Day: June 8, 2026

No more friendlies. No more tune-ups. Next up for the United States after games against Senegal and Germany: the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There are positives and negatives to take away from a 3-2 win over Senegal and a 2-1 loss to Germany. Two former USA World Cup players (Maurice Edu in 2010 and Walker Zimmerman in 2022) break down their three biggest lessons. Chris Richards Is Essential To This Backline Edu: While the U.S. had plenty of positive spells between its win over Senegal and loss to Germany, it did concede multiple goals in both games. The USA started with three center backs — Alex Freeman and Tim Ream started both, while Mark McKenzie started against Senegal and Miles Robinson against Germany. In both games, the U.S. conceded twice. (Side note: I wouldn’t have minded seeing either McKenzie or Robinson start alongside Richards.) When healthy, Richards slots right into the middle of that defense between Freeman on the right and Ream on the left. Chris full trained on Monday, which is a positive sign that he’ll be ready to face Paraguay on Friday (9 p.m. ET on FOX/FOX One and streaming for free on Tubi). The USA Is Ready For Real Competition Zimmerman: The U.S. got two games against different teams that allowed it to defend differently. We were more compact in how we defended against Senegal, keeping the distance from the front to the back, we were able to press higher and be higher up the pitch, maintaining about 20-25 yards between our defense and attack. Then, against quality opposition in Germany, we had to be a bit more compact; it was more like 35. It was also helpful that Germany was fluid in how they defended. Germany pressed the American defense in a variety of ways. Sometimes, the press was high on our backline in a 4-3-3 formation, while other times it was a bit deeper in a 4-4-2. Being able to build an attack against various structures and looks was a great dress rehearsal for what we’ll see throughout the tournament. After Antonee Robinson’s absolute golazo, I thought we responded great the rest of the first half. That was a really good period that had the U.S. looking like a dangerous team going forward, putting pressure on Germany and competing well until the halftime whistle. Also, I think the first goal that Germany scored will actually be helpful over the long haul for the U.S. It allows the team to go back to the drawing board on set pieces. Kai Havertz getting in that position without any contact is not good enough. Now, it’s about emphasizing just how important set pieces are going to be during the tournament. Hopefully, this team learned about organization and communication necessary to make sure every set piece is defended with the proper amount of urgency. This week will be about tweaking little things to the system while making sure guys recover and continue to build fitness ahead of the USA’s World Cup opener on Friday night against Paraguay. The USA Can Compete With The Best Teams, But … Edu: When the USA is at its best, we can cause problems against the best teams at the World Cup this summer. The U.S. created chances and looked dangerous going forward against both Senegal and Germany. Christian Pulisic delivered a man-of-the-match performance against Senegal, while Folarin Balogun scored against Senegal and was lively against Germany. The key: We have to take our chances. Once you start facing the top teams in this tournament, they will make you pay if we’re not clinical when our moments come. In addition to causing problems in attack, I loved the response and character this group showed after conceding early against Germany. That mentality and fight will be important moving forward. USMNT World Cup Schedule Check out the full World Cup schedule (all available streaming on FOX One):​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

IRVINE, Calif. — Great Park, where the U.S. men’s national team has established its World Cup base camp, is the former site of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which was a military training hub for pilots, aircrews and ground personnel during World War II. Since then, the more than 1,300-acre property has been transformed into a sprawling public sports and recreation complex. In 2017, the city opened Great Park Championship Soccer Stadium, where the Americans will be training every day for the next several weeks. Monday, the team was welcomed by 5,500 devoted fans who flocked to the stadium for practice. All World Cup teams are required to conduct one public event, and U.S. Soccer said it received 32,000 registration applicants but had to cap the attendance. It was a festive start to the week ahead of the Americans’ World Cup opener vs. Paraguay on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium (9 p.m. ET on FOX) located a bit more than 40 miles from this temporary home. “Once a place where Americans trained to defend our nation, this is now a place where Americans train to represent the United States of America,” Larry Agran, the mayor of Irvine, told the buzzing crowd anxious to see their favorite players. U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino also addressed supporters and gave somewhat of a motivational pregame speech. “The most important thing is you feel proud about your team,” Pochettino said while holding a microphone and pacing the field. “One thing is for sure: we are going to give everything to create good memories with you, for you to feel proud of your team.” The moment this country has been waiting for is finally here as the largest World Cup in history – a 48-team tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico – begins later this week. Half of the USA’s squad played in the World Cup four years ago in Qatar, so they are familiar with soccer’s grandest stage. But as captain Tim Ream told a room full of reporters before Monday’s training, this is new territory for everybody. “It’s not our first rodeo, but it’s the first one on home soil, so it kind of is our first rodeo in a way,” Ream explained. “It’s exciting. I’m old enough to remember bits and pieces from 1994 [World Cup]. I’ve tried to tell guys and convey the message in the media that it’s a once-in-a-career opportunity. With that comes more expectation and more pressure, but at the same time, you have to enjoy it. “And for me, it’s about opening your eyes and taking everything in because this is completely different from anything that any of us players have experienced. So take it in, enjoy it, embrace everything that it is, because it is so unique, so special, and it’s not something that we’ll ever get to do again.” Last week, while the team was at U.S. Soccer’s new National Training Center outside of Atlanta, several veterans spoke about the responsibility they feel to help first-timers savor every minute of the tournament. Star forward Christian Pulisic has said he was extremely focused during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and admits he wasn’t always the easiest person to be around during the tournament. Goalkeeper Matt Turner said he didn’t do a good job of “soaking it all in.” “Like taking a video of something that was going on [and instead] just thinking, ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ and letting the moment pass by,” said Turner, who started every match four years ago. “I wish I documented more things from Qatar.” From the outset, the team appears to be striking a balance between joy and intensity. When players arrived at their hotel in Atlanta for the pre-tournament camp — and again upon reaching their hotel in Southern California — fans were there to cheer them on. Turner made sure to have his phone out and take in the moment as it unfolded. Defender Mark McKenzie, who’s playing in his first World Cup, has been walking around with a video camera to capture the experience. It’s not the film camera he wanted to bring – he forgot it back in France, where he plays for Ligue 1 club Toulouse – but has been using another one to take a bunch of photos and videos every day. “I think all those are important moments that you’ll look back on in 10, 15, 20 years and being able to share those moments with my son,” said McKenzie, who plans to make some kind of collage after the summer is over. “I wanted to make sure that I didn’t just document it for myself, but for everybody. I wanted something memorable, something special. “Obviously, the job is to handle the work on the pitch, but outside the lines, enjoying it as well and making sure we’re capturing it.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports