After a successful January camp, expectations are high for Mauricio Pochettino and the United States men’s national team. However, Bruce Arena, the former coach, believes it may be premature to assess the team’s capabilities until they face stronger competition worldwide.
Arena, who previously managed the USMNT from 1996-1999 and then again from 2016-2017, highlighted the importance of competitive matches to gauge the team’s progress. Under his leadership, the team achieved significant success, including three Concacaf Gold Cup victories and a memorable quarterfinal run at the 2002 World Cup. Nonetheless, his later tenure saw challenges that resulted in the team missing the 2018 World Cup.
In a recent appearance on the CBS Sports soccer podcast, “Call It What You Want,” Arena remarked:
“I don’t think the competition has been good enough to make any kind of assessment. Playing games in January is not a good way of measuring where the team stands.”
He pointed out that while the USMNT’s recent performances yielded impressive results, such as their victories against teams like Jamaica, these matches lacked the level of competition required for true evaluation.
As Pochettino continues to familiarize himself with the US player pool, Arena sees the upcoming 2026 World Cup as an opportunity for substantial growth. He emphasized:
“This time around, we are much more prepared than we were in ‘94. We are going to host a great competition with real stadiums and fields — everything will be top-notch.”
With the preliminary matchups against lower FIFA-ranked teams, the challenge for the USMNT becomes both finding meaningful competition and capitalizing on their hosting advantage in 2026. Arena believes that without facing stronger opponents in the lead-up, the players may miss crucial growth opportunities that could hinder their performance in the World Cup.
Looking forward, Arena recognizes that, under Pochettino’s guidance, the USMNT could achieve great things, provided they can utilize their advantage as hosts to schedule matches against elite teams. “We hope to advance past the group stages and challenge for a spot in the semifinals; once you’re there, anything can happen,” Arena added.
