USMNT told talk of winning World Cup 'won't be fair at all' as New York Cosmos chief claims just one knockout victory would be 'huge success'

Mauricio Pochettino will face a welcome selection headache this summer when piecing together a 26-man squad that he feels is capable of delivering on lofty expectations. With the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun all starring in Europe, the USMNT have an abundance of proven performers at their disposal.

They have been billed as the ‘Golden Generation’ for some time, with the United States having rarely been in a position to pluck from such a deep talent pool. Delivering under pressure has not always been easy, with the odd setback being endured in CONCACAF competition, but the end goal has always been a World Cup finals in North America.

Rossi, who was born in New Jersey and turned down the chance to join a pre-World Cup training camp with the USMNT in 2006, is among those to have been watching on afar as the game has continued to grow in the States.

Asked for his take on the class of 2026, Rossi - speaking in association with ToonieBet - told GOAL: “They have a good core, a good young core. You know, players that have been doing well in Serie A with Pulisic and McKennie. 

“They have a good shot of making it out of the group in the World Cup. I think that would be a success already in itself. If they're able to get past that first knockout stage, that would be such a huge success for U.S. soccer. So, I'm hoping that that does happen. 

“Winning the World Cup, I don't think it should be even in the same sentence, just because you don't want to put that extra pressure or that type of eyes or expectations on this team, because it won't be fair. It won't be fair at all. So, yeah, they have a chance to do something very special in this World Cup being that it's at home and therefore bringing a lot of life to the sport of football here in America.”

One man who knows all about representing the USMNT at a home World Cup, Tab Ramos - who achieved that feat in 1994 - told GOAL recently when delivering his assessment of a squad that needs to start fulfilling undoubted potential: “Unfortunately ‘Golden Generation’ was a term that was given to this team way early - really early on. This started around 2019/2020 as they tried to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - and, by the way, barely made it as they ended up tied with the fourth-placed team to get to that Qatar World Cup.

“It was along with the thought that this is the ‘Golden Generation’ and we are just gunning towards 2026. Maybe because I think a little bit differently, but the national team is always about getting your best 11 players that you have available today and going to beat somebody - that’s what it’s about, it’s not really about projecting six or seven years down the road, which is what we have been doing.

“Because of that, there was a sense of calm around the team and there wasn’t any sense of urgency in the last few years. Then, Pochettino took over the team and we thought - at least the ones really watching this national team - that ‘you know, when Pochettino walks in the locker room there is going to be an immediate reaction and the guys are going to be like, it’s time to go’. We didn’t get that.

“It took probably 14 months, this fall - the October/November FIFA dates - that the team really turned it around and started to play, not only as well as they can play, but started to play with that desire and underdog mentality that an American team usually has.”

Another former USMNT star, legendary ex-goalkeeper Brad Friedel, has told GOAL that “exceeding expectations is past the quarters” for Pochettino’s troops. A quest to hit that target will be opened at SoFi Stadium in California when facing Paraguay on June 12.