The draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally done. After the best part of 90 minutes of preamble, musical interludes and detailed explanations of draw methodology, the great and good of U.S. sport were unleashed and delivered upon the world a set of fixtures that should be intriguing with the potential for several big matches early on in the tournament. It is worth noting from the outset that the jeopardy is not unduly high for a tournament where the group stage whittles 48 teams down to 32, but there will certainly be a few national team managers who want a word with Aaron Judge or Shaquille O'Neal after what just went down at the Kennedy Center.

USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino is probably not one of those, however, and there seems to be no more obvious spot to start the quadrennial

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