Three months ago, the U.S. men’s national team was standing in front of a disappointed crowd in Seattle, heads hanging low after a humiliating World Cup exit to Belgium.
Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, often heralded as the “golden generation” of American players, crashed out of the showpiece event in the round of 16 after a lopsided 4–1 defeat. The loss was the cure to the soccer fever taking over the United States this summer—but not for long.
