What’s Next for USMNT After 2026 World Cup? Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey Reveal Their Vision

More than three weeks after the U.S. men’s national team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup run ended with a jarring 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the round of 16, the result is still weighing heavily on two of the program’s most recognizable figures: Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.

“I haven’t even watched the game back,” Altidore, who ranks third on the USMNT’s all-time scoring list behind Dempsey and Landon Donovan, said after the tournament concluded. “It’s difficult to swallow.”

Dempsey, speaking last weekend, struck a similar tone. “It’s a little bit deflating, the way they crashed out of the World Cup,” he said.

Dempsey and Altidore know that stage well. The former U.S. teammates were part of the 2010 and 2014 World Cup teams, both of which reached the knockout rounds. In 2010, the Americans topped their group ahead of England before falling to Ghana in extra time in the round of 16. Four years later, the U.S. advanced from a punishing group that included Ghana and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, only to lose to Belgium in extra time at the same point of the tournament.

With the World Cup returning to U.S. soil for the first time in 32 years, the 2026 team carried a different level of expectation. At minimum, many anticipated a competitive round-of-16 performance. The bigger ambition was a first quarterfinal appearance since 2002.

Instead, the campaign ended with a thud.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side had shown promise earlier in the tournament, posting multi-goal group-stage wins over Australia and Paraguay before beating Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32. But against Belgium, the same high-risk approach that had fueled the U.S. attack left the Americans badly exposed. Belgium repeatedly punished weaknesses in goal and across the back line, turning a marquee knockout match into a sobering exit.

“We conceded too many goals — that’s what I was worried about,” Dempsey said. “Look at Spain — not to say that we are Spain, but they only conceded one goal throughout the whole World Cup.”

The two American soccer legends are finally getting a break after a breakneck last two months spent broadcasting sports’ marquee event, Dempsey as an analyst with FOX Sports and Altidore with Spanish-language network Telemundo. On site for the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 19, the decisive match was a homecoming for the New Jersey-born Altidore, who began his professional career with the New York Red Bulls.

“I used to get dropped off at Giants Stadium by my mom in our Toyota Camry when I was 15, and now I’m back in this same place, but it’s for a World Cup final,” he said.

‘New Faces’ For USA’s Squad

Altidore and Dempsey’s post-World Cup rest won’t last long. They’ll both be paying close attention to the players returning to action at their clubs, especially the MLS-based contingent. Following a two-month World Cup break, the domestic league returned to action in mid-July and is hoping to capitalize on the unprecedented explosion of interest in soccer within the broader American public.

Later this week, the top 18 MLS teams from last season will also embark on the latest edition of the Leagues Cup, joining all 18 squads from Mexico’s Liga MX in a World Cup-style tournament. The schedule features as many as seven inter-league matches a day during the 10-day first round — many of them in prime time.

Two youngsters who just missed out on Pochettino’s World Cup roster – Real Salt Lake duo Zavier Gozo and Diego Luna – will be in action on opening night on Aug 4., when RSL hosts Mexican powerhouse Tigres.

“Hopefully, there’s some young bloods coming up in the national team to push these starters and give them a run for their money,” Dempsey said. “The best teams in the world, they have that mix of quality right now, but also younger players who have no fear that are coming up and chomping at their heels.”

Altidore was more succinct: “We need new faces,” he said.

The harder the games they play as young pros, the better.

The 2026 Leagues Cup, which for the first three years of its existence was hosted entirely in the U.S., will also feature games in Mexico. Dempsey’s former club, the defending champion Seattle Sounders, visit Toluca on Aug. 5, while San Diego FC faces mighty Club América at the iconic, 88,000-seat Estadio Azteca in Mexico City the following night.

Those experiences will help battle-test the next generation of Americans, many of whom were no doubt inspired by what they saw from the USA during its first four games at the World Cup before the wheels fell off against Belgium. 

“There a lot of positives you can take away from how they performed in the three games that they won,” Dempsey said, noting that the Los Angeles Olympics are just two years away and possibly another U.S.-hosted Copa América, too. “I’m a fan, so I have rose-colored glasses on. But I’m excited about this team. There is a little bit of a ‘back to reality’ when the World Cup is over, but there’s so much to look forward to.”

That goes with whoever the coach is, Dempsey said. Pochettino is out of contract and has not yet agreed to the extension through 2030 that U.S. Soccer has on the table. 

“Under Pochettino, I saw a team that had an identity and made me excited about watching them play,” Dempsey said. “If he can continue moving things forward, and he’s passionate about being here, then that’s what’s up. And if he’s not, it’s the next man up. I don’t know what the situation is. I figure the ball’s in his court, and he can decide what he wants to do.”

Either way, the big picture is bright. Soccer is already more mainstream than it was two months ago. The 2026 World Cup was a cultural phenomenon in this country, one that will have a lasting impact on the sport for decades to come, despite the disappointing exit for the co-hosts. 

“You can feel the tide turning in a real way,” Altidore said. “I can’t stress enough how important it is for MLS teams in every city to really be on the front foot here. People are watching, they’re listening, their eyes and ears are open to something different. It creates an opportunity to take advantage of.”

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