Good morning! There’s lots at stake when the USA faces Uruguay tonight in Kansas City. It probably needs to beat La Celeste and hope that Panama doesn’t clobber Bolivia in order to advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, most likely in Glendale, Arizona. A berth in the quarterfinals would mean a chance to play at least one more superpower – likely Colombia or Brazil – on the road to the 2026 World Cup before it returns to a diet of Concacaf opposition. It would mean at least five more days of the USMNT and its players in the media spotlight and another TV date. Failure to advance? It would be a devastating blow for the MNT program after all the momentum gained by reaching the knockout round at the 2022 World Cup.

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Paul Kennedy edited Soccer America for 41 years (1985-2026). He began writing for SA in 1974. He started writing for France Football in 1978 and has served on in Ballon d'Or jury since 2007.