USMNT Players Showing ‘More Bite’ in November Camp as World Cup Draws Closer
The U.S. Men’s National Team hosts World Cup-bound Paraguay on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania
CHESTER, Pa. – The magic number for U.S. soccer fans is three.
That’s how many international match windows, including the one currently underway, until the FIFA 2026 World Cup arrives on home soil.
The sport’s biggest competition is drawing incredibly close, and with the number of months (eight) and days (209) winding down until the opening match on July 11, 2026, everyone can feel it. As soccer fans around the globe tick off the days, book their tickets, and make plans to travel to the host countries of the United States, Canada and Mexico, teams are gearing up for more action in the build-up.
And that certainly applies to the U.S. Men’s National Team, which trained Friday morning in the blustery chill at WSFS Bank Sportsplex just outside Subaru Park, home of the 2025 Supporters’ Shield winners, Philadelphia Union. With USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup roster selection merely months away, players are feeling not so much desperation, according to veteran center back Tim Ream, but a more intense focus.
“There's a little bit more bite in trainings,” Ream said. “There's intensity. There’s more aggressiveness. Guys are doing everything they possibly can to be a part of the team. As we've gotten closer and closer, you see that more and more. And that’s a good thing. Guys are desperate to be a part of the group, the team, and a World Cup on home soil.”
This November camp features the final matches of the calendar year for the U.S. It will not hold another training camp until the next FIFA international window in March 2026. After that, just one more international window remains until the World Cup begins in Mexico City.
As the proximity to the tournament comes into even tighter focus, another number has floated around this training camp: 10. That’s roughly how many training sessions remain until the U.S. plays its first group stage fixture on Friday, June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium.
That number nearing single digits illustrates just how close we actually are to the World Cup.
“When you talk about number of games, number of training sessions, number of camps, it's knocking on our door,” Ream said.
With that in mind, Ream said U.S. players are showing “more of an edge” in training, but they are also choosing to stay present before the calendar year turns over. They want to make the most of the two-match set in November against a pair of World Cup-qualified opponents. The U.S. first hosts Paraguay at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania on Saturday, Nov. 15 and follow it up with a match three days later, a clash against two-time World Cup champions Uruguay on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
“It's the last window that we have for a little while before things start to heat up a bit,” striker Folarin Balogun said. “It's important to see things out properly and to see both games out properly.”
The group has a lot to play for as it opens the November window on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Dating back to September, the U.S. has strung together a three-match unbeaten streak, including strong results against two teams riding impressive unbeaten runs of their own, Ecuador and Australia.
The U.S. will face quality competition this time around as well. Paraguay and Uruguay are two of 30 teams, as of Nov. 14, that have secured a place in next year’s tournament.
Just like the October window, the U.S. considers these matchups as more than friendlies. Pochettino and his group are looking for good performances and good results, so that as excitement builds for the World Cup, so does excitement for the next two matches.
“What’s exciting is that I get two more games this year with the national team, right?” said midfielder Diego Luna. “That’s what I'm focused on with competitive games against really good opponents. It’s super exciting to end off the year strong.”