UNITED STATES—It didn’t look like it would be possible a few months ago, but World Cup fever has fully swept over the States as North America heads for the business end of soccer’s biggest tournament.

And its country roads taking us home. Coach Mauricio Pochettino has got the country believing again. 

A win against Belgium gets the USMNT into the last eight of a World Cup. Home advantage. A visible path forward. This is a summer that has been years in the making, and for the first time in a generation, it feels possible.

Yes, the players need to perform. But there’s a reason they scraped past Bosnia, even after Florian Balogun picked up that red card. 

Not many bookmakers gave the hosts a genuine chance. But with a favorable bracket and a clear tactical plan, there’s every reason to get behind the stars and stripes.

Speaking to Rotowire, the real-time sports platform providing data on the best payout online casinos, one fan sung Poch’s praises, saying: “Imagine that same Bosnia match under Gregg Berhalter or Dave Sarachan. Different result.

“We played a Bosnia side that had so much experience and while their man guys like (Edin) Dzeko are abit older now we’ve matured and shown we can grind out results. Belgium won’t be easy but it’s not their golden generation anymore. It’s our turn now!” 

Pochettino’s experience in tournament football made the difference. The Argentine’s resume speaks for itself. Champions League final with Tottenham Hotspur. Paris Saint-Germain, where he coached Messi, Mbappé, and Neymar. 

Now he’s taken that expertise and guided the USMNT to the knockout rounds. If they go through to the quarterfinals, he won’t just have a nation believing in its team. He’ll have reshaped how the entire sport is perceived in America.

That’s the kind of impact that defines legacies. But where does Pochettino rank among the figures who have already done it? Here’s who he’s in conversation with.

Alan Rothenberg

Alan Rothenberg is the godfather of modern American soccer, though few outside the sport know his name. In the 1990s, he orchestrated something unprecedented. The 1994 FIFA World Cup on American soil. 

It was transformative, drawing 3.6 million fans and proving that Americans would show up for soccer if given the chance.

More importantly, Rothenberg built the infrastructure that allowed the sport to survive and grow. He established Major League Soccer as a sustainable domestic league when everyone in Europe thought it would collapse within five years. 

He created the commercial framework, the organizational structure, the pathways for development. 

Without Rothenberg, the USMNT wouldn’t exist as it does today. Pochettino is coaching in a house that Rothenberg built.

Landon Donovan 

When it comes to action actually on the field, Landon Donovan became the face of American soccer for more than a decade. 

The 2010 Algeria goal. The assists. The clutch moments. On the pitch, he made the country believe long before belief was fashionable. He delivered iconic World Cup moments that stick in memory. He proved American players could play in Europe. He inspired a generation of young athletes to take soccer seriously.

Donovan proved it was possible to be American and compete at the same time. That matters more than stats or trophies. He made the sport culturally viable in a country that barely cared.

Clint Dempsey

If Donovan’s domestic story was about breaking barriers and playing in Europe. Clint Dempsey’s was about sustaining a career there.

Dempsey brought a different kind of edge. A scorer’s mentality. A grit that resonated with English fans. He wasn’t just playing for Fulham. 

He was reaching UEFA Cup finals. Playing for Tottenham. Getting linked with Liverpool. He became the first American outfield player to truly establish himself as a Premier League force. 

Donovan managed a handful of games in the Bundesliga and for Everton, but Clint made over 200 appearances in England’s top flight. 

His career sent a message to the next generation. You don’t just survive in Europe. You thrive. You compete. You belong at the highest level.

Jürgen Klinsmann

The modern era of US soccer doesn’t happen without Jürgen Klinsmann. His legacy is debated, but his impact is undeniable. 

The German guided the USMNT to the Round of 16 in 2014. He raised professional standards across the program. But his biggest contribution wasn’t winning matches. It was changing mentality.

Klinsmann normalized the idea that American players should be playing at Dortmund, Leipzig, Chelsea, Juventus. He shifted the conversation from “can American players survive in Europe?” to “American players should be at elite clubs.” That cultural shift directly shaped today’s roster. This generation looks different because of Klinsmann.

Christian Pulisic 

Christian Pulisic represents the modern era of American soccer excellence. He won the Champions League with Chelsea, becoming the first USMNT player to do so. 

A kid from Hershey who’s played for Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. He carries the expectations of a nation in every tournament. He’s proof that American talent belongs at the elite level.

But Pulisic didn’t emerge in a vacuum. He benefited from the cultural shift that his predecessors created. The Klinsmann effect. The Donovan effect. The Dempsey precedent. Pulisic is the result of all those figures before him.

Where Does Pochettino Fit?

Pochettino is still writing his story. Rothenberg built the house. Donovan proved Americans could live in it. Dempsey showed we could thrive in it. Klinsmann changed the mentality. Pulisic is the result.

Poch is the first coach who’s arrived with a genuine plan to make the USMNT competitive not just in qualification, but in tournament football. He’s taking a team that’s never won a knockout match at a World Cup and asking them to do it at home.

If the USMNT reach the quarterfinals, Pochettino becomes more than a good coach who happened to take a good job. He becomes the figure who proved American soccer could win at the highest level. He becomes the one who transformed expectation into reality.

If Belgium falls, if the USMNT keep moving forward, if Pochettino delivers what nobody has before, then he won’t just be an important figure in American soccer. He’ll be the most important one of this generation. The one who finally made the country believe it could win.