For much of the past decade, the United States men’s national team (USMNT) has been preparing for this moment. A World Cup, on home soil, which has the potential to transform the popularity of the sport domestically.
The squad looks and feels very different to the last World Cup on US soil, in 1994. There are now US stars playing for leading clubs in Europe, with 17 of this 26-man squad plying their trade across the Atlantic. But the legacy of this tournament is still being defined in similar, lofty terms. The ‘94 World Cup led to the advent of the MLS, the US domestic league. Today, the hope is that it can firmly establish the game as a leading sport in the USA, which is no mean feat.
The pressure is on and hoping to shield the glare of expectations will be Argentine head coach Mauricio Pochettino. After a dismal Copa America performance on home soil, US Soccer turned to a high-profile, big-name coach — on a large salary — to galvanise the team.
Former PSG and Tottenham boss Pochettino has made it his mission to instill a new identity into the USMNT and ditch residual complacency, where bigger name stars took their international status for granted. To do that, Pochettino delved into the pool of domestic players to increase competition for places. Christian Roldan, of Seattle Sounders, Sebastian Berhalter, of Vancouver Whitecaps, Max Arfsten of Columbus Crew and Alex Freeman — who joined Spanish club Villarreal from Orlando City in January — have all benefitted from that approach and helped improve the depth in the squad.
