“At some point, the US will win the World Cup.” These words from soccer icon David Beckham were music to the ears of ardent American fans who have long dreamed of this day. A talented pool, state-of-the-art facilities, and an ever-supportive fanbase—the Stars and Stripes have been given everything. Yet, unlike the WNT—who have savored the taste of being World Champions—what’s stopping the American boys from doing the same? Well, Landon Donovan has an answer that may interest Mauricio Pochettino and US Soccer.

In the latest episode of the Alexi Lalas-hosted State of the Union Podcast, the recently hired San Diego Wave manager gave the “big-picture issue with US Soccer,” especially for the men’s side. “Our biggest issue is not with the national teams or the senior national team or MLS; it’s with youth development, that’s where the problem is.”

Donovan narrated that during his time at the 2024 Euros, he witnessed some of the most remarkable squads of teams like France, England, Spain, and the Netherlands. This experience gave him food for thought and offered a stark reality check: “I couldn’t help but think how many players from our squad would make that roster for the Euros. If I was being really honest, there’s not a ton.”

The main challenge for America is whether they are developing enough high-quality players to the extent that making tough roster decisions becomes a necessity due to the abundance of talent. “All those [aforementioned] squads left really good players at home and we don’t have that problem yet,” remarked Landon.

The NWSL coach further expressed the importance of developing players with remarkable quality, which is the only roadmap to compete strongly in a prestigious tournament like the World Cup. “That doesn’t help for two years from now but that’s the big picture, that’s the only way to solve it,” concluded Donavan.

We hope all of this is duly noted by US Soccer and more importantly, Mauricio Pochettino. With the Argentinian tactician set to take command of the team, it becomes his responsibility to nurture and inspire more talented players. However, beyond focusing on grassroots development, Pochettino must also address another key weakness of the MNT.

Focusing on youth development may also help Mauricio Pochettino find a Harry Kane for the USMNT!

Strikers are one of the critical areas Mauricio Pochettino has been advised to focus on. “There’s no Harry Kane in this US pool,” remarked Alexi Lalas on his podcast, insisting that existing US players like Folarin Balogun and Josh Sargent might not be enough to replicate what his former protégé delivered at Spurs.

Interestingly, Lalas isn’t questioning the quality of the current USMNT strikers. A player like Kane only needed some refining, which Pochettino provided, to elevate his game and make him one of the world’s best strikers. “It’s essential that he either finds an individual or collectively has the striker pool, whoever that ultimately is, doing things better than they have done in the past,” stressed the former defender.

This advice may prove beneficial to Pochettino, considering his style of play heavily depends on strikers and the attacking side of the game. However, it will be a tough challenge for the former Southampton manager to find the right man to solve the USMNT’s goal-scoring issues. Perhaps this challenge could be overcome if US Soccer addresses the underlying issue that’s been holding them back.