By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES, June 1 (Reuters) - The United States head into the World Cup facing perhaps higher stakes than any other team, with a deep run likely to accelerate the sport's growth in the country and an early exit from a favourable group threatening to stall years of progress.
Put simply, it may be the most important World Cup in U.S. soccer history.
As co-hosts, the Americans were spared the grind of qualifying, leaving questions over the readiness of Mauricio Pochettino's squad heading
into the tournament. What is not in doubt is the pressure on the Stars and Stripes.
Reaching the knockout rounds is the minimum expectation for a team that advanced to the last 16 in Qatar in 2022, four years after the humiliation of failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
The U.S. are the highest-ranked side in Group D, which includes Turkey, Australia and Paraguay. Winning the group is a realistic target and would provide a more favourable route through the knockout rounds.
Potential opponents in the last 32, should the U.S. top the group, would be a third-place team from groups B, E, F, I or J - and could be Canada - a path that would give the U.S. a chance of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002.
INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITY
U.S. soccer has spent decades trying to earn lasting credibility on the international stage in a country where most of the best male athletes are drawn to American football, basketball or baseball - sports that offer greater visibility, richer professional pathways and deeper cultural roots.
That has often left the men's national soccer team fighting for relevance at home as much as respect abroad.
A deep run at a home World Cup, however, could reshape perceptions. Even a place in the latter stages would energise a new generation of fans, strengthen the team's standing and provide a major lift to Major League Soccer, which continues to seek a larger place in the North American sporting landscape.
Christian Pulisic, the U.S. team's most recognisable player, believes the current squad is the strongest the country has produced and expects home support to provide a major lift.
"The energy in the stadiums is going to be great," Pulisic told Reuters. "We want to take that motivation and push to make the American people proud."
The U.S. open their campaign on June 12 against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)
