USMNT's Path to Glory or Disaster: World Cup Group D Preview
It’s been over a decade in the making, but finally, the United States will once again host the World Cup, and we are almost ready to kick off the tournament across North America next week.
The U.S. Men’s National Team will start their journey to making it back to the knockouts against Paraguay in Los Angeles to begin Group D action, which might have one of the tightest battles for first place of any initial starting quartet.
Here’s the breakdown of what could be an unforgettable three weeks of games in Group D.
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Game of the Group: USA vs. Turkey
When the Americans saw that their first two teams in Group D were Paraguay and Australia, no offense to those squads, but it felt like the host nation was getting maybe the best foursome possible to grab the first seed.
Then they were told they might play Turkey in the first round, and that entire mentality changed.
Turkey is a team full of young talent, spearheaded by Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız and 21-year-old super talent Arda Güler of Real Madrid. While the United States has a slew of strong players under 25, none of them match up to the Turkish one-two punch of Yıldız and Güler.
If the Americans beat Turkey in the final Group D game, it’ll be a gigantic boost to their chances in the knockouts. Turkey, though, might have what it takes to exploit the U.S.’s greatest weakness: a slow backline.
Player of the Group: Folarin Balogun (USA, AS Monaco)
Balogun is not the best player in the group; that would be the aforementioned Yıldız, Güler, or even American players like Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie.
But for a player who could truly break out this tournament, for me, it’s Balogun, who is coming into the World Cup in peak form after a strong end to the season with Monaco. Before leaving Arsenal a few years ago, it looked like he could be one of the next big strikers on the market, though it’s taken him time in France to really live up to his potential.
This is his moment, though, and the reason why he chose America over the likes of England and Nigeria. He wanted to play on this gigantic stage as the U.S.’s star striker, and this is his chance to rapidly increase his already rising market value.
Group Prediction
This is one of the toughest calls I have to make in the entire tournament. While Turkey has better high-end talent, overall, there’s an argument that the Americans have the better squad, plus the advantage of playing at home.
Paraguay should get third, and Australia, always a tough out, finishing in fourth.
The U.S.’s win over Senegal is giving me hope that they can turn around a few poor showings to top Group D, but right now, I still have to favor Turkey.
- Turkey
- USA
- Paraguay
- Australia
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 8:18 PM.