The vibes surrounding the United States men’s national team have never been higher after the Americans won their first two matches dominantly to begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup schedule. However, a former USMNT goalkeeper is pumping the brakes on the team’s upside.
Tim Howard, a longtime USMNT goalkeeper (2002-2017) and a current NBC Sports Premier League analyst, discussed the team’s World Cup outlook on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast that he co-hosts with former U.S. teammate and current Fox Sports analyst Landon Donovan.
Howard and Donovan responded to a question from a fan that asked, “Do you guys think the USA can win the World Cup?”
Donovan answered first, offering a reasonable breakdown of the chances before Howard completely shut down the idea of a potential title.
Is it possible for the USMNT to WIN the World Cup? Landon and Tim debate. pic.twitter.com/g4mX5YTxlf
— Unfiltered Soccer (@UnfilteredSoccr) June 20, 2026
“Can we? Yes,” Donovan began. “Has this group proven it? That they can beat a top team? No. But, I’ll tell you this, Tim. And I mean this. If they play the way they’re playing, they can absolutely compete against any team in this World Cup. For sure. Can you do this four times in a row? Can you do it in a round-of-16, a [quarterfinal], a [semifinal], and a final? That is where it gets really hard. But momentum gets going, you never know. Is it likely? No. It’s not likely.”
“The U.S. cannot, unequivocally, win the World Cup,” Howard responded. “The U.S. will have to play the greatest game they’ve ever played [four] times in a row. They’re going to have to beat [four] world soccer powerhouses in a row… The round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals. It is literally impossible for the U.S. to win the World Cup… That’s just the reality.”
First off, the idea that it’s “literally impossible” is not true, as any team still alive in the tournament technically has a chance. And the USMNT has already advanced to the round-of-32 knockout stage.
The overall point that Howard was getting at has merit, in that beating several top-tier teams in a row is an extremely difficult challenge for any team, and especially for a team that isn’t viewed as one of the very best in the world.
But “impossible”? No. Sportsbooks currently give the USMNT 35/1 odds to win the title, and most projection systems have the odds right around that implied probability in the 3% range.
The USMNT stunningly stomped Paraguay 4-1 in the team’s 2026 World Cup opener. And even without star Christian Pulisic (calf injury) in their second match, the Americans took down Australia 2-0.
As Donovan explained, running the table against great teams is certainly unlikely, but if the USMNT plays like they did in the first two matches for the remainder of the tournament? Much crazier things have happened.
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