The 2026 World Cup is in full swing, and all eyes are on the USMNT as the tournament gets going. Not only are games being played in their backyard, but this is also one of the most talented teams the United States has ever fielded in a World Cup. That was on full display in their 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday, and if you ask former USMNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller, there are a lot of reasons to be encouraged by this performance.
During his playing career, Keller spent nearly two decades playing as the United States’ starting goalkeeper, and he helped pave the path for Americans to play in various European leagues at the club level. Now, he’s sitting back and watching the USMNT as an analyst, and so far, he’s loved what he’s seen. In an interview with Heavy on Soccer on behalf of Kasinohai, Keller discussed the USMNT’s outlook in the 2026 World Cup after its win over Paraguay.
Kasey Keller Gushes Over the USMNT After Win vs. Paraguay
Hopes were high for the USMNT entering the World Cup, but you never know how a team is going to perform out of the gate (just take a look at Spain). The Americans dominated from the jump, though, with the end result seeing them cruise to an easy victory over Paraguay. While their opponent didn’t play all that well, Keller doesn’t think that should take away from the USMNT’s performance.
“It was a testament to the USMNT,” Keller told Heavy on Soccer. “That level of performance in the opening match was tremendous. It was one of the best World Cup performances ever from the USA, and it’s now how do you build off that … You can’t take anything away from the USMNT in this performance at all. Yes, Paraguay may not have played well, but this is about the USMNT delivering on their opening match.”
If there was a negative that emerged from this game, it was the departure of Christian Pulisic, who was forced out of the game at halftime with a calf injury. It doesn’t seem like this is a major ailment for Pulisic, but it is one that the team will have to keep tabs on. And based on his performance against Paraguay, Keller believes manager Mauricio Pochettino could have his work cut out for him if Pulisic is forced to miss time.
“It would be an issue for sure,” Keller admitted. “Pulisic was excellent. He caused so many problems for the Paraguay defense; he does need to be in the team for sure … Pochettino would have to alter his way of thinking and who would replace Pulisic, so maybe we would be a little bit more conservative in our approach, but we have a good squad, so we have players ready to come in and do a good job.”
Who Does Kasey Keller Think Will Win the 2026 World Cup?
GettyKasey Keller loved what he saw from the USMNT in their win over Paraguay
Even with a very strong performance in the books, the USMNT is not believed to be in the upper echelon of teams participating in the 2026 World Cup. Instead, the usual European heavyweights are expected to be the last teams standing, and the early action in the tournament hasn’t changed Keller’s thoughts on that. While Germany caught his eye with a 7-1 bludgeoning of Curacao, he still believes that France and Spain are leading the pack currently.
“It’s going to be very hard to predict who will come out on top this World Cup,” Keller said. “Germany impressed in their opening game and will push on from their big win … But you have to look at the overall squads and France and Spain do look to have the strongest and with such a long tournament, they could be the ones that get to the final and, I would slightly favor France, but at such an early stage, it’s going to be very close.”
As for the Americans, they are in a good position when it comes to finding their way out of Group D after comfortably getting past Paraguay on Friday. Now, they will turn their attention to their upcoming matchup against Australia, which will see them square off against Australia at 3 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon.
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