Hey friends,

We’re here, folks!! WE’RE FINALLY HERE!! I have no idea how I’m supposed to get any real work done this month. Enjoy yourselves over the next 5 weeks.

• 🇺🇸 USMNT vs Germany

• 🌎️ World Cup Preview

• 🌎️ World Cup Fun Facts

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

• 😂 Tweet of the Week

In Partnership with Soccer Odds

Before we get into it, you’ve gotta check out this new soccer app. A friend of the newsletter created it, and it’s awesome. Soccer Odds is the easiest way to check the most updated soccer odds all in one place.

You can find game previews on upcoming games from major domestic leagues and the World Cup. Get alerts in real time when the odds improve on games you're interested in. No more checking, no more searching, they do the work for you! 

USMNT vs Germany

The USMNT lost to Germany 2-1 in their final World Cup tune-up. Overall, the US played well in the loss.

Pochettino rolled out what I believe will be our starting XI for Friday’s opener against Paraguay, aside from Miles Robinson, who will be replaced by a hopefully healthy Chris Richards. Unlike against Senegal, where he rotated the entire team at halftime, he let the starters start the second half together.

Kai Havertz opened the scoring for Germany in the 2nd minute with an easy header on a set piece. Miles Robinson fell asleep, and against a good team like Germany, that’s unacceptable. The US got the game under control and had multiple dangerous moments throughout the first half, though.

In the 36th minute, Antonee Robinson scored one of the best goals in recent USMNT history, a thunderous volley off a corner.

In the second half, before the starters were subbed out, Germany found their winner with Sadio Mane finishing off a nice passing sequence inside the 18-yard box.

And that was all. You can make an argument that the US was the better team. They controlled 52% of possession and outshot Germany 16-12. But once again, it seems we have to be perfect to win against the World’s elite. Great teams are often defined by their ability to win even when they’re not at their best. The US hasn’t figured out how to do that yet. And we’ll have to if we want to make a significant run this month.

Mauricio Pochettino has yet to win against a European team as USMNT manager. He’s 0-5 with 4 goals scored and 15 conceded across those games. Making a significant run in this tournament will come down to beating one of these elite teams. That’s the difference between a Round of 16 or Quarterfinal run and a Round of 32 exit.

So the time has come. We’re 48 hours from the US starting their home World Cup against Paraguay at SoFi. I feel that we’re ready. These two games gave me more confidence than I had prior.

Given that the top two teams from each group advance, and the top 8 3rd place teams also advance, it would be a catastrophic failure if we don’t make it to the Round of 32. I’m predicting we win our group, win our Round of 32 matchup, the second knockout game win in our history, and make it to the Round of 16, where we’ll face one of these elite teams. If we win that Round of 16 game, this World Cup will be deemed a smashing success for the US.

Here’s a great video detailing why the USMNT is better than you think and explaining the various routes we have to advancing far in the tournament.

I’ll be at the game on Friday at SoFi. If anyone is also going, shoot a reply to this email!

World Cup Preview

Alright, where to start? First, join our Nutmeg bracket challenge; only the first 30 get in. See my bracket below, and as always, feel free to tear me a new one if you disagree.

I have Portugal winning their first World Cup ever. No, not because they have Ronaldo. In fact, I think this team is at its best using Ronaldo as a sub. But of the few elite teams that have a legitimate chance at winning it all, they’re poised to have an incredible tournament. The midfield of Vitinha, Joao Neves, and Bruno Fernandes rivals any position group in the tournament. And that doesn’t even include Bernardo Silva. They’re all in incredible form and will control the game regardless of who they’re playing. Yes, probably even Spain, whose midfield is just as tantalizing and talented. Portugal beat Spain in last year UEFA Nation’s League final, so they’ve already proved they can do it.

Golden Ball (Best Player) - Vitinha, Portugal

The Portuguese maestro will have a tournament similar to that of Luca Modric in 2018.

Golden Boot (Most goals) - Harry Kane, England

The Englishman was the best striker in the World this season, scoring 61 goals for Bayern Munich. If England go deep, which I think they will, he’ll win his second World Cup Golden Boot award.

Golden Glove (top goalkeeper) - David Raya, Spain

Coming off his third consecutive Golden Glove in the English Premier League with League winners Arsenal, he’s an easy pick.

Golden Boy (top young player) - Lamine Yamal, Spain

We went with the obvious choice. He’s officially taking the reins from Messi and Ronaldo after this tournament. The footballing world will belong to him.

DarkHorses

Everyone and their mother is picking Norway as their “Dark Horse”, and sure, I get it. Erling Haaland and Marten Odegaard make up the spine of a talented team that could make a fun run. But if everyone is picking them, they’re not really a true dark horse. So here are two other countries for you — Ecuador and Saudi Arabia.

Ecuador spent just 97 minutes trailing during their 18 qualifying matches for the World Cup. They finished second in CONMEBOL qualifying, behind Argentina. They come with one of the best central defenses, led by PSG’s Willian Pacho and Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie, with Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo sitting in front of them. They’re a talented team that could make a real run if the cards fall right.

Okay here’s your real dark horse - Saudi Arabia. Look, Saudi Arabia aren’t great and have no chance of making a quarterfinal run like Ecuador do. They also just had a new coach start in April, so don’t expect much. But I think they’re better than some think. Watch this passing sequence against Ecuador’s stingy defense in a friendly the other week. Don’t be surprised if they get out of their group and win a knockout game. Just saying, crazier things have happened.

The Guardian put together an incredible guide on all 48 teams and 1,248 players. Check it out if you want a deeper dive.

World Cup Fun Facts

Here are some fun facts we’ve come across:

• Only 8 Nations have ever won the World Cup (Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and England). Those Nations account for 25 of the 48 head coaches at this World Cup.

• It’s the first time in history that there’s no Brazilian head coach at the World Cup.

• There will be 8 pairs of siblings at the World Cup. Four of those include brothers who will represent different national teams.

• 4 World Cup squads will be staying and training at elementary or high school campuses.

• Curacao manager Dick Advocaat will become the oldest manager ever to lead a squad at a World Cup at 78 years old, and he'll also become the first coach to manage three different countries at the tournament, having previously led the Netherlands (1994) and South Korea (2006).

• Scotland's Craig Gordon is 43 years old and is the oldest player at the 2026 World Cup. If he appears in a match, he'll become the second-oldest player in World Cup history. Gilberto Mora, 17 of Mexico, is the tournaments youngest player (he’s sensational, you have to tune into a Mexico game).

• 16% of all players at the 2026 World Cup play their club soccer in England, nearly double the number from Germany, the second-most represented.

• Four nations are appearing at the World Cup for the very first time: Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and Cape Verde. Curaçao, with a population of around 150,000, is the smallest nation by population ever to compete in a World Cup.

• 75 out of the 1,248 players in the tournament were born in France but will represent other Nations. Together, with the French squad, they account for 8% of all players. Insane.

Goal of the Week

That is a sensational goal from one of the best players in the World.

Tweet of the Week

This has been one of my favorite parts about following the excitement around the tournament. The World Cup is a fantastic collision of cultures from all around the World all coming together around a ball (see German man below). It’s freaking awesome.

So there’s this German guy going viral on social media documenting his journey around America during the World Cup. It’s hilarious.

He went to Waffle House at 1am, then went to Wendy’s for lunch, and Chili’s for dinner. Get this man citizenship 😂 

Quick Hits

• Nike’s World Cup advert (Link)

• Austin FC names Jim Curtain as the next head coach (Link)

• Norway’s legendary team photoshoot (Link)

Let the games begin!

Max & Mason