The hourglass continues to strike for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Less than nine months remain until the tournament kicks off next summer. The event’s significance is even greater, as it will be the inaugural expanded 48-team World Cup and the first time three nations will host the tournament, with the United States taking the lead alongside Canada and Mexico. For the USMNT, there’s also a unique chance to make their mark in an even more remarkable way—a possibility highlighted by none other than Alexi Lalas, though it comes with a very specific condition.

Many of you might not be aware of this, but the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup is taking place during the 250th birthday of the United States. At least, the former American defender Lalas was able to remind everyone on X. And as everyone knows, the Eagles celebrate their day on July 4. So by that time, the international tournament would have already begun, as it will be kicking off on June 11 and running through July 19.

Now, there remains a possibility of seeing the USMNT play a match on July 4, 2026. And the obvious way to commemorate the day would be by securing a crucial win. Then again, in order to even reach that particular stage, they would have to finish as one of the best third-place teams in their Group D and win their first knockout game. That way, the July 4 match would be their Round of 16 game, held in Philadelphia.

Pretty interesting, right? Well, thank Alexi Lalas, who certainly must have done quite the math just to remind everyone how more significant the 2026 World Cup would be for the States. Regardless, we would urge the USMNT fans not to count their chickens before they hatch. After all, the most obvious step for the Stars and Stripes is to get out of the group stages and further take on the knockout rounds.

Lucky for the American boys, as head coach Mauricio Pochettino earlier gave his honest verdict on all the expectations being all over the roof concerning Team USA. While recognizing the challenges that he and his team might face, Pochettino said, “I’m very honest, I think the target is quarterfinals,” while speaking on The Overlap podcast last year. 

Yes, we know; ardent US men’s national team fans would have loved to hear something more optimistic from the gaffer, say, try to win the Golden trophy. But, this is the only realistic and achievable feat that they can keep in their minds, right? And if they’re able to achieve at least this goal, then they will surely be celebrating their 250th anniversary in an emphatic fashion.

Also, we hate to break it, but the way things have gone for the USMNT so far is simply not what anyone had hoped for—something even Alexi Lalas would likely agree with!

USMNT needs to buckle up amidst tacky form!

Who would have thought that within a year of Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival, and just nine months away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a cloud of uncertainty would already be hanging over the USMNT? Yet that’s the reality, given the issues the team has faced so far. For context, since the former Tottenham, Chelsea, and PSG boss took charge, he has managed 18 games, winning 11 and losing 7.

On the surface, that’s not the worst record, but on paper, the setbacks have been costly. The USMNT has fallen short in both the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup. Naturally, this form has drawn plenty of criticism from fans and respected pundits alike. Pochettino, however, has been quick to defend his side, stressing that his “experimenting” phase is over and that the full focus is now on the World Cup.

Even so, while a recent surprise win over Japan helped break a poor run, it wasn’t enough to win over Alexi Lalas. After the game, when asked if the 2-0 win over the Asian side alleviated his concerns, the pundit said, “No, I remain concerned,” before admitting that he looks forward to the remaining four windows that the USMNT have in their hand in the name of “World Cup preparation.”

So let’s see, even before the USMNT potentially rallying for the World Cup, let’s see whether they’re able to make its upcoming anniversary quite special!