How this Summer Set the Tone for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The U.S. Men’s National Team finished the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup with silver medals and a lot of lessons learned. All of which the Americans hope to carry into next summer when the U.S. will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I hope that throughout this tournament we made everybody proud,” defender Chris Richards said. “And next year, I know we’ll definitely make everybody proud.”

Richards started at center back for seven of the eight USMNT matches this summer, including every match in the Gold Cup. He said this summer has been imperative for him to understand the expectations set by head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff.

When Pochettino took the coaching reins in September 2024, Richards said he was a bit intimidated knowing that the staff had coached some of the best players in the world. With the extended time together this summer, Richards feels comfortable with the coaches, or as he called them, “teddy bears.”

The coaching staff feels more comfortable, too. The Gold Cup, with a group stage followed by a knockout stage, mirrors the format they’ll see in a year’s time. Pochettino, who is coaching internationally for the first time in his storied career, said it was important practice for him and his staff to experience.

The USA also got valuable time developing set pieces, which could be a crucial part of next summer’s World Cup. The Americans scored twice off set pieces in the knockout round of the Gold Cup, both on a connection between Richards and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.

As Richards heads back to his club, Crystal Palace, he leaves having emerged as one of the leaders of the National Team. Richards came into camp in June intending to grow as a vocal leader, especially as many on the roster hadn’t played in a tournament setting. It caught the attention of captain and fellow center back, Tim Ream, who commended Richards' recent leadership.

Richards previously had a more supporting role in the locker room, with other veterans leading the way, but Ream watched the 25-year-old step up in ensuring teammates are in the right positions on the field and doing the right things off the field.

“It’s down to us players to drive home the ideas that they want, the culture that they’ve created,” Ream said. “It’s going to be important for whoever’s in camp from these five weeks to make sure that continues moving forward in every single camp. We have no more official games, so we have to treat every friendly from here on out as official because that is what we have now until next time.”

When the U.S. returns in September for a pair of friendlies against Korea Republic and Japan, the roster will likely look different from the Gold Cup squad that averaged 16 caps coming into the tournament. Several players missed the Gold Cup with injury, personal reasons or the FIFA Club World Cup. However, the group that earned five straight victories en route to the championship match fostered a culture of pride and grit that leaders would like to see carried forward no matter who’s on the roster.

“If I’m being honest, I think it has to translate right away, or I think Mauricio just probably won’t call people in,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “Because that culture that we have, it doesn’t matter who you are. ... The culture and the emotion is the first thing that he wants to see. I think that’s going to lead to positive results.”

The U.S. will have four more international windows — which typically span 10 days — before the big tournament next summer, but Adams emphasized Pochettino’s “hard trainings” are all that’s needed to continue instilling that culture.

“We spent so much time out on the field, looking at one another, being like, ‘This is what it’s going to take,’” Adams said. “[Pochettino] didn’t leave it easy for any single player. He challenged us every single day, and it was just a commitment from every single player. For all the guys that weren’t here, they understand what the culture of this team is, and they’ve helped build the culture of this team. When those guys start to funnel back in, they’re going to know exactly what it entails as a leader.”