SAN JOSE, Calif. — Shrieks of laughter echoed around an empty PayPal Park. Weston McKennie playfully taunted Tyler Adams, just like he usually does. Even the normally reserved Christian Pulisic joined in on the fun.
As members of the U.S. men’s national team worked through a training session at the home venue of MLS club San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday, anyone watching — if they didn’t know better — wouldn’t think that these players were barely 24 hours before what might be the biggest games of their lives.
Nothing less than the legacy of what many have called a “Golden Generation” of American soccer stars led by Pulisic, McKennie and Adams is at stake on Wednesday, when the USA meets Bosnia and Herzegovina in its first do-or-die match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at nearby San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (kickoff at 5 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One).
The stakes are enormous. And after winning its first two contests in a World Cup for the first time in almost a century en route to topping Group D, the expectations are just as high.
For months, coach Mauricio Pochettino has talked up his squad’s potential: “Why not us?”
That has been the question the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has asked his team and the USA’s rapidly growing fan base again and again.
Players and supporters alike have internalized that message, to the point where many are already looking past Wednesday’s round of 32 contest and to next week’s round of 16 in Seattle against Belgium or Senegal — or even the July 10 quarterfinal versus (probably) star-studded Spain or Portugal or Croatia.
Not so fast. The Bosnians won’t go quietly. And while they’re not France, the U.S. hasn’t beaten a European team in its last 12 chances dating to 2021 and has lost all six of such matches under Pochettino.
If that streak doesn’t end in Northern California, at a World Cup on home soil, the public perception of the USA’s tournament — the reality — will instantly swing from wild success to catastrophic failure. There is nothing in between.
The players are unfazed.
Chris Richards will be key in defense for the USA. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“We try not to think worst-case scenario,” defender Chris Richards told me Monday before the Americans’ final practice.
“For us, ultimately it’s [about] going to this game with confidence, but also understanding that no things don’t always go your way,” he said. “So let’s make sure you’re prepared for everything.”
Besides, being stressed out won’t help.
“Relaxation brings concentration,” Pochettino said at Monday’s pre-match press conference, attributing the quote to Jorge Valdano, a legendary player and coach with Real Madrid who won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina.
No wonder the U.S. is choosing to look at Wednesday as an opportunity to keep its World Cup dreams kicking, rather than an obligation to.
Christian Pulisic should be ready for the USA match. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Still, the odds are on the home team’s side. Another massive red, white and blue-clad crowd is expected.
The U.S. comes into the match ranked 15th by FIFA while the Golden Lilles are 61st, lower than 16 nations that failed to qualify for this World Cup. Not that that matters when the game begins.
“I don’t believe that we are the favored team,” Pochettino said. “Everyone said Germany was the favorite, but Paraguay beat them.
“After the group stage, we are seeing how difficult it is for everyone,” he continued. “We don’t have another opportunity if we fail. [So] it’s all-in, knowing that that game is the final of the World Cup. That, I think, needs to be — and is — our mindset.”
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