Soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimović’s one-word response to US Men’s World Cup question will inspire hope
US men’s national soccer team begins World Cup run with big win
Dan Dakich analyzes the U.S. men’s national soccer team’s impressive 4-1 World Cup victory over Paraguay. He highlights the team’s pace and confidence and attributes this to the experience of many players at higher levels. This strong start puts the USA team in good position for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 matchup.
Heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, very few pundits or fans were giving the U.S. Men’s National Team a big chance.
To be clear, many predicted the team to put in a solid performance, and many called for them to make it out of the group stage.
Given the added pressure of being the host nation, it would be fair to assume the team would have a good tournament, but no one actually believed the USA could win the tournament.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
Alex Freeman of the United States heads the ball past Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beach during a World Cup Group D soccer match in Seattle on June 19, 2026. (Maddy Grassy/AP Photo)
But after convincing wins against Paraguay and Australia took them into the knockout round, many are starting to recalibrate their expectations for this squad’s ceiling.
One pundit who is starting to rethink his stance on Stars and Stripes is 12-time Swedish Player of the Year and FOX Soccer correspondent Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Ibrahimović is known as a difficult man to impress, but after seeing the USMNT up close on the world’s biggest stage for two matches, the sensational Swedish forward is ready to believe it.
While he’s not normally known as a prankster, I had to rewind this clip three different times to make sure I heard him correctly.
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP WATCHING EXPERIENCE
I didn’t think this USMNT even had a chance of getting past the round of 16, but here’s a football legend telling us it’s time to take this team seriously.
The way this team moves the ball and attacks looks completely foreign to anything I’ve seen in past World Cups and the talent is at a level it’s never been before.
Team USA celebrates scoring a goal against Paraguay during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
With manager Mauricio Pochettino pulling the strings, it’s easy to understand why the likes of Zlatan are impressed by what they see.
Will America win the World Cup in 2026? I don’t know.
If I were a bettor I would still favor the field because there are a lot of quality teams in this tournament.
Sebastian Berhalter and Giovanni Reyna of the United States celebrate their win during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D match against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Jared C. Tilton/FIFA via Getty Images)
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
But the fact that we’re even talking about the USMNT having a chance to win this tournament is a testament to how far we’ve come as a soccer nation.
Zlatan is ready to believe, you should too.
