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Clint Dempsey didn’t hesitate. When I asked arguably the greatest American soccer player of all time what the U.S. men’s national team must do to keep its fans engaged and create new ones before the next World Cup arrives in 2030, Dempsey — the USMNT’s all-time co-scoring leader and a FOX Sports analyst during the 2026 tournament — was unequivocal. “Win,” Dempsey told me during a post-World Cup interview. “Score goals, keep clean sheets, get the people excited and out of their seats because you’re fighting for your country, making them proud. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right?” Right. And for three games at the first World Cup held on American soil in three decades, the home team did all of that. Those emphatic group stage wins over Paraguay and Australia, and another in the new round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina, were enough to convince the U.S. Soccer Federation to offer Pochettino a new four-year contract despite a 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16. The deal became official on Monday, giving the 54-year-old Argentine — who took over the program less than two years before the last World Cup — an entire cycle to build a squad to compete on the biggest stage in sports. Before that, lots of games must be played. The USSF is expected to announce the first slate of exhibition games on the road to 2030 later this week. There are Concacaf Nations League matches in November and March. The 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup follows in June. In 2028, there’s a Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and almost surely another U.S.-hosted Copa América — the South American championship. In other words, to Dempsey’s point, a lot of opportunities for Poch and his players to continue to endear themselves to the broader American public before the main event returns four summers from now. With that in mind, here are five things Pochettino must accomplish before the 2030 World Cup arrives. 1. Uncover Fresh Talent While the U.S. needs upgrades in several areas, no positions are thinner than central defense and goalkeeper. Premier League veteran Chris Richards, 26, will remain the Americans’ defensive anchor. But his partner, captain Tim Ream, is now two months shy of his 39th birthday and has probably played his last game for the national team. Finding newcomers who can challenge reserve center backs Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson for Ream’s vacated spot will be both crucial and challenging. There simply aren’t many good young American center backs, in MLS or overseas. Landing 19-year-old German-American Noahkai Banks would be huge. But don’t be surprised if Poch drafts in guys like 29-year-old Vancouver Whitecaps mainstay Tristan Blackmon, who made two U.S. starts last year. In goal, Poch now has two keepers with World Cup experience in Matt Freese and Matt Turner. Both should be in the mix going forward, but there will be chances for others to push them. Among those are World Cup third-choice keeper Chris Brady, Barcelona prospect Diego Kochen and 19-year-old FC San Diego starter Duran Ferree. It should be a wide-open race for the next couple of years at least. 2. Win Next Year’s Concacaf Nations League And Gold Cup The U.S. won the first three editions of the new regional competition, beating blood rival Mexico in the final in 2021 and 2024 (and in the semis in 2023). But they didn’t even make it to the decisive match in Pochettino’s maiden Nations League trip, losing to Panama in the semis and Jesse Marsch-led Canada in the third place game. Getting back to the title bout next March would show progress. Winning the first available trophy this cycle would be an even better signal of intent. It would also give themselves momentum heading into the second regional championship of 2027 just a few months later. After the Nations League debacle in 2025, Pochettino used the Gold Cup to reset the mentality of the U.S. team. Or at least he tried to: Christian Pulisic, the Americans’ most important attacking player, withdrew from consideration citing fatigue. Same for Yunus Musah, another American starter at the 2022 World Cup. A slew of other regulars — including striker Folarin Balogun, midfielder Weston McKennie, and left back Antonee “Jedi” Robinson — also missed the tourney because of injury or FIFA Club World Cup commitments. But those who Pochettino summoned instead took advantage of the opportunity. Players like Sebastian Berhalter and Alex Freeman, who didn’t have a cap before that summer, would both go on to score at the 2026 World Cup. But the 2025 Gold Cup literally ended in tears for Pochettino, as the U.S. lost to Mexico in front of 71,000 mostly green-clad fans in Houston. This summer, expect all the top Americans to participate. If they do, there’s no reason the U.S. can’t claim the Gold Cup for the eighth time and first since 2021. 3. Make Deep Runs At The Copa América And Olympics In 2028 The U.S. under-23 national team will have home-field advantage at the Olympics. It’s imperative that they don’t squander it. So it will be fascinating to watch how Poch and U-23 boss Steve Cherundolo decide which players get sent to what team. Will Cherundolo have first dibs on youngsters like 19-year-old Zavier Gozo? What three overage players will the former U.S. defender have access to? Because the best U.S. won’t be available for both the Olympics and Copa. The Americans have history in the latter, reaching the semis in 2016 and in Uruguay in 1995, when they stunned Poch’s native Argentina 3-0. But things didn’t go nearly as well two years ago. Under former coach Gregg Berhalter, the red, white and blue became the first Copa América host ever to be eliminated before the knockout stage. Making a deep run in 2028 is therefore important for several reasons. It’s just two years before the next World Cup, obviously. But a successful Copa would also give the Americans the confidence that they can beat better foes. The same goes for the Summer Games; Spain’s World Cup-winning roster had 12 former Olympians on it. Meanwhile, Miles Robinson was the lone member of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team on Pochettino’s 26-man World Cup squad. 4. Beat One Of Soccer’s Iconic Teams In the not-too-distant past, the U.S. upset the sport’s superpowers regularly frequently. The Americans topped Portugal at the World Cup. A Dempsey goal helped stunned European champ Spain in the semifinals of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In friendlies, they beat former World Cup champs like Germany and Italy. But it’s now been more than a decade since the Stars and Stripes beat one of FIFA’s Top 10 squads. In the last two months alone, they lost to Germany and Belgium. Chances to test themselves against elite opposition don’t come often for the current generation of U.S. players; the advent of Europe’s own Nations League has made it harder to schedule non-official matches against that continent’s best. That only makes it more crucial to take advantage of the next opportunity against one of soccer’s best. 5. Qualify For The 2030 World Cup It sounds simple and it should be. Even if the next World Cup doesn’t end up expanding from the 48 nations  that participated next summer to 64, Concacaf will have as many as seven slots for 2030. (When the Americans famously failed to reach the 2018 event, they finished fifth in a single-table format.) Still, as the 2026 World Cup showed, soccer’s smaller countries are getting more competitive with each passing year. Neither Costa Rica nor Honduras, which both qualified for multiple 32-team World Cups this century— the Ticos even reached the quarters in 2014 — made the cut for 2026 despite the additional berths. So while the ultimate goal is success at the World Cup itself, “First,” Pochettino acknowledged, “We need to qualify.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The vast majority of NFL teams won’t begin padded practices until Monday, but that isn’t stopping us from noticing things around the league in the opening week of training camp. As we get settled in at training camps around the country, there are a handful of items that have stood out to us in the first week of practices. How have the New England Patriots handled their unusual offseason? Which injured players look to be in good shape? Who has impressed among the rookies? Here are our seven takeaways from the first week of training camp: 1. Mike Vrabel And The Patriots Are Operating Business As Usual Henry McKenna: The Seattle Seahawks might have won the Super Bowl, but it felt like the New England Patriots dominated the offseason storylines — for better and for worse. It’s already a big story if a New England-based team doesn’t win a championship. The region is accustomed to winning the big game — in every major sports league. But New England has steeped itself in drama. There may have been no bigger offseason NFL storyline than Vrabel’s scandal. The Patriots also acquired A.J. Brown from the Eagles, a transaction that took months for both sides to complete. That became a top three offseason storyline in the NFL. So there was a lot to discuss in New England. Inwardly, Vrabel addressed the scandal with his players. Outwardly, the Patriots are operating business as usual. Certainly, the coach hasn’t changed the way he operates. He welcomed Brown to the team by making an example of the star wide receiver when he made a mistake on the first day of training camp. “First team meeting, he ripped me for not bringing in a catch,” Brown said last week. “Early on, as a rookie, I didn’t really like that too much. Now I know it comes from a great place. He expects me to make that play, and so do I.” When it comes to offseason storylines — whether it’s right or wrong — Brown could play a big part in making Vrabel’s scandal go away. If the Patriots win games and start the season strong, that’ll be the focus. If they lose … well, the focus might fall on the scandal again. *** 2. Giants Encouraged By Malik Nabers’ Early Performance Ralph Vacchiano: The Giants are still very cautiously refusing to say whether receiver Malik Nabers will be ready for Week 1. But his performance in the first two days of training camp (with a scheduled off day on Day 3) sure was a very encouraging sign. Just nine months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL that ruined most of his second NFL season, New York’s No. 1 receiver not only practiced fully early in camp, he also earned rave reviews. “He definitely has a presence about him,” quarterback Jaxson Dart said. “There’s an aura that he has on the field that is exhilarating. It makes me happy. Everybody’s happy to see him out on the field. And I think for him, he’s had a lot of positives.” New coach John Harbaugh was a bit more cautious, but added, “He looked good. It was encouraging.” The Giants plan is to see how Nabers responds to the early workload and gauge how much, and how quickly, they can increase it. One team source told me they are hopeful he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season, but aren’t afraid to delay his return a few weeks if it helps him get to full strength. Nabers’ importance can’t be overstated, though. Dart has never played a full regular-season game with Nabers, who suffered his knee injury in Week 4 last year, when Dart made his first start. Dart had an impressive rookie season anyway, but Nabers would be the best and most talented receiver he’s played with, by far. *** 3. Rodgers-Metcalf Connection Clicking Early Vacchiano: There’s been obvious chemistry between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver DK Metcalf early in training camp, as there should be. But that’s a big change from last season when the Steelers never seemed to get enough out of that connection. Metcalf had just 59 catches for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games last season — far from the elite numbers Pittsburgh expected after trading a second-round pick to get him and signing him to a five-year, $150 million deal. Metcalf had just two 100-yard games and nine games with fewer than 50 yards — including a disappointing two-catch, 42-yard performance in the Steelers’ first-round playoff loss. “[Last season] we were kind of like trying to get used to the dynamic of everything,” Metcalf said. “He was in a new place. I was in a new place. I think right now our communication is far beyond where it was last year when we first got to camp. We’re just leaps ahead of the communication aspect. And I think it’s only going to continue to grow.” It helped, Metcalf said, that Rodgers — his training camp roommate — was more present in the offseason. He attended several OTA practices and took his receivers on a “bonding” trip out West. It also helped that the Steelers acquired wide receiver Michael Pittman in the offseason to give Metcalf another receiver that can take some of the pressure off. Now it’s up to new coach Mike McCarthy to use all that and find a way to make the connection really work. “He’s a matchup problem,” McCarthy said. “You’d better get some help (covering) him. We want to move him around a little more. But I was impressed with their timing together in the spring. We just want to continue to grow off of that because DK can change a game.” 4. Can Bucs’ WR Corps Be Better Without Mike Evans? Greg Auman: The biggest transaction of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offseason was the surprising departure of Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers after 12 seasons in Tampa. And somehow, a week into their first training camp without the future Hall of Famer, it’s possible the Bucs’ depth can make up for such a significant loss. Chris Godwin, 30, has spent his whole career in Evans’ shadow, and now fully recovered from a 2024 ankle injury, has a chance to show what he can do leading the room. The real excitement is in the next four receivers — all age 24 or younger — who will each take on part of the challenge of replacing Evans. That starts with Emeka Egbuka, 23, last year’s first-round pick who had five touchdowns in his first five NFL games, then hit a wall with only one score the rest of the way. He could be the next in a pipeline of former Ohio State receivers dominating the NFL. Jalen McMillan, 24, missed most of last year recovering from a neck injury, but looks like he did at the end of his rookie season, when he led the NFL with seven touchdown catches in the final five weeks of 2024. Tez Johnson, 24, caught five touchdowns last year as a sixth-round rookie, stepping up amid multiple injuries, and there’s excitement surrounding rookie Ted Hurst, 22, a third-round pick from Georgia State whose 6-foot-4 frame could help give the Bucs a red-zone lob threat that Evans was for so long. New Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson – their fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons – is close friends with former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and the hope is that Tampa Bay’s offense and passing game can get back to its peak as a top-five unit under Coen in 2024. Evans was limited by injuries to eight games and three touchdown catches in his final year in Tampa, so the Bucs already had a taste of life without him, and the hope is that five receivers, collectively, can help offset one major offseason loss. *** 5. Carnell Tate Not The Only Young Titans WR To Keep An Eye On Ben Arthur: Second-year wide receiver Elic Ayomanor has been the biggest standout at Titans training camp through the first week, making several plays. The 2025 fourth-round pick made a beautiful leaping grab by the sideline over cornerback Joshua Williams in team drills on Saturday, drawing plenty of cheers from the fans in attendance. Earlier in the day, he had a similarly impressive catch in a 7-on-7 period. Just two days prior, Ayomanor made what’s arguably been the biggest highlight of training camp so far — with starting cornerback Cor’Dale Flott draped over him, the former Stanford standout jumped and snagged a Cam Ward pass over Flott’s head. No. 4 overall pick Carnell Tate is expected to be Tennessee’s WR1 at some point, and free-agent acquisition Wan’Dale Robinson will be a primary target for Ward, too. But Ayomanor should be a significant factor in the offense as well. Ayomanor led Titans receivers last season with 515 receiving yards. The second-year pro focused on his posture this offseason and trained some with Robinson, work that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates. “To me, Elic is a star,” veteran Calvin Ridley said. Overall, the Titans boast one of their most talented wide receiver rooms in years, a group that can further Ward’s development as a franchise quarterback. In addition to young talents like Tate and Ayomanor, they have a 1,000-yard receiver from each of the last two seasons (Robinson in ‘25, Ridley in ‘24). Second-year pro Chim Dike, an All-Pro returner, ranked third on the Titans with 423 receiving yards as a rookie. “This is one of the deepest rooms I’ve been in,” Ridley said of Tennessee’s wide receivers. “If we do what we gotta do, get on the same page with our quarterback, we can push [this season].” *** 6. Cade Klubnik May Have A Shot To Cut Geno Smith’s Jets Reunion Short Vacchiano: Geno Smith’s second Jets tenure got off to a rocky start during an offseason that featured several run-ins with police, including a domestic incident that became a viral video. And then he was a bit shaky during the first two light practices of training camp, though he got better as the early days went along. Make no mistake: Smith is entrenched as the Jets’ starter for as long as he can keep them somewhat relevant this season. But it’s still worth keeping one eye over his shoulder, because the most interesting quarterback in camp is rookie Cade Klubnik, their fourth-round pick. Jets general manager Darren Mougey said he’s “excited” to see what the rookie can do, and a team source said they’ve been “thrilled” with what they’ve seen so far. He looked mostly sharp in his first two days, though those were really light practices. If that continues, he’s got a “real good chance” to emerge as Smith’s primary backup. It’s also not crazy to suggest they might give him a shot as a starter later in the season, especially if the season goes awry again. The Jets are a near-lock to draft a quarterback in the first round of the 2027 draft, and not much can change that plan. But late in the season, especially if they’re not miraculously in playoff contention, they still might want to see what they’ve got in Klubnik, just in case. *** 7. Jeremiyah Love Getting Comfortable In Cardinals’ Scheme Eric D. Williams: Because of positional value and Arizona clearly not considered to be a player away from contending as a rebuilding roster, NFL observers criticized the Cardinals for taking Love at No. 3 overall. But in training camp practices, the Notre Dame product has looked as good as advertised, showing explosive playmaking ability as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield. However, the Cardinals have a crowded running back room, including free agent pickup Tyler Allgeier and veteran incumbent James Conner. That means Love will have a shared workload as he learns the offense and transitions to a more complex NFL game. Allgeier was listed as the starter in Arizona’s unofficial depth chart released for this week’s Hall of Fame game, while Love was No. 2 on the depth chart. “There’s a lot of guys in there,” Cardinals new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett told me. “Any time you’ve got a great room like that, they’re going to be able to root for each other. We want to use them all, give them all the ball and watch them all grow together.” Hackett said to expect diversity in the running game, including outside zone and a downhill running attack.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports