because Mauricio Pochettino is now the manager? Let’s focus on realistic goals first, like winning a knockout game or two, and maybe getting to a World Cup quarterfinal. With lots of luck, maybe a semifinal at best. This is a team that just failed to get out of the group stage of Copa America, on home soil. The USMNT isn’t winning a World Cup any time soon, regardless of who is the coach.

It’s very difficult to win a World Cup. It has been played for almost a century now, and only 8 countries have ever won it. Many countries that have much more soccer talent and a much richer soccer history than the US have never won it — for example, the Netherlands, Colombia, Portugal, Belgium, etc. The two major soccer powers that just faced off in the 2024 Euro final, Spain and England, have only won one World Cup each. Spain has been European champion 4 times, more than any other country, but has only ever reached one World Cup final.

Let’s please stop the silliness.