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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Alexander Abnos, Jon Arnold, Jakub Frankowicz, and Leander Schaerlaeckens

World Cup 2026: how worried should the USMNT be as the tournament looms?

United States' Christian Pulisic (10) celebrates with teammate Folarin Balogun (20) following a friendly soccer match against Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Christian Pulisic returned to the national team this window, while Folarin Balogun performed well in both games. Photograph: Jeff Dean/AP

Is the panic surrounding the USMNT lately warranted?

Yes, any time a World Cup host country and a generation of prodigies lose a handful of consecutive games with their A-team, or what passes for one, alarm bells should be ringing. That’s not to say all is lost. While Mauricio Pochettino’s optimism rankled after a 2-0 loss to a South Korea side that had a disconcertingly easy time of it, there was much more to feel good about in the 2-0 win over Japan. Still, it was one game. Japan rested a lot of regulars. (Then again, the US were hardly at full strength.) LS

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