The United States has silenced all the haters thus far at the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
As co-hosts of the tournament, there were heightened expectations from the Stars and Stripes knowing that this was a major opportunity to gain a home advantage, and with a favorable group draw, perhaps make a cinderella run.
So far it has been all positives as the United States has now won their Round of 32 match 2-0 over Bosnia & Herzegovina, despite going down to 10 men. As a result, Mauricio Pochettino has made
history in this World Cup by becoming the USMNT head coach with the most wins in tournament history. His third win as the USMNT manager this World Cup makes him the standalone record holder.
Despite losing star striker Folarin Balogun as a result of a red card in the Round of 32 match, the USMNT remains a slight favorite to advance past Belgium when they square off on July 7th in Seattle. Could Pochettino further break the record or is this as far as the United States will go in this tournament?
With a knockout path of likely Portugal or Spain waiting in the quarterfinals, that is when things would really get interesting for the United States. Across the country you can see that the belief is there for this team and without a doubt, the home tournament is paying dividends for this national team.
Despite heavy criticism in the months leading up to the tournament, that all seemingly erased once the USMNT hit the pitch to start the World Cup. The question remains if this is an initial fairy tale with the euphoria of hosting the tournament, or whether or not the United States are legitimate contenders.
It seems almost unthinkable that Mauricio Pochettino was under scrutiny at the helm of the team in the months prior to the tournament, in a real zero-to-hero moment. Following the recent trends of club managers jumping to international football, Mauricio Pochettino remains a case study of how top managers can transition quickly to the life of international football.
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