Mauricio Pochettino appears to have hit rock bottom with the U.S. Men’s National Team. With just a year to go before they host the FIFA World Cup, things are looking anything but promising. A 4-0 loss to Switzerland has set off alarm bells for the Stars and Stripes, yet the message from the manager remains unchanged.
After being thoroughly outplayed in Nashville and failing to compete over the full 90 minutes, Pochettino owned up to the defeat but reaffirmed that his main goal remains the World Cup — with hopes of lifting the trophy on home soil.
“I think when we evaluate the first half and the match overall… first of all, the starting lineup was my responsibility,” Pochettino said in the post-match press conference. “I wanted to give certain players some minutes. We were never in the game. The only positive is that we leveled things out a bit in the second half after changing our system.”
The Argentine coach has now failed two major tests. Both Switzerland and Turkey are strong European sides that reached the Euro quarterfinals. Still, Pochettino acknowledged that scheduling these games “was a risk” and admitted that his squad’s inexperience worked against them.
He continued to shoulder the blame, adding: “I’m not looking for excuses. I’m the one to blame, the main person responsible — and the one who will be criticized. I have no problem with that. I came here because I believe this is a great challenge. The goal remains the World Cup. Maybe we can win the Gold Cup and then have a good World Cup run.”
This marks the fifth consecutive defeat for the U.S. under Pochettino’s leadership — the program’s worst losing streak since 1973.
Resetting the mentality for the Gold Cup
Despite the heavy loss, Pochettino remains focused on the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Argentine believes he still has the players to turn things around and sees winning the Gold Cup as not just a goal — but a near necessity.
