A sad reality sets in for USMNT pre-2026 World Cup: empty seats, dull friendlies, loss to Canada

The U.S. men’s national team set off on its road to the 2026 World Cup with a meaningless match in a half-full stadium — the type of setting that, over the next two years, will become customary.

The Americans lost to Canada, 2-1, in their first game since crashing out of the 2024 Copa América.

They walked out onto a pristine pitch at Children’s Mercy Park, on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, to find something in the region of 10,000 fans, and likely very few watching on TV.

They stepped into a match billed as a rivalry, but meh. It was a friendly, the first of many in what will feel like a monotonous, barren buildup to the biggest sports tournament ever.

The World Cup, which will be hosted by 16 cities across North America, with 78 of the 104 games stateside, will be massive. It will captivate and ignite the United States. It will attract millions to stadiums and screens, and break all sorts of records for ticket sales and interest.

But a side effect of hosting a World Cup is years spent in the shadows.

While the rest of the world tries to qualify for the bonanza, the USMNT and its counterparts in Mexico and Canada, having qualified automatically as co-hosts, will have to find ways to prepare and pass the time.

Their solution will be friendlies, lots of boring friendlies, plus regional competitions against inferior foes.

The USMNT will play up to 25 games between now and its World Cup opener on June 12, 2026. The majority of them will be exhibitions against non-elite opponents. The only reprieve, arguably, from boredom will be another CONCACAF Nations League — a North and Central American tournament which the U.S. has won three times in a row — and maybe a few World Cup warm-ups against more prestigious teams in spring of 2026.

Mauricio Pochettino will spice up the slog. Barring an almost unfathomable snag, he will be announced as the USMNT’s new head coach very soon. He will take charge of the team in October, and inject that month’s games — vs. Panama and at Mexico — with some semblance of meaning. Places in the starting 11 could be up for grabs. Tactics and principles will need to be trialed and implemented.

But even that intrigue will get repetitive. The games will get dull. The wait for 2026 will seem endless.

The players, at least on Saturday, at times, played like they were bored too. In their first game since the firing of head coach Gregg Berhalter, under interim coach Mikey Varas — and without several regulars who opted to stay home in Europe, in order to rest or build fitness — they were outshot by Canada in the first half 11-1.

They went behind in the 17th minute, after Johnny Cardoso gifted the ball to Canadian attackers.

Canada doubled its lead in the 58th minute, via Jonathan David. It was the first time since 1957, and only the second time ever, that the USMNT trailed Canada by two goals on American soil.

The U.S. pulled a goal back eight minutes later, thanks to a couple weak Canadian tackles and a whiffed clearance. Luca de la Torre, the goalscorer, seemed to be offside, but VAR wasn’t available — because the result didn’t matter; reviews weren’t necessary.

That, in a nutshell, is the climate in which the USMNT will build toward perhaps the most significant tournament in program history.