First things first…I LOVE this hire. Big name. Good resume. Demanding. Has made young players better in the past.

Here’s what we know about Pochettino teams: They will press. They will be fit. They will go all out. I feel like the identity of the hard-working, counter-attacking, gritty underdogs that defined the USMNT when I was growing up has been lost in recent cycles. I’d like to keep that identity, but with better players. I think Pochettino is the best man to get more out of Reyna, McKennie, Pulisic and Adams. Exactly what that looks like remains to be seen, but I’m excited about the new signing. A clear departure from the usual USMNT business.

Now that we have a big-name coach and a “golden generation” hosting the 2026 World Cup, I think it’s time to ask ourselves what a good tournament is for the United States. I don’t think there’s a single person in the world who believes the U.S. can actually win a World Cup, but we have to be better than we have been.

I think most people don’t know that the format of the World Cup is changing. It’s going from 32 to 48 qualifying matches. There will be 12 groups of 4. The top 2 will advance and then some third-placed teams. In the first round of the knockout rounds there will be 32 teams instead of 16.

The best the United States ever did at a World Cup was reaching the quarterfinals in 2002, where we got ripped off.

To get back to the quarterfinals, the USA would have to a) get through the group, which seems anything but certain after the Copa America, and b) win two knockout games.

That seems… impossible to me. I guess I would have to see us beat teams like Jamaica and Panama on a regular basis before I could be convinced that America is capable of beating Belgium or Croatia. I can’t even dream of beating Spain, Brazil, France, etc. Those countries are more likely to beat us in basketball than we are to beat them in soccer on home soil. It sucks, but that’s the way it is right now until little Randy Mosses and Michael Vicks start playing soccer.

Still, it’s a great attitude. I’m excited. I just think there’s still soooo much to do.