Momentum gets going, you never know what happens
On the eve of America's first home World Cup in a generation, two legends of the game find themselves divided not by facts, but by faith. Tim Howard, shaped by years of standing between his country and defeat, sees the mathematics of elite elimination soccer as unforgiving. Landon Donovan, equally seasoned, sees in this young squad something harder to quantify — momentum, belief, and the particular alchemy of a team discovering what it might become. The debate is ancient: does history constrain possibility, or does possibility rewrite history?
- Tim Howard declared it 'impossible' for the USMNT to win the World Cup, arguing that four consecutive victories over elite opponents is simply beyond this team's reach.
- Landon Donovan pushed back in real time, pointing to a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay and a clean-sheet win over Australia as evidence that something genuine is building.
- Christian Pulisic's calf injury looms over everything — the team's most dangerous player missed the Australia match, and his availability for the knockout rounds remains uncertain.
- Manager Mauricio Pochettino now faces a defining choice: use the already-secured final group match against Turkey to build rhythm, or protect key players for the elimination gauntlet ahead.
- The USMNT enters the knockout stage undefeated and ahead of schedule, but the distance between 'competitive' and 'champion' is precisely where this tournament will be decided.
Tim Howard was unequivocal on his podcast: the United States cannot win this World Cup. To do so, he argued, they would need to produce the four greatest consecutive performances in the program's history — Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals. Not difficult. Impossible.
Sitting beside him, Landon Donovan read the same evidence differently. The team hasn't beaten a true elite opponent yet, he conceded — but they've dismantled Paraguay 4-1, the most goals the U.S. has ever scored in a single World Cup match, and shut out Australia 2-0 with control and confidence. Momentum, Donovan insisted, is real. You never know what a team in full flight is capable of.
With two wins, the USMNT has already secured its place in the expanded knockout round — a new round of 32 born from FIFA's decision to grow the tournament to 48 teams. A final group match against Turkey on Thursday remains, but the result is almost secondary. What matters now is how Pochettino uses it: rest Pulisic, who missed the Australia match with a left calf injury, or keep the machine running and the confidence high.
Howard's skepticism is earned — the leap from beating good teams to beating the best, repeatedly, under elimination pressure, is a different sport entirely. But Donovan's optimism isn't wishful thinking. This group has shown it can score, defend, and compete. Whether that's enough to survive four knockout rounds is the question that will define their summer. For now, they are undefeated, advancing, and playing with a belief that wasn't guaranteed when it all began.
Tim Howard sat down on his podcast and delivered a blunt assessment: the United States men's national team cannot win the World Cup. Not this year, not with this group, not under any realistic circumstance. The former goalkeeper, who spent his career in the trenches of international soccer, was unequivocal. To win it all, he said, the team would need to play the greatest four consecutive matches in their history—Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, finals. It's not just difficult. It's impossible.
Yet his old teammate Landon Donovan, sitting beside him on the podcast, offered a different reading of the same facts. Yes, the team hasn't beaten a top-tier opponent yet, Donovan acknowledged. But look at what they've done so far. Look at how they're playing. If they keep performing at this level, they can compete with anyone in the tournament. Momentum, he suggested, changes things. You never know what happens when a team gets rolling.
The evidence for Donovan's optimism is real enough. The USMNT came into the tournament and dismantled Paraguay 4-1—the most goals the United States has scored in a single World Cup match. Three days later, they shut out Australia 2-0 in a performance that looked controlled and confident. With those two victories, they had already secured their place in the knockout rounds, a new round of 32 created by FIFA's expansion of the tournament from 32 to 48 teams. The format means the top two teams from each group advance, along with the eight best third-place finishers.
The team still has one more group match to play—against Turkey on Thursday—but that game is almost academic now. The spot is locked. What matters is what Mauricio Pochettino, the team's manager, does with it. Will he use it to build on the momentum Donovan keeps mentioning? Will he rest Christian Pulisic, the team's best player, who missed the Australia match with a left calf injury? With the knockout stage secured, there's an argument for caution. But there's also an argument for keeping the machine running, for letting the team feel what it's like to win, to execute, to move as one.
Howard's skepticism is rooted in something real: the gap between beating good teams and beating the very best, repeatedly, under pressure. That's a different sport. But Donovan's point is also hard to dismiss. This group has shown something. They've shown they can score, that they can defend, that they belong on the same field as established powers. Whether that's enough to carry them through four knockout matches is the question that will define their tournament. For now, they're undefeated, they're advancing, and they're playing with a kind of confidence that wasn't guaranteed when the tournament began.
Citações Notáveis
The U.S. will have to play the greatest game they've ever played four games in a row. It's literally impossible for the U.S. to win the World Cup.— Tim Howard
If they play the way they're playing, they can absolutely compete with any team in this World Cup.— Landon Donovan
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Howard think it's impossible when the team is clearly playing well?
Because he's thinking about the math of it. Four matches against the world's best teams, each one a knockout. One mistake, one bad day, and you're done. The gap between beating Paraguay and beating France or Argentina in a semifinal is enormous.
But Donovan seems to think momentum matters more than that gap.
He does. And he's not wrong—momentum is real in sports. But Howard's point is that momentum doesn't change the quality of your opponent. It just makes you less likely to beat yourself.
So what's actually at stake in the Turkey match?
Officially, nothing. They're already through. But Pochettino has to decide: do you rest Pulisic and risk losing rhythm, or do you play him and risk aggravating the injury? That's the real decision.
Which way would you lean?
You play. You're in a World Cup. You've won twice. You keep the thing going. Rest comes after elimination.
Do you think Howard is being too pessimistic?
Not pessimistic. Realistic. He's seen what it takes to win these things. But Donovan's right too—this team has earned the right to believe.