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The U.S. men's national team is preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, now less than two weeks away — a tournament that will see a record-breaking 48 nations compete across North America this summer. It marks the first time in more than three decades that the U.S. will host the men's version of soccer's most prestigious competition.
To say the Stars and Stripes are under pressure to deliver would be putting it mildly, but that same pressure signals that greatness is within their grasp. Yes, the U.S. has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals in the modern World Cup era, and even that achievement came over two decades ago — which only means the stage is set for something special.
As USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino keeps saying with conviction, "Why not us?" The 26 players on his roster — this so-called "Golden Generation" — will be in the spotlight this summer, chasing history on home turf and capturing the imagination of Americans across the country.
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When it comes to winning over fans, the USMNT can look to the 1994 squad for inspiration — those gritty Americans who were the first to bring the excitement of the men's World Cup to U.S. soil. Sporting an iconic, faux washed-denim Adidas kit, they captivated a nation still largely discovering the sport and beginning to appreciate it at its highest level.
Then-24-year-old center back Alexi Lalas emerged as the breakout star of that squad, becoming a household name throughout the summer thanks to a personality that rivaled his flowing, curly red hair and distinctive bushy goatee.
"The identity of our team back then was one of pioneering, cowboy-esque types of things, where we recognized that we were doing things for the first time," Lalas, now 56, tells Sports Illustrated. "There was a belief that we could something that was going to last, relative to a legacy for the sport that we loved in our country, and that if we did it, if we did it right, we would be able to harness that energy, that magic, that would benefit the game and future generations. I think we did that. I think we made a mark."
It now falls to the new generation of American soccer stars to build on that legacy, and Lalas has full confidence in this summer's squad to rise to the occasion.
Lalas on USMNT's Opportunity, Responsibility
"Summer of '94," a new documentary now streaming on Fox One and Tubi, tells the story of Lalas's team — a group of largely amateur players, given the absence of a top-flight domestic league in the U.S. at the time — who famously stunned South American powerhouse Colombia 2–1 on their way to the round of 16. It was a remarkable run for an unlikely group competing among soccer's elite, a genuine underdog story that inspired countless Americans to fall in love with the beautiful game.
"I think of opportunity and responsibility," Lalas says, drawing parallels between his own experience and that of today's USMNT players. "The opportunity to bring a lot of people into the [fold], once again. I know it's been 32 years, but we're still trying to bring people into that soccer [fold], and here's another opportunity this summer."
"And responsibility — it's happening on our watch, and in the documentary, it becomes very apparent that there was a pressure. It depended upon how you looked at it, but a pressure to do well for the actual sport. Now soccer isn't going anywhere regardless of what happens this summer, but there is a responsibility to, again, entertain those people that are coming into the fold."
He adds, "America wants to celebrate America. We've seen it recently with hockey and with baseball ... if the USMNT play well, and they are endearing both on and off the field, they can again provide the mechanism, if you will, to celebrate our country. Oh, and not for nothing, but on our 250th birthday. There's a lot to be celebrated this summer if they can catch that lightning in a bottle."
Lalas's USMNT World Cup Prediction
The depth of talent and the development pathways available to the USMNT have advanced significantly since that scrappy 1994 side took the field, and for those reasons, Lalas is expecting greater achievements from the Stars and Stripes in front of a home crowd this month.
The 16th-ranked U.S. side enter Group D as the clear favorites, opening their campaign against Paraguay before facing Australia and late-qualifiers Türkiye. The top two teams from each group, along with eight of the best third-place finishers, will progress to the round of 32 — a brand-new stage introduced due to the tournament's expanded format.
"My pragmatic answer is that this is a group we should win," Lalas says. "So we get out of the group. We finish first in the group, at which point we're playing in a round of 32, a new round because of the size of the tournament, and we're playing a team that we're better than, so we will be expected to win. We should win that, and now we're back at the round of 16 where we have kind of always been, probably playing a team that people look at as better than, or at least equal, to us."
When not eliminated in the group stage, the U.S. has reached the round of 16 five times in the modern World Cup era, including at the most recent 2022 Qatar edition and the 1994 tournament; however, of those five appearances, they have only advanced once — reaching the quarterfinals at the 2002 Japan/South Korea World Cup.
"You need a little help from the soccer gods in that moment and hope that the magic is there," Lalas adds about competing in the round of 16. "You're into rarified air. That's the reality of what I see happening for this team. Ultimately, Pochettino and this team will be judged from a competitive perspective on that round of 16 game. If they don't get there, then it's a failure."
While advancing past the round of 16 would be a tremendous achievement, defining exactly what success looks like for the USMNT this summer is difficult to pin down. It may be more of a feeling than a specific tournament milestone.
"You know it when you see it," Lalas says. "It will be coursing through your veins. You'll feel it in your heart."
One thing is certain, however — if this team can bottle that lightning, whatever form it takes, it will leave a lasting imprint on the sport in the United States for generations to come, much like those tenacious Americans did back in 1994, whose impact continues to resonate more than 30 years on.