If there was a defining moment of Mauricio Pochettino’s lead-up to the 2026 World Cup, it was his deconstruction of the U.S. men’s national team after their first-ever failure to lift the Concacaf Nations League trophy. So displeased was Pochettino with his team’s performance and attitude in defeats to Panama and Canada in March of 2025 that he began a deep-dive into the player pool in hopes of resetting the USMNT’s culture.
Now with two meetings with Haiti in the Nations League quarterfinals on the docket later this month, Pochettino’s team has a chance to inch towards righting last year’s wrongs.
The U.S. will face Haiti in an away game hosted at Nu Stadium in Miami, Florida — with Haiti unable to host in their own country due to ongoing unrest and security issues — on November 14th before traveling to TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio for the second leg of the quarterfinals on November 17th.
What really matters for the USMNT in this upcoming camp, just the second of the 2030 World Cup cycle? And what should you be on the lookout for? Our writers dive in:
Why does this camp matter?
Sanjay Sujanthakumar: These are competitive games against a World Cup opponent who has historically battled well against the United States. In their previous three meetings, the U.S. has only prevailed by a one-goal margin over Les Grenadiers, and the two games before that were draws. Additionally, the first leg being moved to Miami, where we expect a heavily pro-Haiti crowd, makes this a tricky mission for Pochettino’s team. Failing to reach the Nations League final four in March sounds like an unfathomable disaster – far worse than finishing fourth at the Nations League final four – and while the U.S. is expected to control these games, advancing will not be easy.
Andrew Clausen: Building on the good from the last window with a full squad is key here, so everyone should absolutely take these games seriously. Haiti, who have done their share of dual-national recruiting, is good enough to cause the U.S. problems if the team’s focus lapses. That said, the USMNT should be heavy favorites. I liked a lot of what I saw in the four-game fall window and I want to see that all again, but with the key first-team guys like Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Weston McKennie mixed in.
Joe Lowery: For one thing, it’s a chance for the U.S. to right the wrongs of the previous Nations League cycle, advance to the final four, and get one over on their regional rivals. For another, this camp represents an opportunity to further integrate the youth players that impressed Pochettino and his staff in the mega-fall window. With a U-23 camp led by Steve Cherundolo, who took in part of the senior team’s last camp alongside Pochettino, taking place this month, too, it will be fascinating to see which youngsters are assigned to the group building towards the 2028 Olympics and which ones stick with the A-squad.
