Soccer
How far can the US go at their home World Cup?
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Every World Cup needs a team that captures the imagination beyond the usual favourites. Four years ago, it was Morocco. Eight years earlier, it was Croatia. At the 2026 tournament, the United States are beginning to look like the side nobody quite fancies facing.
Perhaps that should not come as a surprise. Home advantage has a habit of carrying nations further than expected, and the Americans have ridden a wave of momentum through the group stage.
Yet there is a growing sense that this is about more than packed stadiums and partisan crowds. Mauricio Pochettino's side have shown enough quality to suggest they could become genuine contenders for a place in the latter stages.
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That optimism will face its next examination against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.
The United States finished top of Group A, doing so by combining attacking ambition with an organisation that has occasionally been missing from previous generations. They looked particularly impressive in possession, moving the ball quickly through midfield and creating chances from wide areas rather than relying solely on moments of individual brilliance.
Much of that has stemmed from Pochettino's influence. The Argentine has encouraged a more proactive style than the one many American supporters became accustomed to, pressing high, committing numbers forward and trusting technically gifted players to dictate games instead of merely competing physically.
It helps that this is arguably the deepest pool of talent the United States have ever taken to a World Cup.
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Christian Pulisic remains the headline act and has embraced the responsibility of leading the side, but he is no longer carrying the attack alone. Folarin Balogun has provided a reliable focal point, while midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams have supplied the athleticism and discipline needed to make Pochettino's aggressive approach work.
That said, perspective remains important.
The United States have looked convincing, but knockout football presents a different challenge. Bosnia and Herzegovina may not possess the depth of the tournament favourites, yet they have reached this stage through discipline, organisation and an ability to frustrate technically superior opponents.
They will happily concede possession if it creates opportunities to strike on the counter-attack, and that could test a US defence that has occasionally looked vulnerable when pushed high up the pitch.
It is also worth remembering that excitement around host nations can snowball quickly. Every encouraging performance raises expectations, every victory fuels belief and every packed stadium adds to the feeling that something special might be brewing. Sometimes that momentum carries teams deep into tournaments. Sometimes it evaporates the moment they meet elite opposition.
The United States have earned the right to dream, but they have not yet proved they belong alongside the genuine contenders.
If they overcome Bosnia and Herzegovina, those conversations will only grow louder. Pochettino has assembled a young, fearless squad that appears increasingly comfortable with the pressure of performing on home soil, and there is enough attacking quality to trouble almost anyone.
A quarter-final no longer feels like an ambitious target. Beyond that, the draw, a little fortune and the energy of a nation could take them even further.
The hype is building. Against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United States have the chance to show it is justified.
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