimbabwe), and they only gave up 3 goals at AFCON '23 (2 to Mali in I think their opener, and then 1 to Nigeria in the semifinal they lost on penalties). In the '25-'26 AFCON they have to deal with Egypt, and if they can't get past them, and take runner up they'll get the 2nd place finisher in a group with Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Gabon...so the tournament should test them and tell us something about their mettle, especially if they finish 2nd in the group stage.

 

That potential round of 16 game against England at the Azteca is a huge potential opportunity for them if they can get there. Their group stage opponents will be based at altitude as their base camps so they’ll be able to acclimate but not England who will have no such opportunity and basically never has to play at altitude (not since the 86 World Cup maybe?)

 

Great Point. I've been trying to suss out which places will be covered (Texas and Atlanta) versus which places will be hellish, and I keep forgetting which places have AC/Retractable roofs.
Sounds Like:
Mexico City
Guadelejara
Monterrey
New York
New England
Kansas City
Miami
Philly
Is Toronto humid?

That's still a whole bunch of stadiums that are likely to be hosting hot or humid games I would imagine.....I keep forgetting the relevance and it seems pretty strong for teams not used to this especially in Northern Europe and as it gets to later June and July.

 

I think we can all agree that whether he's the ideal candidate for it or not ... he's not in contention for 15 or 16 with Pochettino.

He doesn't move the ball quickly. It sticks to him and allows the defense to reset and get back into position.

It's oddly most noticeable when he does something special. He'd make one of those "Musah Maneuvers" where he'd eliminate two defenders on the dribble, be in open space, and then ... pause. Look around. The ball stays with him as the defense recovers.

It's why so much of his possession generates so little attacking danger. You only have second or two to do something with the ball even if you distort the defense. He just needs to decide quicker.

I can see that. I don't think that makes 15 or 16 on a roster, but I get that. He does need to clean up that defense either way but I don't watch Musah enough to know if he has. I simply saw enough defensive lapses in the little time I've watched to be concerned.

I think there's two elements of mentality here. One is the overall level of intensity, work ethic, focus, commitment. I think Musah is a pretty happy go lucky guy; I'm not sure he has the mindset to work his ass off on his game. Maybe, maybe not.

But I do think that Poch probably did not love a guy like him missing the GC. The GC is where things clicked for Malik Tillman; perhaps that 3 weeks would have done the same for Musah. But he opted out, and I doubt Poch forgets that.

The other mindset is that offensive one. Perhaps the right coach could unlock quicker decision making and more aggressive play. We've certainly seen guys who are more tentative with the US get more aggressive with Poch, but we've also seen him favor guys with that mindset already.

But I do find that there is something somewhat hard to change there in personality. It's not as simple as telling people to move the ball faster or be aggressive, so who knows?

Poch has said things and not followed through on them before, but he has said that he won't be making cuts from the June camp before the World Cup. The team in the friendlies will be the team.

If he holds to that, I can't see him bringing in Musah after a year of not calling him in. He'd have to be playing amazing; a real difference maker. Frankly, I think Musah can improve but he can't do that in less than six months.

If he hasn't made a splash by March, he's almost certainly not coming. That's less than three months.

I have no issues with a Musah call up for March, but regardless of club play, he'd have to perform for the USMNT in that camp in the manner that we need.

That's high energy and rangy on defense, willing to work your ass off to cover for those in attack and aggressive enough to get forward when needed. If we're counter pressing, you have to be ready to press hard the instant anyone loses the ball.

On offense, you need to move the ball quickly, get it to the attackers quickly, and play aggressive passes when there's a chance to exploit some disorganization.

We've had this run of success playing with CMs who are all over the place on offense and defense. There's little to no passive play, and little to no standing around. We've had Roldan pressing CBs and getting multiple assists and Tanner Tessman living at the top of the box.

Musah has strengths, for sure. But if his athleticism is blunted by a lower work rate, does it matter? And his ball security is great, but has less value in a system where the CM is not intended to hold onto the ball under pressure but rather find the open man.

 

I was not doubting their talent, just pointing out they were not insurmountable, as had already been proven by Ecuador.

 

Sure but that doesn’t it should be the expectation that we beat them.

We got a round of 16 opponent who was more talented compared to us and we didn’t beat them. Not sure we could have expected more.

 

I don't think anyone would have expected us to beat them, it's just a matter of degrees.

If we were lining up with Spain:
Regulation Win: 5-10%
Advance under any circumstances: 10-12%

If it were Brazil:
Regulation Win: 10%
Advance under any circumstances: 12-15%

If it were France:
Regulation Win: 5-7.5%
Advance under Any Circumstances: 10%

If it were Argentina:
Regulation Win: 10-12%
Advance under any Circumstances: 15-17.5%

Whereas with the Dutch, I would have put it at.

Regulation Win: 20%
Advance Under any circumstances; 25-30%


It's worth noting the betting markets had us at +200 to advance which equates to 33% chance.

It's an underdog, but not remotely a huge underdog.

As another example, when you filled out the 15 other participants in the Round of 16 after the group stage, here is where i would have ranked them in order of desire to avoid, to the best of my recollection:

1.France
2. Spain
3. Brazil
4. Argentina
5. England
6. Portugal
7. Netherlands
8. Senegal
9. Croatia
10. Switzerland
11. Japan
12. Morocco
13. South Korea
14. Australia
15. Poland

I think people might quibble with my list a bit, maybe England's too high, or Argentina or Portugal, but for me, in terms of power rankings at the time heading into the knockouts, that's how I would have had them (and I'd have put us probably 10th or 11th out of 16). I didn't know at the time that Morocco would go on that crazy run and so I'm sticking Morocco where I thought of them during the group stage.

 

A. I think that oversimplifies things. B. I don't know if that would matter when talking about the game states that he would be coming into.

To be fair, I don't think anyone has seen Musah play enough over the last few months to determine whether he has progressed in these areas, but he could definitely get the chance to show it over the winter months. Or, maybe he doesn't.

I agree that the Gold Cup was a huge missed opportunity for Musah, the same way it was a huge missed opportunity for Johnny. However, I also don't like making judgements about a players personality when we really don't know that (unless you have some inside insight somehow).

Yeah, March is clearly the deadline.

That's kind of the point. I hope Musah puts himself in a position to get called up in March because I think he's potentially a really good depth piece on our roster. His versatility, ball security/progression, and athleticism, which makes him a potentially menacing defensive presence, are great qualities to have at your disposal coming off the bench. Plus, he has World Cup and Champions League experience. That counts for a lot when we are talking about such a ginormous stage that who knows how others would respond to (for me, that's a really big strike against the MLS guys [including Berhalter, Freeman and Luna]. I hate to say that.....).