USMNT Group D Preview: Pulisic Captains a Manageable Path Through Paraguay, Australia, Türkiye
Mauricio Pochettino, who took the United States job in September 2024, leads the home-tournament team into Group D against Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. According to ESPN and U.S. Soccer's official communications, the final 26-player roster will be announced on May 26 in New York City.
M auricio Pochettino was appointed United States head coach in September 2024, according to multiple confirmations including ESPN and CBS Sports. The Argentine took on a brief that ESPN described as preparing a generation that had failed to break through at Qatar 2022 for a home tournament. The squad reveal is set for May 26 at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in Manhattan, airing on FOX at 3 p.m. ET, per Yahoo Sports and Athlon Sports.
Pulisic anchors a settled spine
Christian Pulisic remains captain. Per CBS Sports' roster projection coverage, Pulisic is the spine of the team along with Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and goalkeeper Matt Turner. Pochettino's March international window saw heavy losses (5-2 to Belgium, 2-0 to Portugal, per ESPN), making the May camp particularly significant.
Group D fixtures across three cities
Group D pairs the United States with Paraguay, Australia and Türkiye. Per the FIFA fixture list, the opener is at SoFi Stadium on June 12 against Paraguay. The second match is in Seattle against Australia on June 19. The closer is back in Los Angeles against Türkiye on June 25.
Türkiye return after 24 years
Türkiye, the group's third opponent, returns to the World Cup after 24 years following a Path C playoff win, per FIFA.com. Their key creator Arda Güler (Real Madrid) and captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter) are both recovering from injuries that ended their club seasons early, per FourFourTwo. Both are expected back for the tournament but with limited match sharpness.
Pre-tournament friendlies for the U.S. are Senegal in Charlotte on May 31 and Germany in Chicago on June 6, per Yahoo Sports. The model from worldcupglobal.com gives the United States a 5.6% chance of winning the tournament outright, the eighth-highest, and projects them past the group stage in 81% of simulations.
Reporting: ESPN, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, Yahoo Sports, Athlon Sports, FourFourTwo, FIFA.com. Pochettino's appointment date (September 2024), the May 26 reveal date, the May 31 Senegal and June 6 Germany friendlies, and the Group D fixtures are all confirmed by these outlets.