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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Amanda Langell

Mauricio Pochettino Overlooks ‘Logic’ to Rate USMNT’s World Cup Chances

U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino asserted the Stars and Stripes are playing “to win” the 2026 World Cup; at the very least, the team is hoping to make a run to the semifinals.

All eyes are on the USMNT ahead of soccer’s biggest competition this summer, unfolding largely across U.S. soil. After failures at the 2024 Copa América, the 2025 Concacaf Nations League and the 2025 Gold Cup, the red, white and blue have everything to prove under high-profile hire Pochettino, who has lofty expectations for his group.

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