00:00After two promising friendlies against AFCON champ Senegal and world powerhouse Germany,
00:07the U.S. men's national team is opening up their World Cup Group D action at SoFi Stadium
00:12in L.A. on June 12th versus Pedagwai.
00:21So we all know at this point what's at stake for the Americans in the future of U.S. soccer,
00:26hosting the biggest tournament on the planet in our very own backyard.
00:31And according to Weston McKinney, this team is playing for both respect on the domestic and international stage.
00:39Every fan in every sport loves a winning team and loves a successful team
00:44or a team that they feel like they can connect with.
00:48And I think what we do in the World Cup will ultimately decide that.
00:53But I think, yeah, it's about time that soccer in general in America has grown
01:00and has been getting a little bit more respect than what it has in the past.
01:05We thought we took a step in the right direction with U.S. soccer in the 2022 World Cup in
01:12Qatar
01:12when they went undefeated in group play, including playing and drawing even with the tough England squad.
01:18And then they were eventually knocked out in the round of 16 by the Netherlands.
01:22We were trending in the right direction.
01:25But then they lost both their cool and momentum in 2024
01:28when they failed to make it out of the group stage at Copa America.
01:33Changes were made at the manager position.
01:36Out went longtime head coach Greg Berhalter.
01:38And a new hope and new American standard was set.
01:42New head coach Maurizio Pochettino came in and immediately raised the bar of expectation.
01:48It's pretty much said it's semifinals or bust this summer,
01:52meaning get out of the group stage and win a knockout stage match.
01:55And that's good because USA hasn't broken past the opening round of a knockout stage since 2002
02:02when they beat Mexico Dos Aceto and then they lost to Germany 1-0 in the quarterfinals
02:07because of a controversial no call on the handball.
02:11Poch said what he meant and he meant what he said
02:13because the U.S. men's national team record under him is 15 wins, eight losses, and one draw.
02:20The roster is set and features European standouts like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKinney,
02:26and Fuller and Balogun.
02:27But they're going to have to prove that they can handle the pressure of one,
02:31earning respect on a global level, and two, doing it while on their home turf.
02:36Now, they showed some promise when they were able to jump out to a lead and
02:39eventually hold on to beat African Cup of Nations champion Senegal in their first friendly.
02:45But they left the fan base with some mixed emotions after a 2-1 loss to Germany
02:50before heading into the tournament in their group stage.
02:53Now, as for Group D, this is anyone's group.
02:56You guys' guess is just as good as mine.
02:59Paraguay is back after 16 years of not making the tournament.
03:04Australia is on their sixth World Cup in a row, but they don't really scare anybody.
03:09And Turkey A has been dangerous lately.
03:12But are there two young stars ready for the world stage?
03:15So the USA is in great position to advance.
03:19And here's U.S. soccer legend Alexi Lalas, who played every minute of the 1994 World Cup
03:25on the Americans' chances to make a run in the knockout rounds.
03:30There are higher expectations on this group, but I think that they're fair,
03:33and I think that they are realistic, and I think that they can live up to them.
03:38In that, you know, this is a generation that's been given absolutely everything
03:42in terms of opportunities and resources and pathways.
03:45And so now we expect more.
03:47We want to see things that we haven't seen before.
03:49So when the Christian Polisics and the Weston McKinneys go on the field,
03:53individually I want them to do things that are going to help their brand.
03:56We didn't call it a brand, but it's a brand, right?
03:58Yep.
03:58But I want to also have them understand that they have a responsibility
04:02to kind of live up to these high expectations.
04:04And I wouldn't put them on if I didn't think that they could.
04:08That's right, because analysts say if USA takes three points in the opener against Paraguay,
04:15their odds to win the group jump from plus 100 to minus 200 instantly.
04:20So game one is everything.
04:23Game one and the group stage will tell us if this golden generation of American football
04:29is ready for the golden opportunity to earn, nah, not earn, to take some respect on the global level.
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