The United States are reported to be in Group D alongside Paraguay, Turkey and Australia. It is a section that appears to offer a credible route forward, particularly with the tournament’s expanded format introducing another knockout stage before the last 16.
The margin for error will still be narrow. The report says the Americans’ eventual group position could significantly alter their path. Finishing first would offer a potentially more favourable opening tie, while qualifying in third could create a much steeper challenge.
For a team playing on home soil, momentum will matter. Avoiding an early setback and building confidence across the group could be just as important as the quality of the opposition.
Pochettino has inherited a talented generation with experience in major European leagues, but tournament football demands more than individual quality. The United States will need defensive discipline, composure in possession and a reliable attacking outlet when matches become tight.
That is where Dempsey’s assessment carries weight. His forecast is conservative, but he also left the door open for a surprise: “But hopefully I'm wrong. Hopefully, they're heavyweights, and we go on to the quarters and the semis.”
That ambition is not unrealistic, although the team must first prove it can manage knockout pressure. The 2022 campaign ended in the last 16, and avoiding a repeat will require greater control in decisive moments.
The next storyline is whether Pochettino can turn a promising player pool into a side capable of exceeding expectations. If the United States navigate Group D strongly, Dempsey’s quarter-final prediction may begin to look less cautious than it first appeared.