All Three World Cup Hosts Made the Round of 32, and Now the USA Wants Mexico’s Perfect Record

Hosting a World Cup is supposed to come with a few in-built advantages, and through two and a half weeks, all three host nations have cashed them in. Mexico, the United States, and Canada have each reached the Round of 32. Be that as it may, they did not get there the same way, and the gap between how they advanced says a lot about where each team stands at the moment with the knockout rounds about to begin.

Mexico set the bar, and set it high

Start with Mexico, because nobody currently has it better than them. El Tri swept Group A with three straight wins and three straight clean sheets, capped by a 3-0 win over Czechia at a roaring Estadio Azteca. That is a perfect group stage finish, the kind Mexico had not put together in decades, and it earned the team a Round of 32 date back home in Mexico City on June 30, most likely against Scotland. The 2-0 opener against South Africa was dramatic, with red cards handed out, and the wins over South Korea and Czechia came with little sweat. For whatever it may be worth to a nervous fan base, this is the most convincing El Tri has looked at a World Cup in a very long time.

How hard should the USA push against Turkey?

The United States is not far behind either. Maurico Pochettino’s side opened their campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay and a 2-0 win over Australia to win Group D with a game in hand, exactly the stress-free start the program wanted on home soil. Now comes a good problem. The U.S. closes the group against an eliminated Turkey side Thursday at SoFi Stadium, and a win would hand them a perfect record to match Mexico. More than likely, though, Pochettino will not chase it at full throttle. Four key starters, including Tyler Adams and Folarin Balogun, are one yellow card away from missing the next round, and Christian Pulisic is still working back from a calf injury. Needless to say, none of them are worth risking in a game that has no ‘threatening’ significance. Turkey is a really good side, but they have been wasteful all tournament, having fired off more shots than any team in the competition while barely hitting the target, so a rotated U.S side should easily handle them. The smart move, however, is to win this game without spending anything that will cost us in the next round.

Canada did it the hard way

Canada is the cautionary tale of the three hosts. The Canadians led Group B late and looked set to win it, then lost 2-1 to an unbeaten Switzerland side in the finale and slipped to a second-place finish behind them. The reward for that slip is a long trip. Instead of staying home in Vancouver, Canada now have to fly to Los Angeles to face South Africa on June 28. For a team that opened with a historic Jonathan David hat-trick, it was a deflating way to close the group, and a reminder that nothing at this tournament is handed to anyone on a platter.

As for what waits next, the U.S is on track to face Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara, a winnable game that could open the door to a real run. The rest of the bracket is loaded, with Messi’s Argentina, Mbappe’s France, and a dangerous Brazil all still alive, and this week’s final group matches will fill in the gaps. Pulisic, for one, is not lowering the ceiling, saying he believes “anything is possible” for this group. Either way, the picture for the host is clear enough. Mexico is flying, the U.S. is in good shape, and Canada has work to do. The group stage was the easy part. Starting this weekend, every team left has to win or go home, and that is when this World Cup really begins.