USMNT turns doubters into believers at this World Cup – even Zlatan

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SEATTLE — Immediately after the U.S. men's national team beat Australia 2-0 on Friday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was asked to give a one-word answer on whether the host nation could win the World Cup.

"Yes," was the legendary striker's reply to Rebecca Lowe on Fox.

Would Ibrahimovic have provided that answer if he was asked just eight days earlier, before the USMNT had kicked off the tournament? It's impossible to say, of course, but this team's historic start to a World Cup on home soil is starting to convert even the most entrenched doubters.

It's already been a historic start.

After beating Paraguay and Australia to kick off the tournament, the U.S. has won back-to-back World Cup games for the first time since 1930. It is just one goal away from equaling its record for most goals at a single World Cup and has clinched its group for the first time since 2010.

There were plenty of doubts surrounding the USMNT heading into this World Cup after a middling lead-up to the tournament. There should still be some skepticism. After all, Paraguay and Australia are solid, but far from elite.

But this is the kind of start the team needed not just to earn safe passage to the next phase of the competition — but to get the country on board for the ride.

"To have a whole nation behind you," midfielder Tyler Adams said after the game, "that's something so special."

Adams has been here before. The 27-year-old was the captain in 2022, where the U.S. accomplished what has become its status quo at recent World Cups: getting out of the group and losing its first knockout game.

If that happens this time around, for all the excitement around this team now, this tournament will go down as a failure. Adams seemed to be keenly aware of that fact.

"You really need to appreciate the moment that you're in but that being said, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Adams said.

"We're going to have another day off, enjoy your time with the families, disconnect a little bit, and then when it's time to work, we've got to go back to work."

But there is something that feels different about this moment. Perhaps it's the historic nature of the team's start, or the fact that it seems to be elevated by the kind of partisan home crowds that it doesn't often experience.

That is the power of a World Cup on home soil. After witnessing a sellout crowd at Lumen Field push his team to victory — then serenade it with "Country Roads" after the final whistle — head coach Mauricio Pochettino said his group was continuing to feel confident.

“We need to keep believing and approach every single day like we did from day one: Believing we could win,” Pochettino said after the game. “Knowing we need to work really hard but enjoying the time together, building our journey every day."

That group of believers now includes renowned hater Ibrahimovic. Word of Ibra's belief in the USMNT had already spread after the Australia game. It was a nice boost for sure, but the team also knows that belief won't mean much without more wins.

"To have him say that about us, that's amazing," defender Auston Trusty said. "But I'm sure he knows as well, it's game by game, and that's all we can focus on."