World Cup 2026 Prospects

What did we just witness?! The USMNT close out 2025 with a signature win with a 5-1 demolition of Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay. Jimmy Conrad is joined by Jonathan Bornstein and Tab Ramos to break down every angle of a wild night in Tampa. The guys dig into Mauricio Pochettino’s heavily rotated lineup and how MLS standouts Sebastian Berhalter, Alex Freeman, and Diego Luna powered the U.S. to a stunning 4-0 lead. They assess the cultural shift under Poch, spotlight top individual performances, and react to Tab’s declaration that Gio Reyna is a lock. Plus: why didn’t Ricardo Pepi see the field, what should the minimum expectations be for 2026, and which players deserve the closest watch ahead of the March friendlies? Call It What You Want is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow the Call It What You Want team on X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@JimmyConrad⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @CharlieDavies9⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@TMeola1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit the ⁠betting arena on CBSSports.com⁠ for all the latest in ⁠sportsbook reviews⁠ and ⁠sportsbook promos⁠ for ⁠betting on soccer⁠ For more soccer coverage from CBS Sports, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/⁠ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/⁠ Watch UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, UEFA Women’s Champions League, EFL Championship, EFL League Cup, Carabao Cup, Serie A, Coppa Italia, CONCACAF Nations League, CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, NWSL, Scottish Premiership, AFC Champion League by subscribing to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Paramount+⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit the betting arena on CBS Sports.com: ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/betting/⁠ For all the latest in sportsbook reviews: ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/sportsbook-promos/⁠ And sportsbook promos: ⁠https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/sportsbook-promos/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Highlights and WAY more lowlights from Saturday's 1-2 loss to Türkiye and Tuesday's 0-4 shellacking by Switzerland. We scour the wreckage of another catastrophic international window for silver linings. How much of this is on Pochettino? Who from this USMNT roster is in the mix for World Cup 2026? Is Sam capable of criticizing Pulisic? Are we about to get grouped in the Gold Cup??

Jimmy Conrad and Charlie Davies break down another thrilling week for Americans in the Champions League, headlined by Tim Weah and Weston McKennie stealing the show in Juventus’ win over PSV (03:10). McKennie got a special shoutout from Thiago Motta after the game, and his latest UCL banger sends Charlie down memory lane as he ranks his all-time favorite Champions League goals scored by Americans (14:10). Then, the guys are joined by the legendary Bruce Arena to chat on MLS, the U.S. Men’s National Team, and more (21:16). Bruce shares his expectations for the San Jose Earthquakes, his thoughts on how Chicho Arango and Josef Martínez are settling in, and how the league’s landscape has changed since his last coaching stint. Plus, Bruce weighs in on Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT, the team's 2026 World Cup chances, and—of course—why he picked Jimmy for the 2006 squad (29:40)! And Charlie gets an unexpected education on punk music (42:50)! Call It What You Want is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Follow the Call It What You Want team on X: @JimmyConrad, @CharlieDavies9, @TMeola1 Visit the betting arena on CBSSports.com for all the latest in sportsbook reviews and sportsbook promos for betting on soccer. For more soccer coverage from CBS Sports, visit https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ You can also watch Call It What You Want on the CBS Sports Golazo Network for free on connected TVs and mobile devices through the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV, and on CBSSports.com as well as Paramount+. Watch UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, EFL, Serie A, Coppa Italia, CONCACAF Nations League, NWSL, Scottish Premiership, Brasileiro, Argentine Primera División, AFC Champion League by subscribing to Paramount+ Sign up to the Golazo newsletter, your ultimate guide to the Beautiful Game as our experts take you beyond the pitch and around the globe with news that matters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices