Don’t tell Mauricio Pochettino that the United States got a favorable draw in the 2026 World Cup.

The United States men’s national team boss kept an even keel as he spoke with Fox Sports after the World Cup draw on Friday, as analyst and former USMNT great Alexi Lalas asserted it’d be an “absolute disaster” if they didn’t advance out of the group stage — before predicting they would win the group.

Friday’s draw has the United States in the same group as Australia, Paraguay and either Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo, depending on who wins the UEFA qualifiers playoffs.

Mauricio Pochettino, Head Coach of United States, poses on the red carpet prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw. FIFA via Getty Images

“We need to show our respect to our opponents,” Pochettino said in r

See Full Page