As we have after each USMNT gathering under Coach Mauricio Pochettino, we checked in with U.S. Hall of Famer Tab Ramos for his assessment of the team’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup. The USA lost to Belgium (5-2) and Portugal (2-0) in its March friendlies, its last games before Pochettino names his World Cup roster.
SOCCER AMERICA: Should we be concerned that the USA lost both games in the March window?
TAB RAMOS: It’s definitely time to be concerned. We can only kick the can down the road so many times.
SA: Mauricio Pochettino mentioned what he saw as positives from his team, such as “we competed very well” for periods and the team is learning from playing these strong opponents ...
TAB RAMOS: If it’s just about competing, we have always competed. We also beat Ireland and Portugal in 1992, England in 1993, Colombia in 1994, Argentina in 1995 and 1999, Brazil in 1998, Spain in 2010, Italy in 2012, Germany and the Netherlands in 2015 …
We are not looking to compete, we are looking to continue to beat teams we are not supposed to beat with the addition that we want to play well doing it. I hope that is why we got the best coach available.
Was this message not part of the interview process?
And saying that we don’t have players in the top 100 does not inspire anyone. I imagine that most of the players in the top 100 come from about seven or eight countries at most.
SA: Were there any parts of the USMNT’s losses to Belgium and Portugal that increased your optimism about how the USA may fare at this summer’s World Cup?
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