The 2026 USMNT will be the BIGGEST Dark Horse in World Cup History
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
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The USMNT will be the host nation of the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada. With a talanted generation, Mauricio Pochettino and home field advantage. The USA could be one of the biggest dark horses of all time in World Cup history.
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The most worrisome spots on our roster are center back and goalkeeper. Those just happen to be maybe the most essential spots for an underdog team to make a deep run.
@@thewanderingsamurai1150 I agree with the CB but I always thought the US developed solid goalies.
We still have a year and a half and we have cb like Chris Richard’s who plays in a high level and has lots of potential to improve in the coming year as well as young cb like Noahki banks who’s only played a few games but has been solid. For goalkeepers I think that it’s going to come down to mentality
@Stayanonymous4life I think Matt Turner has the mentality in games but the guy just doesn’t get minutes
@@thewanderingsamurai1150 if keepers like Zach Steffen can make moves in the summer to bigger clubs where they can get minutes I don’t think Matt Turner needs to start
These positions may marginally improve by 2026 but not nearly to the extent required for a deep run in the WC. 2002 Brad Friedel or 2014 Tim Howard is not walking through that door. The CB situation is shocking. Prepare for hot knives through butter against any Top 20 opposition.
Thank you, Eddie Johnson! And thanks, Tactical Mgr. Great podcast.
lets not forget the 2002 team adavanced from the group with the help of korea beating portugal.
we also almost didnt qualify if it wasnt for an unlikely away win by t&t at honduras.
it was a very exciting time but luck played a very big part.
1) USA was very underestimated coming into that WC especially after finishing dead last in the previous one.
2) USA got very lucky that Portugal missed that goal against South Korea in their third game of the first round.
3) USA faced a their very well known rival Mexico in the Rd16. They knew how to not let them score and wait for counter attacks.
To be fair, they did surprise Germany and almost beat them. If they would have tied that game, the chances of USA scoring in OT were very high because Germany was just about out of gas. But at the same time, Germany underestimated USA too.
Proof of all this, look how USA finished in 2006. They fell flat on their faces again because that time, their opponents did take them more serious.
@@fisterhr well also 2006 they were in group of death (eventual WC champions Italy, Czech Republic which was one of the best teams in Europe at the time, and a very good Ghana side), plus they got robbed on multiple occasions against Ghana and Italy
I honestly think that of pochettino and the boys have great chemistry, it wouldnt surprise me to see the us in the top 8... but it all depends on the chemistry 😮
USA Brazil was at Stanford. I was there and it was amazing!
We are starting to see the youth teams improve. It's everything.
we need more people like eddie growing the sport
AWESOME interview Tac!!!
🥳👏🏼🎤🇺🇸⚽️
Appreciate this & You!
Well done!
USMNT 🙏🏼🤞🏼🍀🇺🇸⚽️🙂
Having a great coach and home field advantage.... makes a compelling case.
I sorry, but I have to disagree. Can the USA win one game, or maybe with effort & luck tie a decent country? - maybe. The USA is really a mid-20 range squad that needs (1) a lucky draw and (2) other teams in its group to kill each other to advance to the knockout stage.
What "Home" advantage? They almost always get outnumbered in their own backyard!
@@gregorybiestek3431your logic applies to everyone
And why are taking this seriously so you believe it
@ Because FAR too many posters keep running around with rose-colored glasses. The USMNT is NOT one of the top 8-to-10 squads in the world.
@ The host nation from every world cup always play better. hence the home field advantage.
Love the Eddie interviews....
Turner
Dest Richards McKenzie Arob
McKennie Adams
Reyna
Weah Pulisic
Pepi/ Balo
Yep. Thats the starting lineup depending on your choice of Striker. Its really just important to get them games together to build on a chemistry and then know how to slot in guys like Musah and Poch can trust as reliable back ups
are we putting reyna over tillman despite low playing time?
@@idekwhy8922Tillman is garbage for the USMNT
@idekwhy8922 I actually like Luna over Tillman, depending on the opponent. He's more direct and a real 10 vs Tillman who is more about finding a seam between the lines.
@@idekwhy8922 Yes. When on the field for the USMNT, Reyna has far out-performed Tillman. His problem is staying healthy.
Thanks Tac! Excellent interview!
Mentality is 🔑
Nice topic TM
😂😂😂 dark horse? like the copa america, were we sent both your nations home 😂😂🇺🇾
--> And then you .... what? What did you do, Tac? WHAT DID YOU DO?
--> In all seriousness, that was a really good interview. I appreciated your back-and-forth, and I loved Eddie Johnson's frankness.
Eddie Johnson should go on the straight red cards guys podcast, it’d be an interesting talk.
Great video!
Thank you both!
Great conversation. Thanks for sharing.👍🏻
Let's Go My Beautiful USA!!!🥰😍🤗❤🤍💙💯
I always get the notification at the perfect time. Thank you Tac
Poch Wants the U.S. to have that Argentina mindset 😂
Japan will be the bigger dark horse. If US can fix its defense and scoring against top opponents then I'll change my mind.
Japan can outplay teams and still lose. I'm thinking of these big, direct african teams, but that applies to eastern european teams as well.
I find it funny him saying the USMT could do something in the next World Cup in the intro while he had a man u top on 😂
Eddie is a solid dude, great guest
Johnson is 100% right. I'm sure the culture within teams is more competitive now. But MLS teams largely still play with little to no pressure. Garber and his goons need to stop trying to hold MLS back. I swear there could be 100 teams in the league, and they will still never add relegation.
And the MLS draft system that's also a problem like the rest of the world does not use drafts MLS should ditch those things like Nwsl did But don garber will never do it He's in over his head
Another idiot who want relegation. Try it and watch the sport in the USA be destroyed. The reason? There is either very LITTLE or NO community support for ANY relegated team. They simply fold and disappear. No professional sports league in the USA is built on community support, not even the NFL. All of them depend on (1) billionaires, & (2) media money. Neither of those two continue to support a relegated team, so the team just cease to exist.
Americans will have to twiddle our thumbs for another 50 years of never getting to a semifinal before there would be any pressure internally for change. And even then single entity is the foundation of the league. The only exit strategy is if USL out-grows MLS and USL acquires/merges with MLS and pro/rel is a requirement of the merger. Only then can USSF finally create a proper pyramid and real soccer culture can grow robustly.
They could add more competition by rewarding the top 2 teams in MLS with an unlimited salary cap for a year. Or they could do that with tournament winners. Everyone would take the Open Cup and Leagues Cup more seriously
The difference in relation to losses and losing points is a key factor that separates European leagues and the American game. Relegation is something that drives teams to do whatever it takes to be successful. And until it changes, we will keep seeing the best Americans going abroad to build up their competitive edge.
You forgot about Japan? They are a serious dark horse that can go toe to toe with any country, speaking from our 2022 world cup and copa America experiences i do not consider us dark horses, with Poch as head coach that can definitely change i want to see us face a top national team under Poch
This generation has more exposure then past generations but doesn't mean they are more talented.
Bro mls blocked landon Donovan transfer.
Things were different.
We don't have anywhere near the defense we need to compete with the big guys.
30:02 “and then I” 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥‼️‼️‼️
0:06 I'm going to stop your right there buddy no they're not
I hope you're right, but it's hard to believe it can happen without an elite keeper.
Goalkeepers are overrated. Competent GKs are a dime a dozen. Elite are rare but they’re not as impactful as you may think
In general, you are absolutely correct. But in close games against superior opponents, I think the quality of the keeper plays a huge role in winning or losing.
The USMNT will struggle to score against most of the teams that advance to the knockout rounds of the WC. Barring a miracle of some sort, the USA central defenders will be the Achilles Heel of the team. Given the lack of quality of our defenders, I just don’t see how we make a deep run in the WC with any of the marginally competent keepers available to us.
@josepheads5589 Was Howard considered a world class keeper before the Belgium loss? I think one breakout game for whichever keeper we have during the tournament can create that aura and necessary momentum.
@ Howard was known as a top GK even before that game. Certainly not elite career long, but at the time he was probably borderline elite form
A competent and cohesive defense are more valuable than an "elite" keeper.
An elite GK is still human. It only takes ONE goal to tickle the netting to lose a game, regardless of how many saves are made (ask Tim Howard, post-Belgium W.C. match). If the backline can't obstruct the opposition, the match turns to target practice mighty fast!
So proud of US Soccer over ALL the years! 1950 victory over England in Brazil. The 1989+ RESURRECTIONS!
And NOW!!!!!!!!!
and still 0 world cups, despite having the world's most "elite" athletes.
@@TheJWRB Most elite athletes in other sports.
This from the guy who before the Colombia match said the US had a better team. They proceeded to get whooped 5-1, oh yeah and in the US too.
Did nothing change since?
@@TacticalManagerman the people in the comments are very annoying m, always doubting the USMNT
@CAPT-Productions Maybe because the USMNT has a habit of showing up poorly against nations that are supposedly far less talented. How many times has the US lost to "inferior" teams?
Miguel just mad because his country has no hope 🤣
I feel like I'm in a groundhog day loop. Before every tournament that ends in humiliation for USMNT it's the same question. And each time those who love and know soccer warn "be careful, the USMNT has only encountered bad national teams. We don't know their real level of play".
They never learn anything and history repeats itself with the same mistakes. The most important of these is overconfidence.
As long as we can get the country behind the game at even 50% more than it is currently, after that everything else is a plus for me. 2026 needs to inspire people to love the game.
Better take this summer seriously… we need all the matches we can get.
another observation that ive had over my 2 decades of watching the usmnt is that they need to start pushing their players that are not playing regularly to find clubs that actually value them as starters. nothing less will do. playing time is the most valuable thing for these young players. Diego is getting good time in the 3rd division but next season what happens? hes still viewed as this young kid by these huge clubs. same thing has been going on with Slonina. yes picking the brains of the old heads in the top divisions is nice, but there isnt anything more valuable than time in goal. JS
Great video
They will do what they always do, put up a decent fight in the groups and then drop off in the round of 16 (apart from the one time they got to the quarters in 2002). There will be drama behind teh scenes AGAIN, and on top of that with Matt Turner in goal they will be lucky to get out of the groups actually, as a forest fan, when I saw him say he is happier to be at crystal palace as a home players instead of as a forest player the previous year said all it had to about him, mediocre championship level keeper that couldn't save a spreadsheet. Get Horvath in or at least a new keeper and it might go decently.
It's gonna take a miracle... That would be something wouldn't it?
i give you shit and you get on my nerves at times with your takes...but massive thank you for this EJ interview...always liked him as a player, great interview
This usmnt generation are a bunch of rich academy kids that got spoiled. Thats why they dont have the dog in them because they didnt really start from the bottom. They come from upper class american families.
Best case result: make it to the second elimination round thanks to lucky breaks and fortuitous matchups, then lose. People should spend less mental capital hoping for the USSF to give us an internationally competitive men's squad and more mental capital playing Atari. 🕹
Even that would be a miracle. I do not see the USA doing better than getting to the first elimination stage with luck and other teams in its group killing each other.
@@gregorybiestek3431this applies to all the teams
Still waiting for the first person who complains about pay to play to explain how an alternative system would be financed.
More taxes and yet again more taxes
Pro-rel clubs rely on local support, funding and youth development. But most americans can't see it so don't understand how a proper soccer pyramid can accomplish something billionaires cannot.
@@r2dad282 There is nowhere close to enough interest in soccer in the U.S. to build out such a system. The current goal in the US should be free academies at every USL club. That alone will represent a massive challenge to finance.
@@alincoln8377 who will pay for these “free” academies and why would they want to do that
@alincoln8377 Your answer is to burden USL with free academy play, but allow MLS Next to be pay-to-play? Also, you can't math. Last year there were 650 non-MLS clubs vying for 80 spots in the Open Cup. Exactly how many more clubs are necessary to meet your arbitrary " close to enough" number of clubs to qualify for appropriate interest in the sport? When you learn more about the amateur game in the country, you will understand, grasshopper.
To be honest bro, if we want to win a World Cup. We need to leave Concacaf. There’s no competition there
Let me know if you figure out how to move the USA to a new continent.
Greenland may be joining so …
@@jameswarden2734 Australia's not in Asia yet where do they play?
This is actually hilarious… USMNT a dark horse… a team who couldn’t get out of the group stage in our own Copa America? That USMNT!? Looking at our players abroad, they are decent on their respective clubs but rely heavily on better players and good coaching to play well and this includes Pulisic!!! So perhaps Poch solves the coaching issue (which looking at his success at PSG and Chelsea, I don’t think that is the case). He will make us better but not a dark horse. We don’t have the players and we won’t have the competition before the tournament to ready us for the World Cup. The Copa was the last set of competitive matches we will have and couldn’t manage controlling possession against a 53rd ranked team regardless of being a man down. Given the only player truly exceeding expectations is Pulisic but he struggled immensely last summer playing out of position and losing the ball time and time again under pressure. He needs good players to make runs and provide outlets. To say they are a dark horse is giving hopium to fans who will only be disappointed that they don’t win a competition with only 8 total winners since 1932!
goat interview
With a kind draw and a bit of luck I think semi-finals are a possibility for you guys, more realistically you guys should aim for the quarter finals
The quarter finals is the bare minimum though so we are aiming higher
@samplingmastersxlr8660 I'd say that'd be par, like I said if it's a kind draw maybe you could get to a semi
They shouldn’t believe that they can “do something special” they should believe that they can win, even if you play for New Zealand every player at the World Cup should believe their team can win
We just need a solid 3 CBs and we can get to the WC finals!!!!
Thanks for the laughs. Ranking the current USMNT in the Top 20 nations would be delusional. Sad to see nothing was learned from what has happened in the past two years. Aim and build for 2030, not 2026.
With all due respect, they stand no chance. NONE, ZERO. The USMT are a “maybe gets out of the group stage” team. And do you realize how much the world cup means for every other country there? Talent? Look at argentina, brazil, spain…😂
Not gonna lie I still fill uneasy about jamaica defeat by us 😢
It's the T&T collapse that hurt most (2017). That panic felt like the England/Iceland match at Wembley and I wouldn't wish it on any professional.
They would have to make it yo the final for that to happen
Eddie!
the problem i see is our starting 11 is good enough for a cindarella run if Matt Turner plays out of his mind but the bench is my worry. gotta have a Diego Luna on bench. perhaps a few other young guns who are desperate to get noticed. injuries will happen and those young kids who dont know better will need to step up in critical moments. no more has been MLS players...only young ones. if they play well...at least you got a core for 2030. dont bring any old MLS players
It could go both ways, they could make it to the finals or be eliminated in group stage like Copa America 😊
USA playing soccer while the rest of the world is playing football.
🤣
Realistic-Round of 16/Quarterfinals. Delusional: winners or runner up
Nope!... it's good to be optimistic however I disagree with your headline
You Dream too too much😅😂
Thanks for not shitting on the national team today.
W guest
🎉 let's Goooo
We have no option but to reach Quarter Final. That’s the bare minimum !
The UMNT does NOT have even a dark horse of a chance. The best they can hope for is the get out of the group. Can the USA win one game, or maybe with effort & luck tie a decent country? - maybe. The USA is really a mid-20 range squad that needs (1) a lucky draw and (2) other teams in its group to kill each other to advance to the knockout stage.
The US will probably get 7 or 9 points in the group and then a confortable win in the 1st Knockout. Its after that that's tricky
@@wessmith3859that applies to all the teams
@@gregorybiestek3431why are you hating
@CAPT-Productions Because I don't have rose-colored glasses on. Just look at what the USA has done in COPA recently. Yes they will improve from that disaster, but so significantly that they win a group & a quarterfinal match? Very, very unlikely. The USA is NOT one of the top 10 squads in the world, top-30 yes, maybe even top 20, but a #17 rarely beats a #6 unless it gets luck and other nations to help it out.
Tac, I love ya but you’re better than this thumbnail/title! ❤❤❤
lol the algorithm is the devil 😂
It really is lol
Let's remind everyone, including Filippo, of an obvious fact: the USA will play at home...but, as we saw in the Copa, they won't be the HOME team, so the argument that US fans will show up in huge numbers it has been proven to be a hopeful wish. And yes, the USNT has a good squad, but I can mention at least 5 NT in South America and at least 6 in Europe that are as or more talented than the Yanks, and not even mentioning S Korea or Morocco!
Your logic applies to all the teams
@samplingmastersxlr8660 Not really, the US might be the home team, bu it is a well known fact their fans often get outnumbered by fans of other nations, unlike any other NT in the world, save Canada of course, another country where football is not a passion.
Just met Stuart Holden, really cool guy.
(My random comment)
Does he give out Mallorca swag or discounts on tickets, etc? He's part owner so would hope so.
@ I only introduced myself and said I was a fan. He was with his kid and I was with mine. Just two dads playing soccer with their kids.
The USMNT has ZERO chance. The players aside from Pulisic and Robinson are all mediocre. I think Colombia, Germany are not favorites but can go far. Japan would be a dark horse outside of Europe and South America.
EJ!
I disagree, Belgium was a dark horse with players like De Bruyne, Lukaku, Hazard, Vincent Kompany among others
Will usmnt be a dark horse? Yes no question
But only Pulisic and Robinson are consistent world class players
Usmnt doesnt have a gk in a top five league that plays
And only one centerback in a top five league
Biggest dark horse in history though... No
Robinson consistent word class player?😂 Not a single minute played in champions league, never been at one of the biggest clubs in the world and bang average in so many aspects of the game. The way a part of the usmnt fanbase overrates Robinson is crazy
The UMNT does NOT have even a dark horse of a chance. The best they can hope for is the get out of the group. Can the USA win one game, or maybe with effort & luck tie a decent country? - maybe. The USA is really a mid-20 range squad that needs (1) a lucky draw and (2) other teams in its group to kill each other to advance to the knockout stage.
to your point, don't forget Courtois. In fact everyone expected Belgium's golden generation to do more but they continuously underperformed.
@@gregorybiestek3431 stop hating, you keep repeating yourself
@ That is because there are too many of you with rose-colored glasses that refuse to see the real world. Therefore, I have keep repeating it to get it thru some thick heads.
6 months on from the Copa… couldn’t even get out the group. Most talented team my ass. And your best Striker plays literally 5 minutes a game.
(Under Greg berhalter) and our other striker ricardo pepi is the most lethal striker in Europe. The copa america was still a massive failure though so u have a point sir
Pepi plays 5-10 minutes a game in garbage time…. On the best team by far in the league. Put your eggs in that basket? Ok
We're a year out, so many injuries and pleasant surprises can materialize so I do not have the certainty you do. Too many variables to rule out 75% of the teams. Poch has a good record--who is coaching your national team?
@jasonpeters6600 and in 5-10 minutes he's the most lethal striker in Europe 🙏🙏
@Daniel-tt7lxexactly these USA haters are getting annoying
Clickbait title
we wont go far.
If the US wins this world cup it would be due to more because the other teams have a bad tournament rather than the US team being good.
No doubt will need some good luck/fortune along the way, but if US actually won it then you can't say it's because all the teams they faced along the way were bad.
@@Rick-of6gx if they win WHO CARES if the ball hit a bird in mid air and goes in we celebrating
Don’t make excuses period
We have alot of very good players on very good teams but our youth development is broken? Huh. See what I did there?
Maybe the fact that Europe is now more accepting of Americans has taken a bit of the edge from the American players as a whole.
We don’t need their validation though
MUSAH IS ON FRAUD WATCH ... Lost AC milan the game... 😢
How would u Americans feel if England lift the World Cup in USA
I would think that would be very cool - VERY unlikely, by very cool!
Certainly would have had to earn it, and definitely have the players to do it (except for keeper, their #1 is no David Seaman). But England has an expected goals problem because there is so much talent but it STILL isn't fluid. Maybe not as bad as the Lampard/Gerard conundrum no manager could rectify but still, more XG is needed. HOWEVER, the pressure once England gets to a semi is crushing, your media are the worst when they need to be at their best. The US definitely doesn't have that problem--ours is the opposite. All we have a cheerleaders busy blowing sunshine up cracks.
why dont all these older american players get the current players together and do an off season training session? learn from the old heads and maybe pick their brains. i see that as a positive. they might not be as technically gifted but the knowledge they could gather would be indispensable.
Eddie is a bit delusional about the talent gap.. I remember the ball control and pass trapping of their generation. Most of them couldn’t keep the ball at their feet to save their lives. It was always around 2-3m from them upon collecting off a pass.. tragic play.
Of course some players on those squads were exceptions, but today it is the complete opposite. Flow of the game needs work, but talent is up by a large margin
Looking at the Berhalter years, I don't think his build-out-of-the-back looked much better than the 2002 squad. My 2 cents.
@ yeah you are talking about CB playing with the ball at their feet; guess I may be a bit soft on CBs but I never really thought of them as ball handlers..
go back and look at Michael Bradley collecting the ball and passing in real game time video; not some highlight.
With that being said, Reams can play with the ball at his feet 1000% better at his feet than the majority of the 2002-2014 squads.
I’m talking about the touch on the ball, but you may still be referring more to tactics. If so I’d agree; our tactics in the past have still been extremely stale; whether park the bus, long ball hold up play with Jozy, or cross nation play out the back attempts with ggg
My Favourites for 2026: Argentina, Spain, France, England, Germany or Netherlands
My Dark Horses: USMNT, Brazil, Turkye and Columbia
No Japan?
Replace the USMNT with Japan and I would agree. The UMNT does NOT have even a dark horse of a chance. The best they can hope for is the get out of the group.
@gregorybiestek3431 Hard to say without looking at the draw, which is so key to how the tourney goes for the Nats.
Second round 😢
@@gregorybiestek3431Japan aren’t doing anything by that logic
Mmm
This is the most boring conversation. And you have it wrong regarding the issue with "pay to play." Yes, US children have more choices and distractions due to living in the world's most prosperous country. Is the South American system better because the children play on the streets every day without shoes? Where 99% will stay in poverty despite their desires? Is that what we wish our children to be doing? Of course not. And any everyday club in the US allows for players without the financial means to play. That's because of our wealth here in the US, not despite of it. Do you think Brazilian youth soccer clubs allow just anyone to play that doesn't have funding? Nope, not unless they are obviously talented.
Of course, the players on the USMNT are more talented than Eddie Johnson's generation. Soccer talent is a craft, it's not just built into DNA other than fundamental athletic ability.
Qutar finals are the bare minimum if things continue getting better than a possible semi???
You can think about South Korea in 2002 with refereeing.
@@jimmyyue238 in that case we could win
Americas team is poor compared to European teams
I think it's nice to dream 😂 Of anything, please don't make another disgusting presentation like the ones in Copa América with priests and a middle time concert. Be real and don't ruin football
The US will be lucky to get out of the group. The best player on the USMNT is a B level player and I am a Milan fan
Well that B level player is carrying your team
If Pulisic is B level player then your squad is just an embarrassment.
@CAPT-Productions right, I dont see how that changes anything. He is carrying our team to mediocrity because he is a mediocre player. That is my point entirely lol
Love Eddie Johnson ❤️
Our generation is so great and wonderful Dear Filippo I'm so hopeful for Our Beautiful USA Men Team and Dear Poch.🥰😍🤗❤🤍💙💯
The UMNT does NOT have even a dark horse of a chance. The best they can hope for is the get out of the group. Can the USA win one game, or maybe with effort & luck tie a decent country? - maybe. The USA is really a mid-20 range squad that needs (1) a lucky draw and (2) other teams in its group to kill each other to advance to the knockout stage.
I doubt it lol
You obviously know nothing about football history
🎉
Nice topic TM