Tim Howard predicts USMNT will ‘walk’ World Cup group

The USMNT is heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup with expectations to compete for a medal. They are expected to field a high-scoring roster. Among them would include Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie, and Haji Wright.

On Thursday, former USMNT goalie Tim Howard made a bold claim to his former teammate and Unfiltered Soccer podcast co-host Landon Donovan. He believes the Americans’ ability to score in bunches will enable them to “walk” through the group stage.

“People call me crazy, but I keep saying it, I think they will walk the group,” Howard said. “I think part of that is they are going to score a lot of goals, and that’s helpful going into the knockout phase. If they’re scoring goals and you know you can find goals from set pieces with Chris Richards, and you are getting services from the wing, and your top players have found their feet in the first round, and each got a goal. You feel really good going into the second round.”

The USMNT should have their chances in the group stage. @VW | #HomeOfSoccer pic.twitter.com/PlpPIX4Bu1

— Unfiltered Soccer (@UnfilteredSoccr) May 6, 2026

Pulisic has 32 goals in 84 appearances. However, he has scored only 2 goals this year, compared to 6 in 2025. Former USWNT player Carli Lloyd believes Pulisic should be left off the roster for not playing in the 2025 Gold Cup.

Meanwhile, Balogun has scored eight goals in 25 appearances. In April, Pepi scored four goals across three matches.

The Americans will be playing in Group D. Their opponents are Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11. The USMNT’s first game will be on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, against Paraguay.

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