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![\"Jun](\"https:\/\/epsilon.creativecirclecdn.com\/omglocal\/original\/20260610-081938-942-world%20cup%20philly.JPG\")
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJun 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; A general view of scenes around City Hall Philadelphia ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBill Streicher\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
USA embraces its Men’s national team on their World Cup journey<\/p>\n
The USMNT has broken viewership records at this World Cup as they’ve played their best games in quite a while. People are paying attention to a team that has been building toward this moment for years. The four matches played so far have reached over 106 million viewers!<\/p>\n
The country is paying attention, and that is a welcome sight. The last time the World Cup was in the USA was in 1994, which sparked the creation of MLS, which has grown over 30 years into a great product of American soccer, but it has not translated into the nation caring about its national team, aside from die-hards and soccer-sickos alike. In years past, players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey became household names because of great performances at the World Cup, but Americans would only care about them every four years when they played well.<\/p>\n
This, of course, is mirrored by a Women’s National team that has won four World Cups and dominated the sport at the world stage. Now we are seeing that type of hype around the men’s team, and it’s unique and very American when you look at the squad and how they’re made up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUnited States fans in the stands\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKIRBY LEE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n A USA side that reflects the nation in many ways<\/p>\n There are players on this USA side who were born in the United States. Some were born on US Military bases. Some are birthright citizens. Others represent the Red, White, and Blue because a parent is a citizen of the USA.<\/p>\n The USMNT has players who were born in the Netherlands, England, Germany, and Mexico, as well as in the 50 states. This is a true melting pot team, led by a coach from Argentina. The funny thing is, no one is complaining about the origins of anyone on this team. They represent the stars and stripes, and the nation is embracing them. There is nothing more American than that!<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGiovanni Reyna of the U.S. celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates and coach Mauricio Pochettino\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDANIEL COLE\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Why not us? Can the USMNT make a deep run?<\/p>\n The USA has been playing the long game since 2017. They failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, a massive setback that prompted US Soccer to start from the ground up. They fought and qualified for the 2022 tournament with some of the same players who are representing the team this time around, guys like Pulisic, McKennie, and Adams. The USA failed to secure a knockout-stage win in 2022, and the road to 2026 was bumpy.<\/p>\n With no qualifiers, the team tried to schedule high-caliber friendlies and entered major tournaments over the three years leading up to 2026. The team was not progressing into what we see today, hitting a low point in 2024 when they crashed out of the Copa America at the group stage. This prompted the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino, and since then, the team has been on an upward trajectory.<\/p>\n Pochettino’s style is one that wants his team to be proactive, win the ball, and create attacks quickly; he also wants his team to endure suffering and overcome it. The Argentine manager is cultivating the underdog spirit of America while getting the best out of the players at the right time.<\/p>\n The team’s slogan, “Why not us?” has been the rallying cry of the nation, and now we are going to see if they can reach a spot they haven’t been to since 2002. If the USMNT can beat Belgium on Monday and make the quarterfinals, they will have achieved success at this World Cup. Go on even further, and they could be the best USA team of all time. There’s only one thing to ask on this Independence Day: Why not us?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMalik Tillman of the U.S. celebrates scoring their second goal.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarlos Barria\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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