The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is here.
Canada topped South Africa in the first game of the Round of 32 on Sunday. There will be three more knockout stage games on Monday. The U.S. men's national team will be playing Bosnia on Wednesday night.
The U.S., led by head coach Mauricio Pochettino, won their group for the first time since 2010. The Americans are hopeful to make a deep run in the knockout stage. They'll have to get by Bosnia first.
But the American team is confident and playing well and hopeful of a run.
© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The Americans' official motto for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is: "Never chase reality."
However, Team USA's head coach has made it clear that he doesn't very much like the official team motto. Instead, he wishes that his players would adopt a different mindset.
USA coach disagrees with mindset
Team USA's head coach told The Telegraph that he's not a fan of the motto.
“The motto of the federation was Never Chase Reality but, for me, it is to be realistic and then do the impossible,” he says. “Never chase reality? I don’t agree too much with this – it’s a marketing thing. We think here, inside, it’s so important to be realistic, to know yourself and from there to improve.
“If you don’t know your level and live in a bubble, you can crash for sure. If you believe you are a big horse that can win the race at Ascot but in reality you are a donkey and you want to jump, you crash. For us it’s more about knowing who you are, being humble and now do the impossible. What we need is to be all together. The power is the group.”
Team USA will look to get off to a good start in the knockout round on Wednesday night against Bosnia.
The game is set for 8 p.m. E.T.
