More than three weeks have passed since the U.S. men’s national team crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a resounding 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16, and for USA greats Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, the lopsided defeat still stings. "I haven't even watched the game back," Altidore, the program’s third all-time goalscoring leader behind only Dempsey and Landon Donovan, told me after the tournament was over. "It’s difficult to swallow." "It’s a little bit deflating, the way they crashed out of the World Cup," Dempsey added when we caught up last weekend.
Dempsey and Altidore were teammates on the Stars and Stripes 2010 and 2014 World Cup squads. The Americans won their group, ahead of England, in 2010, before an extra-time loss to Ghana in the round of 16. The U.S. survived the Group of Death over Ghana and Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal in 2014, losing in extra time to Belgium at the same stage.
Playing in a home World Cup for the first time in 32 years, the expectation for the 2026 version was to reach the quarters for the first time since 2002, or at least match their predecessors with a respectable showing in the round of 16. That’s not how it played out. Despite multi-goal group stage victories against Australia and Paraguay and a round-of-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, coach Mauricio Pochettino’s high-risk, high-reward style was exposed against a Belgian side that methodically targeted U.S. frailties in goal and along the back line.
"We conceded too many goals — that's what I was worried about," Dempsey said. "Look at Spain — not to say that we are Spain, but they only conceded one goal throughout the whole World Cup." The two American soccer legends are finally getting a break after a breakneck last two months spent broadcasting sports’ marquee event, Dempsey as an analyst with FOX Sports and Altidore with Spanish-language network Telemundo. On site for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 19, the decisive match was a homecoming for the New Jersey-born Altidore, who began his professional career with the New York Red Bulls.
"I used to get dropped off at Giants Stadium by my mom in our Toyota Camry when I was 15, and now I'm back in this same place, but it's for a World Cup final," he said. ‘New Faces’ For USA's Squad Altidore and Dempsey’s post-World Cup rest won’t last long. They'll both be paying close attention to the players returning to action at their clubs, especially the MLS-based contingent.
Following a two-month World Cup break, the domestic league returned to action in mid-July and is hoping to capitalize on the unprecedented explosion of interest in soccer within the broader American public. Later this week, the top 18 MLS teams from last season will also embark on the latest edition of the Leagues Cup, joining all 18 squads from Mexico’s Liga MX in a World Cup-style tournament. The schedule features as many as seven inter-league matches a day during the 10-day first round — many of them in prime time.
Two youngsters who just missed out on Pochettino’s World Cup roster – Real Salt Lake duo Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna – will be in action on opening night on Aug 4., when RSL hosts Mexican powerhouse Tigres. "Hopefully, there's some young bloods coming up in the national team to push these starters and give them a run for their money," Dempsey said. "The best teams in the world, they have that mix of quality right now, but also younger players who have no fear that are coming up and chomping at their heels." Altidore was more succinct: "We need new faces," he said.
The harder the games they play as young pros, the better. The 2026 Leagues Cup, which for the first three years of its existence was hosted entirely in the U.S., will also feature games in Mexico. Dempsey’s former club, the defending champion Seattle Sounders, visit Toluca on Aug.
5, while San Diego FC faces mighty Club América at the iconic, 88,000-seat Estadio Azteca in Mexico City the following night. Those experiences will help battle-test the next generation of Americans, many of whom were no doubt inspired by what they saw from the USA during its first four games at the World Cup before the wheels fell off against Belgium. "There a lot of positives you can take away from how they performed in the three games that they won," Dempsey said, noting that the Los Angeles Olympics are just two years away and possibly another U.S.-hosted Copa América, too.
"I'm a fan, so I have rose-colored glasses on. But I’m excited about this team. There is a little bit of a ‘back to reality’ when the World Cup is over, but there’s so much to look forward to." That goes with whoever the coach is, Dempsey said.
Pochettino is out of contract and has not yet agreed to the extension through 2030 that U.S. Soccer has on the table. "Under Pochettino, I saw a team that had an identity and made me excited about watching them play," Dempsey said.
"If he can continue moving things forward, and he's passionate about being here, then that's what's up. And if he's not, it's the next man up. I don't know what the situation is.
I figure the ball's in his court, and he can decide what he wants to do." Either way, the big picture is bright. Soccer is already more mainstream than it was two months ago. The 2026 World Cup was a cultural phenomenon in this country, one that will have a lasting impact on the sport for decades to come, despite the disappointing exit for the co-hosts.
"You can feel the tide turning in a real way," Altidore said. "I can't stress enough how important it is for MLS teams in every city to really be on the front foot here. People are watching, they’re listening, their eyes and ears are open to something different.
It creates an opportunity to take advantage of."
