MLS stars ready for World Cup: ‘It’s the best thing in our country’
Louicius Deedson (Haiti), Petar Musa (Croatia) and Tim Ream (USMNT) are all looking to make history this summer.
For some players at this summer’s World Cup, the next few weeks will be the most defining of their professional lives.
The World Cup is more than just a soccer tournament, more than a sporting event. It is also a rare chance for players, coaches and fans to represent their nations on the global stage. From the first-time qualifiers to the storied elites, each country’s sporting identity can hinge on the outcome of a handful of World Cup matches.
For the players that brings almost unimaginable pressure, with the nation’s hopes on the line with every kick. The eyes of the world will be on North America this summer and, as the tournament draws near, AS USA spoke to three US-based players preparing to represent their countries at the 2026 World Cup.
Louicius Deedson (Haiti), Petar Musa (Croatia) and Tim Ream (USMNT) each arrive at the tournament from very different routes, with very different expectations. Nevertheless they will all be hoping to make history with their nations. Here’s what they had to say...
The underdogs - Haiti
The path to a World Cup is rarely simple but the players and coaches of the Haitian national team have had a particularly difficult route this time around. Ongoing unrest in the country means that Haiti have not been able to play a single fixture on home soil since 2021. The island’s Stade Sylvio Cator national stadium has been controlled by armed games for the past two years and the team was forced to relocate to nearby Curaçao throughout the qualifiers. Head coach Sebastien Migne has never set foot on Haiti.
But in spite of that adversity, the team battled through CONCACAF qualifying to make Haiti’s first World Cup appearance since 1974. FC Dallas midfielder Louicius Deedson was an ever-present through qualification and is he is now relishing the chance to represent his nation on the world stage.
“It was very difficult for us, not being able to play any games at home. But we see it as a motivation, to motivate us to make this happen. The hope was to qualify Haiti for the World Cup, and maybe things will change.”
Deedson describes the team’s success as “the best thing going on in the country” and hopes that the World Cup appearance can be a catalyst for change. Whatever the team’s World Cup performances, with two warm-up games in Miami and Fort Lauderdale the team will finally get the chance to play in front of a stadium packed with Haitians.
“We’ve been going through a difficult time - the players and everyone in Haiti - but it motivates us a lot,” he added. “Lucky for me I have played in Haiti before so I know what it’s like to play in front of Haitians, I know how passionate and how much they love the game. I’m looking forward to this.”
The overachievers - Croatia
Of all 211 FIFA associate members, Croatia may well be the biggest overachievers. Representing a young nation of just 3.8 million people, the Croatian national team emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s to become a genuine powerhouse on the world stage.
The newly-independent nation of Croatia only entered FIFA in 1994 and wasted little time in making a mark at the World Cup. Croatia stunned the world by making it to the semi-final in 1998, surging to No. 3 in the FIFA world rankings. More recently, Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric led Croatia to the final of the 2018 World Cup and to the semi-final in 2022, losing to eventual champions Argentina.
Croatia’s three decades in international soccer have been defined by over-performance, a small central European nation taking on the biggest powers in global soccer. That is the team that FC Dallas striker Petar Musa joins up with as he prepares for his first-ever World Cup.
“It feels amazing, I’m so proud and so happy that I can accomplish one of my childhood dreams,” Musa said, after being named in the Croatia World Cup squad. “It’s not easy, especially in Croatia. We have so many good players, so many talented players, and we have very good results from the last two World Cups.”
“Our first game [at the World Cup] is against England, a big team, but we are not scared of anyone. We know our strength and we show that at every big competition, we have big respect from other teams at the World Cup.”
The hosts - United States
For veteran defender Tim Ream, the 2026 World Cup looked like it would be a step too far. In 2024 he left the Premier League and returned to MLS to sign with Charlotte FC, a move that was seen as evidence that he was retreating from the elite level.
But two years on Ream is still a key part of the USMNT under Mauricio Pochettino and he looks set to play a big role at the World Cup this summer. For some, the rare opportunity to represent your nation at a World Cup on home soil would bring extra pressure but Ream told AS USA that this year’s tournament is something to look forward to.
“It’s a World Cup. The pressure is ramped and amped, no matter where you’re playing,” Ream said. “We understand that the expectations are higher. But the pressure? It shouldn’t change.”
“You can reframe it; why not embrace the pressure? Why not understand that there’s so many people who would love to be in our position and would love to be in our shoes and be a part of this group. Whatever 26 guys are there, they have to embrace that and have to understand that.”
When Mauricio Pochettino announced his USMNT squad this week there were some key names missing, countless players who had their World Cup dreams dashed at the final hurdle. For Ream, a late bloomer at the top level, any chance to represent your country is something to be cherished.
He explained: “I’ve always said pressure is a privilege. There’s a reason we feel that pressure. It’s because we are a group of players who are at the top, at the pinnacle of the sport in our country and we need to embrace that.”
The same is true for all 1,248 players at this summer’s World Cup. All are now preparing for what could be the most stressful, most pressurized and most painful few weeks of their professional lives. However it could also be the most joyous, a chance to write their names into the history books and help to define their nation on the international stage. Which of those paths each player follows, only time will tell.
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