One wouldn’t exactly call this year a fruitful one for the U.S. Men’s National Team. While a few international windows have seen them secure decent victories, most have ended in disappointment, whether it was falling short in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals or, more recently, losing the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Simply put, they haven’t looked like a team worthy of hosting the World Cup. And although there’s still time to turn things around with crucial friendlies on the horizon, iconic USMNT forward Alexi Lalas thinks otherwise.

The American boys just went back to their respective domestic setups after the unfortunate 1-2 Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico. Now, the next time they will be returning to the field is after two months, where they are bound to play two friendlies against South Korea on September 6 at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey, and Japan on September 9 at Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio.

Then, after a span of over three weeks, they’ll again gather around for the October window, facing Ecuador on October 10 at Q2 Stadium, North Austin, Texas, as well as Australia on October 14 at DSG Park, Commerce City, Colorado. Though both of these next windows would present some significant challenges for Mauricio Pochettino and Co., Lalas still views it as games that won’t challenge the boys much.

“The future schedule of the US men’s national team is really going to be interesting for a number of different reasons,” began the former American defender while speaking on The State of the Union podcast, “not the least of which is who Pochettino is going to call in for these matches. The other part of it is that the US is not qualifying, and so they are all going to be friendly games.”

Though Lalas respects opponents like South Korea and Japan—solid teams with consistent World Cup appearances—he still believes they present a meaningful challenge. In fact, the former LA Galaxy star has a gut feeling that the USMNT could end up facing teams of similar caliber when the group draw takes place in December.

He then went on to praise Ecuador for consistently proving themselves in each international window. In fact, he believes they will be a strong, competitive side to test the US team. As for Australia, Lalas had mixed feelings but still hopes they turn out to be worthy challengers for the Stars and Stripes.

Yet, that made Lalas shift the focus to the bigger picture: “But are these elite teams? No.” According to him, these are the kinds of teams the USMNT should look at and confidently say, “We are as good or better.” Drawing a comparison to Mauricio Pochettino’s mindset, Lalas emphasized the importance of living up to expectations, especially when entering matches as favorites, something the team will increasingly experience moving forward.

Then again, overall, Alexi is genuinely excited to see the USMNT in action against all the aforementioned teams. However, that still keeps him worried about one major advantage that his nation’s young boys don’t have: time!

USMNT really needs to gear up for the 2026 gig

Even though Alexi Lalas looks forward to the upcoming international windows against talented opponents, he didn’t hesitate to remind Mauricio Pochettino and Co. of how little time remains to prepare for the 2026 World Cup as hosts. By the numbers, the USMNT has just 10 games left, and even that comes with a caveat— the final two, potentially scheduled for June right before the World Cup, likely won’t serve as true tests, let alone it would help them improve their rankings.

According to Lalas, such matches are often closed-door friendlies, featuring a mix of fringe players, with key stars sitting out to avoid injury. After all, no one wants to risk being sidelined for the biggest tournament of their career.

“The reality is that with the windows coming up over the next eight months, it’s going to be about eight games. And again, they are all friendlies. So we will probably make much more of them than they deserve to be made of, but it’s all we’ve got at this point,” concluded Lalas, urging the USMNT to make the most of what they have.

Then again, do you think the remainder of the time until the World Cup kicks off is enough for the US Men’s National Team to prepare with? Let us know in the comments.