For the United States men's national team, much of 2025 was spent worrying about whether they would be up to the task at hand of performing in a World Cup on home soil. They were struggling to score, defend, and lacked any real identity under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. It wasn't until September that things began to change, when Tristan Blackmon, Tim Ream and Chris Richards all started together in a back three for the first time in a friendly against Japan. It would lead to a 2-0 victory which sparked a five match unbeaten run to close out 2025, a run where the USMNT faced five sides who will all be in action at the World Cup. The shift is something that impressed Ream, who spoke about...
