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The United States will be one of three hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the men’s team hopes to have an easier time getting out of the group stage this time around.
Team USA will face Paraguay, Australia and any of the four UEFA Route C teams, which includes Turkey, Slovakia, Kosovo and Romania.
American soccer legend Landon Donovan told Pak Gazette Digital that he expected the Americans to easily exit the group stage and advance to the knockout round.
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Landon Donovan of the United States against Costa Rica during the FIFA World Cup Qualifying match at the National Stadium on September 6, 2013, in San Jose, Costa Rica. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
“The assumption for all of us is that we’re going to get out of the group stage and I actually think we should win our group. I think that’s a realistic goal for this team,” Donovan said. “This team has the ability to beat any team in the world. I’m serious about that. It doesn’t mean we’re going to be better than every team we play in the World Cup, but we have the ability to beat every team. The challenge so far is that this team hasn’t shown they can do it yet, but we all know they’re capable.”
Donovan, whose book “Landon: A Memoir” will be published this week, said the United States will have key friendlies against top teams that should show how far the team has come since the last World Cup.
Belgium, Portugal, Senegal and Germany are scheduled on the U.S. schedule before the Americans play Paraguay on June 12 to begin the World Cup.
“The nice thing about having a World Cup at home is that when you gain momentum, the momentum increases exponentially with every step you take,” Donovan added. “So if you come out of the group and win the group, now the whole country is behind you. I’ve seen it in every World Cup since 2002. If you win the next game, and you win the next one, the next thing you know you can find yourself in the quarter-finals or semi-finals and then anything can happen.”
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American coach Gregg Berhalter with Weston McKennie during training. (Reuters/Ibraheem Al Omari)
The United States’ World Cup roster will likely include names the average soccer fan has already heard of: Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Weston McKennie and Matt Turner.
Donovan said fans should keep a closer eye on McKennie this time. McKennie is in his sixth season with Serie A side Juventus. He has four goals and four assists in 29 games this season.
“The player who plays better than anyone right now for his club team on our national team is Weston McKennie,” Donovan said. “He plays for Juventus in Italy and he’s literally been their best player for 15 games in a row, and that’s one of the top five teams in that country. That’s a big league. So I think if Weston continues that form in the World Cup, he could absolutely explode onto the scene here and really make a name for himself.”
Donovan made 157 appearances for the US men’s soccer team, just seven appearances shy of Cobi Jones’ most all-time. He is also tied for first with Clint Dempsey with 57 national team goals.
He reminded Pak Gazette Digital what playing for Team USA meant to him.
American Landon Donovan celebrates his victory in the 2010 World Cup. (EMPICS Sport – PA Images via Getty Images)
“Everything,” he said simply. “I grew up a big sports fan and so I couldn’t watch football on TV because we didn’t have cable TV. We were too poor to pay for that. But I watched the Olympics and I loved watching people in unknown sports represent their country and especially people representing our country. And I love that about sports. I mean, there’s nothing outside of military service, which is a completely different category, there’s nothing that compares to that.
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“I always compare national team games to college football. I like the rivalry that people feel and the pride that they feel, but you add national pride to that and you just can’t compare it to anything else. The pride as a player, when you have a badge and you see the flag come up and you hear the national anthem and you realize what you’re playing for, it’s incomparable.”
