ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s not that Mauricio Pochettino’s first two matches in charge of the U.S. men’s national team weren’t important because they were, in more ways than one. Setting the tone in that Panama game was key. The lessons learned in Mexico will be even more vital. It was a building block and an introduction before the real games began.
Those real games have arrived. Just a month after Pochettino met his players for the first time, the USMNT will face Jamaica in a two-legged CONCACAF Nations League clash. The stakes are simple: win and move onto more meaningful games in the spring or lose and… well, that would require some figuring out.
All eyes are on the 2026 World Cup, and rightfully so, but for the U.S. to get there in the right way, this team has to win games like this. Starting with Thursday’s visit to Jamaica, the U.S. has to prove it can beat other good teams and, if not, opportunities to do so again will be even harder to come by.
“We try to find the best balance, thinking not only about [performing] today, but to build something for 2026,” Pochettino said after naming his squad. “That is the main objective. Of course, the objective is always about to win because we need to be competitive but it’s important because we are not going to have too many camps to see players.”
The first game, Thursday’s visit to Jamaica, will be particularly challenging. The Reggae Boyz are a talented team, one that will be spurred on by their home crowd. This is a new era for them, too, under new manager Steve McClaren, one they hope ends with something the USMNT already has: a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
The USMNT has a big task on their hand in the first real game of the Pochettino era. Last camp was an introduction and now the real work begins.