USMNT at World Cup: Long way to go, short time to get there for under-performing, inconsistent USA soccer team

Injuries, players resting, a lack of quality and poor execution see the USMNT with more questions than answers a year out from World Cup

With only one year to go until the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and the Gold Cup starting this weekend, the United States men's national team is set to enter another tournament following a loss by four goals. It didn't end well in the Copa America last year, where they crashed out in the group stage. A year later, despite new head coach Mauricio Pochettino leading the squad, not much has changed with the World Cup looming.

Pochettino was without members of his top squad due to Christian Pulisic missing this camp for rest, Tyler Adams picking up a foot injury, FIFA Club World Cup commitments, and other various injuries, but even with some top talent available, the USMNT have struggled against Concacaf opposition after losing to Panama and Canada during the Concacaf Nations League.

Good vibes are gone

The good vibes of switching to the accomplished Argentine manager have faded, and they've been replaced by former national team players criticizing current ones and general worry about whether this team can even perform in a World Cup on home soil. The cup in 2026 will be a celebration of soccer, and the USMNT may have qualified for the World Cup as hosts, but depending on how their draw shakes out, it could be a struggle to get out of the group. There's a very real situation where a team like Italy can end up as a pot-four team, potentially giving the USMNT a tougher draw than expected as a host nation. On the other side, 32 of the 48 teams make it out of the group, so not making it out with an easy format would be an absolute disaster.

Here's what to know about the current situation

Different coach, but the same problems are there

In 10 matches in charge of the USMNT, Pochettino has won five matches and lost five, with the team scoring 15 goals and conceding 14. His last four matches have been especially disappointing, seeing the USMNT lose four while conceding nine goals and only scoring three. In Gregg Berhalter's entire tenure with the USMNT, they only lost 17 total matches, with him managing 74. To Pochettino's credit, the USMNT have played tough matches, losing to two teams in the top 30 of the FIFA men's national team rankings in Turkiye and Switzerland, but just playing tough sides for the sake of it will only go so far without showing improvement while doing it.

Expectations for these matches weren't high with a largely inexperienced side coming into camp under Pochettino, but the lack of effort on Switzerland's goals in the first half was glaring. Pochettino took the blame for his team's failures, but the Argentine can't go out and make a tackle or hold on when making a save to avoid a follow-up chance from hitting the back of the net. Those failures are firmly on the USMNT players, and they're things that can't be happening with the World Cup looming.

Is there even enough prep time to get this on track?

The first team regulars will return and have a chance to right the ship, but with only four international breaks remaining after the Gold Cup wraps, time is dwindling before Pochettino will need to name his final squad. Problems such as the starting striker and goalkeeper will also remain when figuring out that squad. Even if the USMNT are able to succeed at the Gold Cup, that won't answer every question after seeing how these players have performed against top opposition. The ceiling for this team could be repeating the 2022 World Cup, where they made it out of the group stage before losing to the Netherlands in the round of 16.

World Cup organizers, like host city executive/CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, Meg Kane, doesn't believe that the USMNT's performance will dim the shine of the competition coming to the United States, but fans will want to root for the USMNT as long as they can and may need to temper expectations.

"I don't think that the current state of the U.S. men's national team takes away from the excitement or enthusiasm about this. I think the fact is that the World Cup is about national pride and the love of soccer, and whether you have an amazing team, whether you have a team that is maybe struggling a little bit," Kane said. "The fact is that when the World Cup starts, every fan is in it with their team, ride or die, and I think that Americans will be the way with the U.S. men's national team just like they are with the women's national team."

Kane is right, but there's a big difference between the men's and women's teams. The USWNT are one of the best teams in the world and have World Cup and Olympic titles to show for it, while the USMNT are trying to do their best to hang with the best teams in the world. It will take longer than a year to improve core issues like youth development in the country, but not enough has changed since 2022 to make it seem like this team has a chance of advancing past the round of 16.

Getting a very favorable path could see the USMNT squeak into the last eight, but nothing has shown that they're even a top 30 team in the world during recent years, and there is no reason to believe they are ready to get out of their group. Time is winding down to change that, and friendlies facing South Korea and Japan in September will give the USMNT time for a statement victory with their top squad, but if the issues from the summer persist, expectations will continue to drop and rightfully so.