1 of 5 | Forward Christian Pulisic and the Americans will face Paraguay in their 2026 World Cup opener Friday in Inglewood, Calif. File Photo by Mike Zarrilli/UPI | License Photo
The U.S. men vowed to show a new aggression under coach Mauricio Pochettino at the 2026 World Cup, shedding a previous “good guy” narrative.
“I think he brings that South American spirit we’ve been missing,” midfielder Tim Weah told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve always been the good guys It’s kinda nice being on the other end and being the aggressor a bit. It’s fun.”
Star forward Christian Pulisic and the Americans will start that journey against Paraguay in their Group D opener Friday in Inglewood, Calif. The match will air at 9 p.m. EDT on Fox and Telemundo and stream on Peacock on Tubi.
The red, white and blue will play additional group-stage matches against Australia and Turkey as they attempt to reach the knockout rounds.
Unlike the unparalleled success of the U.S. women, the men have reached the quarterfinals just once since the inaugural 1930 World Cup, when they placed third. Playing in front of the home fans in the first 48-team World Cup is serving as motivation for the current 26-man squad, which hopes to inspire with its unique approach.
“I think our generation and the last generation have definitely gained the respect of the world,” defender Chris Richards said. “I think a lot of people will see that this World Cup. I think whenever we go and play everywhere else in the world, it feels like we have to play twice as hard to get the respect, but so be it. We are Americans, that’s what we do. We like to have that challenge.
“We are going to bring that same kind of mentality and drive to this World Cup. Hopefully, we’ll show the world again why we deserve respect.”
The Americans failed to advance past the Round of 16 in their last three World Cup appearances, sandwiched around their failure to qualify for the 2018 tournament. They were out in the group stage in 2006 following a 2002 quarterfinal run.
Stylistic decisions often led to strategic disadvantages for previous editions U.S. men’s team, while elite soccer nations continue to succeed with consistent, patented approaches.
Under former coach Gregg Berhalter, the Americans scored just three goals while conceding four at the 2022 World Cup. German Jurgen Klinsmann and American Bob Bradley were among other recent coaches who failed to get them past the World Cup’s second round.
Berhalter favored a conservative strategy based on structure, ball control and minimizing risk. Pochettino’s plan shares similarities, but also lends itself to more risk, applying pressure to opponents with physicality and aggression, while encouraging freedom to attack.
“It’s one that is going to bring a crazy amount of energy and enthusiasm, just an exciting brand of soccer,” Pulisic told Men In Blazers. “We are gonna press. We are gonna cause problems to other teams. We are going to fight. We are going to do all the little things and compete.
“We are going to compete our butts off and I hope that’s what [fans] can really see.”
Pochettino, an Argentine, was hired in September 2024, two months after Berhalter’s departure. The Americans were 44-17-13 in 74 matches under Berhalter, including a 29-9-7 record in official matches. They are 14-10-2 under Pochettino.
Pochettino recently said he favors culture over strategy, with a focus on alignment, trust and confidence.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” Pochettino said after a 2-1 friendly loss to Germany on Saturday in Chicago.
“Here, we are not talking about the quality of the coaching staff, the strategy, the game plan, the tactics. It’s about culture. When your culture and your standards and your values are aligned, that is what is going to be the thing that is going to help, after, to prepare the tactics, the strategy, the game plan and everything.
‘Without that culture, that strategy, you can be brilliant, but if you don’t have the energy, you don’t have the commitment, you don’t have the trust, the confidence, all the values that are really important in that sport, it’s impossible to play well.”
The U.S. men, No. 17 in the FIFA world rankings, are just a half-goal favorite to beat No. 41 Paraguay. They are outside the Top 10 betting favorites to win the tournament, behind the likes of No. 2 Spain, No. 3 France, No. 4 England, No. 5 Portugal, No. 6 Brazil and top-ranked defending champion Argentina.
They are slight favorites to win Group D, ahead of No. 22 Turkey and Paraguay. No. 27 Australia faces the longest odds to win the group.
If they win the group, the Americans would face a third-place team from Group B, E, F, I or J in the Round of 32. The winner of that match would face the winner of Group G or another third-place group finisher in the Round of 16. No. 9 Belgium is favored to win Group G.
Whoever advances past the Round of 16 could face Spain in a quarterfinal.
All second-place teams and the eight-best third-place teams from the 12 groups also will advance to the Round of 32 in the expanded tournament.
A second-place finish in Group D would lead to the Americans facing the second-place team from Group G in the Round of 32. That scenario could clinch a polarizing matchup with No. 20 Iran while the nations are at war.
No. 29 Egypt, No. 85 New Zealand are the other Group G contenders.
If the Americans finish second in Group D and win their Round of 32 match, co-host No. 30 Canada and No. 19 Switzerland or a third-place team are among those they could face in the Round of 32. Argentina and Portugal are among the top teams they could face in the quarterfinals.
Portugal (8), Argentina (8) and Spain (14) boast many players inside the Top 100 at the World Cup, combining for 30% of the rankings compiled by tournament broadcaster Fox. That list did not include a single American, but the U.S. roster includes several intriguing players beyond Pulisic.
Midfielders Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, forward Folarin Balogun, defender Tim Ream and Richards will be among other players to watch. Richards, who is recovering from a sprained ankle, said he is ready for the tournament, but said he couldn’t predict if he will be in the lineup for Friday’s opener.
“I feel good,” Richards said. “I feel really good. I’m not the coach, so I can’t say if I’m playing Friday or not. But me, personally, I would love to be playing the opening game.”
The least-expensive tickets for the Americans’ opening match of the World Cup were about $860 each on the secondary market as of Thursday afternoon. Fans who pay mightily will be among the 70,000 attendees who can expect a more experienced U.S. team with a desire to be aggressors, while keeping emotions in check.
“We are kind of at the stage where a lot of us our in our second World Cup, so we know how to manage and balance our emotions and everything,” Weah said. “The most important thing is to not get too high and not get too low. I think keeping that balance is key.
“We are just focused on the main goal, and that’s to start well and to put on a show for our supporters.”
U.S World Cup schedule
All times EDT
Group Stage
Friday
USA vs. Paraguay at 9 p.m. in Inglewood on Fox, Tubi, Telemundo, Peacock
June 19
USA vs. Australia at 3 p.m. in Seattle on Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
June 25
USA vs. Turkey at 10 p.m. in Inglewood on Fox, Telemundo, Peacock
Round of 32
June 29
Group E winner vs. third-place team from Group A, B, C, D or F at 4:30 p.m. in Foxborough, Mass. on Fox, Fox One
June 30
Group I winner vs. third-place team from Group C, D, F, G or H at 5 p.m. in East Rutherford, N.J. on Fox, Fox One
July 1
Group D winner vs. third-place team from Group B, E, F, I or J at 8 p.m. in Santa Clara, Calif. on Fox, Fox One
July 2
Group B winner vs. third-place team from Group D, E, I, J or L at 11 p.m. in Vancouver on FS1, Fox One
July 3
Group D second place vs. Group G second place at 2 p.m. in Arlington, Texas on Fox, Fox One
Group K winner vs. third-place team from Group D, E, I, J or L at 9:30 p.m. on Fox, Fox One
Round of 16
July 4 to 7
Quarterfinals
July 9 to 11
Semifinals
July 14
July 15
Final
July 19
MetLife Stadium prepares for FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup signs hang in the interior of MetLife Stadium before it is set to host eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, N.J,. on May 28, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
