A year before co-hosting the World Cup, the USMNT under Pochettino promised to be on a steady upward trajectory. Why the USMNT doesn't matter as much anymoreAmerican soccer players probably don't care about playing for the USMNT as much as they used to. So, instead, the U.S. Soccer Federation signed a large chunk of the roster as essentially full-time USMNT players. Mbappe became someone your dad knew because of the 2018 World Cup, and the 2022 World Cup final between him and Messi was arguably the greatest game ever. Pulisic and Musah and Robinson won't save themselves for the next club season -- it's the World Cup, not the Gold Cup.