When the US was confirmed as a future World Cup co-host on the eve of the 2018 tournament in Russia, the USMNT were still stuck under the rubble of their shocking failure to qualify. Mauricio Pochettino was just establishing himself among European club soccer’s managerial elite, taking Tottenham to the Champions League final a year later.
Few could have imagined that he’d be leading the USMNT into the 2026 World Cup, and perhaps fewer believe he’ll stick around for the next cycle. Nevertheless, after a 2-1 win over Australia in Commerce City, Colorado to end the October window, Pochettino noted he’s building a team with 2030 in mind, too.
“It’s not only to think in 2026, it’s to think after … I think it’s our responsibility to create some legacy, or to try to create some core of players that behave in the same way and feel in the same way, respect the values that we were talking about, culture and everything,” Pochettino said. “And after 2026, another period of four years, maybe to have this core of players that can arrive in the next [World Cup] in 2030 in a different situation.”
Indeed, 2026 has assumed a be-all and end-all significance for the USMNT program, partly due to their co-host status and partly because the team’s core players are entering their primes. But the window for that coveted potential deep run at the tournament could realistically stretch four more years.
“There’s no reason why the core group of guys, led by Christian [Pulisic], at 30, 31 – absolutely you can still play and compete in a World Cup [in 2030],” USMNT legend Landon Donovan told the Guardian.
Weston McKennie and Pulisic will be 31 when the 2030 World Cup kicks off (turning 32 later that year). Tyler Adams will be 31 while Chris Richards and Tim Weah will all be 30. Gio Reyna will be 27 (turning 28). Blend in the younger pieces that have emerged in the current cycle closer to his age, such as Folarin Balogun and Tanner Tessmann (both turning 29), and the experience the group will have gained in major tournaments could certainly prove to be an edge. The US could reportedly host the Copa América again in 2028, providing even more tournament exposure.
“I think they’ll be ready [in 2030],” former USMNT manager and defender Gregg Berhalter told the Guardian. “When you think about Croatia performing well at World Cups, they usually have older teams. I think it can be done.”
For all their talent, the core of the Croatian team Berhalter referenced still needed three unsuccessful tournaments together before their breakthroughs reaching the World Cup final in 2018 and semi-final in 2022, when the new generation of the US made their major tournament debut. Next summer will be an opportunity to evolve.
“Looking back [at Qatar] and seeing how we played and stuff, we were really competitive, we dueled a lot, but we were still a really young team,” Antonee Robinson said. “And there’s little things in games where it could be taking a bit of extra time to do a set piece or getting your breath back, little things like that. Managing the game that comes with experience that four years on from the last tournament, is going to be huge to make sure that’s implemented into the game and we take the front foot on that.”
Complementing that experience could be today’s blue chip prospects at positions of need. Pochettino acknowledged last month that the US is thin on the wing, but Philadelphia Union and Manchester City-bound phenom Cavan Sullivan as well as Borussia Dortmund academy gem Mathis Albert – both on display at the recent U-17 World Cup – could provide attacking sparks. Meanwhile, 19-year-old FC Augsburg center back Noahkai Banks is now a regular starter in the Bundesliga. Pochettino called him up in September, and he could even be in the mix this summer.
Berhalter noted that the collective progression towards 2030 isn’t a given.
“The two things that need to be happening at the same time are team development and individual development, and that’s going to be the determining factor to see if this group can take it to 2030,” he said. “So individuals need to continue to progress at a high rate, and if they do that, there’s enough to say, ‘OK, this will be the third World Cup for this group.’ There’s enough there that you can justifiably say that they could. But that needs to happen.”
Speaking to media in Washington DC ahead of the World Cup draw, former USMNT striker Charlie Davies framed it as a matter of a player’s priorities and hunger.
“Like, how much do you want to push?” he said. “You play in one World Cup, you play in two World Cups. How important is it that you play in a third World Cup? How important is it for you to keep pushing and staying in Europe and being put in uncomfortable situations? Because I’ll tell you right now, playing in Europe is a grind … it’s a mental battle … Like Weston McKennie, every year, ‘He’s going to be sold, he’s going to not play,’ and he proves himself. But at what point do you go, ‘I’ve had enough of this, man. I’ve proved myself year after year for 10 years.’ And he continues to do it, which is so impressive.”
McKennie could be something of a bellwether for this factor in the national team’s progression over the next World Cup cycle. His contract with Juventus expires in June, and he recently hit the 200 appearances milestone with the Bianconeri. He has said he hopes to stay in Turin, but the latest rumor is that he will not be extending his contract.
FC Cincinnati pursued him two summers ago – potentially part of a renewed effort by ambitious clubs in MLS to at least tempt national team stars to come home sooner than they may have otherwise.
“[What is] in the back of everyone’s mind is [that] MLS is growing, and it’s not seen as soft any more. I can still go there and get good quality and competition. So do I go back and get that big payday and maybe not have the stress that I would have every single day,” Davies said. “I live a better life, and the pressure, the uncomfortability of week to week is gone. That’s something that you have to think about as you get older, and maybe there’s a family involved. What’s best for your wife and your kids?
“So there’s all these things that can change the dynamic, I think, for a lot of these players, but in thinking forward, you’d be crazy not to think, ‘I don’t want to play in a third World Cup.’ Like it’s the ultimate dream. So I think if they want, they could have a big say in that one [in 2030].”
