"I'm in game mode and work mode." That's Tim Weah brushing off a question about ticket prices while the rest of the football world is still treating this tournament like a spectacle. Fifteen days until the U.S. opens against Paraguay on June 12, and this squad isn't in the mood for small talk.
Training is underway at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayette County, Georgia. Two days in — rondos, sprints, competitive drills on fresh grass — and the early read is that Mauricio Pochettino has a group that actually likes each other. That matters more than it sounds.
The chemistry runs deeper than this camp
Thirteen of the 26-man roster were in Qatar for 2022. Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Haji Wright, Alex Zendejas and Auston Trusty go back to the U-17 squad in 2015. Sergiño Dest, Mark McKenzie, Chris Richards and Weah all played together at the 2019 U-20 World Cup. Weah and Weston McKennie overlapped at Juventus in 2023 and 2024.
These aren't strangers learning each other's names in a hotel corridor. The foundation is already there.
McKennie, who apparently spent part of the flight to Atlanta flicking Folarin Balogun's ear during a game of Monopoly, described Weah as "a vibes guy" and a veteran presence. Balogun, bemused by the whole thing, had a more understated take: "The relationships are good. Everyone has remained the same." In a sport that regularly inflates egos and strains dressing rooms, that's not a small thing.
June 12 is the only date that matters
There are two warm-up matches first — Charlotte on May 31, Chicago on June 6 — before the squad heads west for the group stage. Defender Chris Richards wasn't yet on-site at the start of camp but is expected imminently. The bones of the squad are together and training with purpose.
Max Arfsten, who won MLS Cup with Columbus Crew, put the off-field chemistry point plainly: "When you have an off-the-field, emotional connection with people, in a weird way, you understand them more on the field." He also credited Pochettino directly, saying the group has "gotten continually closer and closer" since the Argentine took charge.
A U.S. side with genuine cohesion, home-soil advantage and a manager building real trust is a more dangerous proposition than their group-stage odds might suggest. They'll need to be — the World Cup doesn't do warm-up acts.
"It's just about how we do on June 12," Weah said. Clean and correct.
