Rob Stone isn't sugarcoating it. If the United States crashes out of the group stage at a home World Cup, Fox's lead studio anchor calls it exactly what it would be — a failure. Not a disappointment. Not a learning experience. A failure.
That's the clearest line Stone drew in a wide-ranging conversation ahead of the tournament, and it's the right framing. The USMNT has a home crowd, a tailor-made bracket, and the most soccer-literate American audience in history. Group stage exits don't come with excuses attached this time.
How far does the US actually need to go?
Stone's honest floor for success is the Round of 16 — and he admits even that's no certainty. "Some might even say it's a bit of a stretch," he said. That's not pessimism; that's a fair read of a squad that hasn't consistently beaten top opposition. Pulisic, McKennie, Adams — known quantities. The rest of the roster is largely a question mark to the casual American fan, and the World Cup stage is a brutal place to introduce yourself.
The opening game carries everything. Stone framed it well: the USMNT needs to come out in Los Angeles playing loose, not playing tight. A team carrying the weight of a nation's expectations tends to look exactly like that on the pitch — stiff, anxious, one bad bounce from panic. How Mauricio Pochettino manages the psychological side of game one will matter as much as any tactical setup.
On Pochettino: Stone isn't concerned about the swirling AC Milan rumors. The argument holds up. The Argentine's contract ends after the tournament anyway — why wouldn't he be taking calls? Expecting a coach to ignore his own future while preparing a team is unrealistic. What matters is what happens between the white lines, and Stone believes Pochettino's class level won't allow the noise to become a distraction.
Star power, speedboat thinking, and Fox's uncertain future
Fox's coverage philosophy leans hard into names — Lamine Yamal, Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar. Stone's point about needing "speedboat mentality" is the more interesting one. Qatar 2022 proved that tournament narratives can flip overnight — Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia on Day 1 was the most obvious example. Broadcasters who can't pivot fast look obsolete within 48 hours.
The elephant in the room is whether this is Fox's last World Cup. Their FIFA rights deal is expiring, and leadership has already used the word "rebalance" when discussing sports rights. Stone doesn't want to think of it as a last hurrah — understandably — but the math is the math. Someone will write a bigger check, and Fox may not be in position to match it.
- Fox has held FIFA broadcast rights in the US since 2015
- The network's deal covers through the 2026 tournament
- No renewal has been announced
- Stone's 'Coaches Corner' with FanDuel features Gregg Berhalter, Bruce Arena, and Bob Bradley across ten episodes
"This could be our last World Cup," Stone acknowledged. He's not naive about it. But until the final whistle of the final, his focus is on making it the best sporting broadcast Fox has ever produced. That's the only thing within his control — and honestly, given the stakes, it's the only thing worth thinking about right now.
