Despite the U.S. men’s national team clinching a knockout-round spot after wins over Australia and Paraguay, former goalkeeper Tim Howard tells listeners it’s “literally impossible” for the Americans to win the World Cup—while Landon Donovan pushes back, sayin
The optimism came fast—so fast it tempted even big soccer names to talk about miracles.
After the U.S. secured a knockout-round berth. fans watching at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were sharing who they thought would win the World Cup. and not all of them were picking France. On podcasts, the conversation turned to the Americans’ early surge and whether it could grow into something historic.
Former U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard—joined on his “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast by fellow alum Landon Donovan—put a brake on that dream. Howard said the U.S. “will need to play the greatest game they’ve ever played three times in a row. ” before correcting himself to “four games in a row!” He then landed on the strongest line in the exchange: “It is literally impossible for the U.S. to win the World Cup.”.
Donovan didn’t deny the size of the challenge, but he argued for a different reading of what the U.S. has shown so far. He agreed the Americans haven’t yet proven they can beat a top team. Still, Donovan said the United States “can absolutely compete against any team in this World Cup.”
On the field, the U.S. start has been enough to silence some doubts. The U.S. has already clinched a spot in the knockout round following a 2-0 victory over Australia on Friday, June 19. That result arrived after the U.S. opened the tournament with a 4-1 defeat of Paraguay.
The early wins matter—because they put a World Cup run within reach even if the final outcome is far from guaranteed. Winning one, or even two, matches in the knockout round wouldn’t be a stretch.
Howard’s skepticism, however, didn’t move with the momentum. He pointed to the gap between a strong start and the kind of sustained dominance required to lift the trophy. His bottom line stayed the same: “That’s just the reality.”
This is the tension now: the U.S. is performing well enough to make the next round look plausible. yet Howard is insisting that winning the whole tournament demands more than current results have established. Donovan is offering a counterweight—competitiveness against any opponent—but it doesn’t erase Howard’s insistence that the path is steeper than optimism suggests.
USMNT Tim Howard Landon Donovan World Cup World Cup odds MetLife Stadium Australia Paraguay knockout round