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United States
Group DCONCACAF“USMNT”
Co-hosts and the tournament's commercial heartbeat, fielding their most Europe-seasoned squad ever — Pulisic, Reyna, and Folarin Balogun, the New York-born, England-raised striker who chose the US over England and France.
What the world is saying
With Christian Pulisic sidelined by a calf injury, the co-host USMNT still beat Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to win Group D early, and the outside narrative has flipped from "will they embarrass themselves" to genuine respect for Mauricio Pochettino's rebuild. The dominant cross-border storylines are twofold: foreign press (especially in Argentina) crediting Pochettino with forging a real tactical identity, and beaten opponents plus skeptics framing the wins through referee complaints and host-nation advantage. Bookmakers have sharply shortened the USA's title odds, though still well behind France, Spain and England.
La Nación (via Yahoo Noticias), Augusto Sanz· Argentinapraise
Praises the USA as a side with a 'recognizable identity, intensity to press, constant link-up play' that looked like a 'perfectly synchronized mechanism,' crediting Pochettino with turning a talented generation into a genuine team rather than mere hosts.
[source]Fox News (quoting Nestory Irankunda)· Australiacriticism
Australia forward Irankunda accused the referee of bias toward the USA: 'He was having a stinker today... He was giving every call to the USA. You have to give the calls both ways and he didn't do that.'
[source]Fox News (quoting coach Tony Popovic)· Australiacriticism
Australia coach Popovic blamed officiating and the 'host nation' noise — 'the referee gave too many fouls away' — while conceding his side was 'sluggish, heavy-legged' and that the USA 'won every duel, won every second ball.'
[source]FourFourTwo· United Kingdomneutral
Ran a pointed piece scrutinizing the USA's match official Felix Zwayer, noting he is 'alleged to have accepted a €300 bribe and served a six-month ban' in the 2005 German match-fixing scandal — feeding skepticism around the hosts' wins.
[source]The squad
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Matches