INGLEWOOD — The U.S., Canada and Mexico men’s national soccer teams arrive at this moment with eyes on the big stage that’s coming in 2026.
The teams will be playing in front of home crowds during the FIFA World Cup, but first comes this week’s CONCACAF Nations League semifinals.
All three nations will not go through World Cup qualifying, placing the importance on this competition, as coaches try to implement and adjust, with limited days of training this week and competition next year.
The USMNT, winners of the first three Nations League tournaments, will open Thursday at SoFi Stadium against Panama.
The second game will feature Canada against Mexico.
“I want to win the competition, because that is going to help us to build our confidence and trust in the way that we are doing things,” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “At the same time, we need to be intelligent, to try to discover the best players and to build a strong core of a team, with the possibility to fight for big things.”
This is the first official competition for the USMNT under Pochettino, who was hired in September. His first match in charge was in October, a 2-0 win against Panama.
“I’ve had a bunch of different managers in my career and now to be able to work with another great one like Mauricio is a huge honor,” USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams said.
“I’m excited to understand the processes and his thinking in the way that he looks at the game.”
Pochettino, who arrived with extensive international managerial experience with Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, has big ambitions for the USMNT. In a recent interview in London, Pochettino said the USMNT can be the best in the world “within five or 10 years.”
“For us, the pressure is going to be there (at the World Cup) because we are a host,” he said. “And then it’s a country where the mentality is about winning.
“In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. The players know it’s going to be massive pressure and now our president (Donald Trump) likes to put pressure on, but it’s welcome. That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver.”
Pochettino and the USMNT will feel a different kind of pressure this week. A win against Panama would bring a finals match up against Mexico or Canada on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
Panama has won two of the last three meetings, including in last year’s Copa America.
“We need to play for us. We need to feel proud to defend our flag and our badge,” he said.
All four coaches tried to display the political overtones of the tournament. Canadian coach Jesse Marsch, who had strong comments at the initial news conference in response to President Trump calling for Canada to become the 51st state, said Tuesday, “I’m not going to get political right now.
“I will say that I do think from watching the 4 Nations (tournament) in hockey, you can see that the climate for sports in North America has been elevated for national teams. I’m really hopeful that this tournament can be the best reflections of our societies, in that we don’t have to waste time booing anthems and getting caught up in politics and we can just focus on the players and the teams and supporting the love of the game, and then whatever your nationality is, that you can support your team all the way.
“We’ve just focused on the fact that we want to be at our best, specifically on Thursday because we really respect our opponent in Mexico and we want to give ourselves the best chance to move on and compete for a trophy on Sunday.”
USMNT roster updates
The USMNT has made three changes to the roster. Defender Max Arften, midfielder Brian Gutierrez and forward Jack McGlynn have been added as replacements for defenders Antonee Robinson and Auston Trusty and midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who are dealing with various injuries.
CONCACAF Nations League semifinals
Who: USMNT vs. Panama, 4 p.m.; Mexico vs. Canada, 7:30 p.m.
Where: SoFi Stadium
How to watch: Paramount+; TUDN (Spanish)
