100 days from the World Cup: What's the state of the USMNT? - ESPN

The 100-day mark until the start of the 2026 World Cup is upon us. In some respects, it seems like the end of a long journey for the U.S. men's national team is finally in sight. In other ways, it feels like time has flown by.

Was the 2024 Copa América debacle, and subsequent hiring of Mauricio Pochettino, really 20 months ago already? Was it just last year that the nadir of the USMNT was reached with the anemic performances at the Concacaf Nations League? Did the team's subsequent recovery really happen?

All of those questions can be answered in the affirmative, but now the real pressure cooker begins. There is the final pre-World Cup international window at the end of the month. There's also plenty of jockeying among the players to see who goes to the World Cup and who stays home.

It is how the U.S. handles those situations that will ultimately determine how the team does. But at present, there are still plenty of additional questions to be answered. ESPN put together a roundtable of former U.S. international defender Steven Cherundolo, former USMNT standout Landon Donovan, former U.S. manager Bruce Arena, former World Cup goal scorer Eric Wynalda, former U.S. forward Herculez Gomez and three-time World Cup goalkeeper Kasey Keller to assess where things stand, and how the World Cup might go for the Americans.

Editor's note: These responses have been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

How far does the U.S. have to go for 2026 to be considered a successful World Cup? Using the old 32-team format as the barometer, you might've said the quarterfinals, but with this new 48-team field, it will take two knockout wins to get there. Is that feasible for this group, and is that a realistic expectation?

Cherundolo: I do