<p>The dismal results keep coming for the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/usmnt-tv-schedule/">United States Men’s National Team</a>. First, there was a 5-1 hammering against Colombia. Then there was the group-stage exit at the Copa America. Now, there’s a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLaUTH5Ew8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2-1 home loss</a> to Canada in a friendly that featured an interim head coach. It is just the second time ever that Canada has beaten the US in the US. </p>



<p>Because of these performances, morale among US fans is close to an all-time low. Just over 10,000 fans showed up to Children’s Mercy Park to watch that defeat against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/no-regrets-jesse-marsch-prefers-coaching-canada-over-usmnt/">Jesse Marsch’s Canada</a> This could not be happening at a worse time as the World Cup in the US is less than two years away. Only the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-soccer-execs-fly-to-barcelona-to-sign-pochettino/">possibility of Mauricio Pochettino</a> is keeping the fan base from crumbling entirely.</p>



<h2>Embarrassing loss to Canada</h2>



<p>The most recent loss in the run of results was as dreadful as it was predictable. Canada was the better team from start to finish. They <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/stark-differences-between-carsley-and-varas-as-interim-coaches/">out-worked and out-hustled</a> the Americans and were first to every ball.</p>



<p>The US duly fell behind after less than 20 minutes and then found themselves down 2-0 less than 15 minutes into the second half. Luca de la Torre got the Americans on the board shortly after that, but it was too little, too late. Jesse Marsch got his revenge on US Soccer. He went on to add some salt to the wound by saying that he would far rather coach the Canada national team than the USMNT side which is in disarray at the moment. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240909_WST_527857_USA-New-Zealand-preview-1200x675_151e5291.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-527869" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/USA-New-Zealand-preview-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/USA-New-Zealand-preview-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/USA-New-Zealand-preview-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/USA-New-Zealand-preview-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/USA-New-Zealand-preview.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Preview: USA needs a positive result against New Zealand for morale</h2>



<p>It might not amount to much, but the USMNT has a chance to bounce back when they play New Zealand. A win against the Kiwis would help stop the run of dismal results from continuing. It could also serve as the perfect springboard to officially announce Pochettino was the new coach.</p>



<p>New Zealand is a little bit of a familiar foe to the US. Their U23 team was in the same group at the Olympics as the Americans this summer. Darren Bazeley has called in 22 players for a pair of stateside friendlies. They played their first game against Mexico and fell 3-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. </p>



<p>The 22-man roster features New Zealand-based domestic players, guys at smaller European clubs, and several players from American teams. Three of the 22 players (all defenders) are based in the US: Michael Boxall of Minnesota United, Bill Tuiloma of Charlotte FC, and Finn Surman of the Portland Timbers.</p>



<p>
</p><table class="table5" style="border: 5px solid red;">
<tbody>
<tr class="table5" style="width:100%">
<td style="width:70%">
<center><h4>Our Pick:</h4>
Includes: USMNT and USWNT, original shows, movies and more</center>
</td>
<td rowspan="2" style="background-color:#ec5724; vertical-align: middle;">
<center><a href="https://max.prf.hn/click/camref:1101lvEdz" target="blank" rel="noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow"><figure class="image"><img src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240909_WST_527857_MaxRVO_36598ba7.webp&amp;width=200&amp;height=100" alt="Max" width="200" height="100"></figure></a></center></td>
</tr>
<tr><td><center><a class="button" style="background-color:red" href="https://max.prf.hn/click/camref:1101lvEdz" target="blank" rel="noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow"><span style="color: white;"><strong>Browse Offers</strong></span></a></center></td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p></p>
&nbsp;



<h2>Game notes</h2>



<p>Kickoff in the USMNT’s second friendly of the September international window is on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, OH, is hosting the contest between the United States and New Zealand. Tuesday’s game will be the fifth USMNT game in Cincinnati since 2019. It is the side’s fourth game at TQL Stadium since 2021. </p>



<p>Viewers in the United States can watch English-language coverage of the game on TNT. Universo has those wanting to watch in Spanish covered. Coverage is also available on streaming via <a href="https://max.prf.hn/click/camref:1101lvEdz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow">Max</a>, <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/soccer/?irad=356358&amp;irmp=330866" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow">Fubo</a>, <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow">Peacock</a> and more.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

USA vs New Zealand preview: Bouncing back from Canada loss

The loss against Canada may provide a preview of what the USA can look like against New Zealand: poor. Can Mikey Varas bounce back as coach?

<p>Both England and the United States men’s national team are in a state of flux with interim coaches in the form of Lee Carsley and Mikey Varas. With Carsley, England won its <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/biggest-storylines-from-uefa-nations-league-weekend/">Nations League opener</a> against Ireland on the back of several changes, both tactically and among the squad. </p>



<p>It was a radically different approach from Varas, the interim head coach of the USMNT. Varas stuck to largely the same squad and many of the same tactics as former coach Gregg Berhalter. The results did not change either, as the USMNT fell at home in a friendly against Canada, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hLaUTH5Ew8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2-1</a>. Meanwhile, England outmatched Ireland with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTK5hRSZe8I" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2-0 win</a>.</p>



<p>The results and performances may be insignificant in the grand scheme of the two national teams as both await a new permanent head coach. Yet, it speaks volumes about where the two sides go over the coming months. On a Monday morning press conference, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/who-is-mikey-varas-usas-interim-head-coach/">Mikey Varas</a> spoke about the lack of changes he made in the loss against Canada. He said, as an interim coach, it is not his job to introduce radical changes to the side. In his view, he may contradict the incoming head coach.</p>



<p>“First of all, as interim coach, your job is to not change everything so there needs to be continuity. At the same time, there were definitely nuances that were different from an ideas perspective (compared to how the team played at Copa America). [For example] we didn’t hit a single goal kick long in the entire game. Zero.” </p>



<p>“I think there were some differences, and ultimately, we were all disappointed by the first half especially, and the result. But it’s a work in progress. We’re trying to get better every day.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240909_WST_527825_Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1-1200x675_c3e25a03.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-527829" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Mikey-Varas-USMNT-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Varas struggles, but Carsley shows the potential of interim coaches</h2>



<p>Mikey Varas should not be the one to blame for where the USMNT currently stands. However, given that this game was a friendly, and the United States has limited time before the World Cup in 2026, it would be beneficial to see some experimentation in the squad. That is what happened with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/carsley-to-be-englands-interim-coach-through-autumn/">Lee Carsley</a> and the England national team at the weekend. Carsley introduced several changes to the Three Lions for this game against Ireland. The most notable of which was reintroducing Jack Grealish in the starting XI. Gareth Southgate previously omitted the Manchester City winger from his squad at Euro 2024. That decision immediately paid off.</p>



<p>Grealish scored England’s second goal and was one of the side’s best players on the day. Carsley also changed the role of Anthony Gordon, making the Newcastle star an out-and-out left winger. Harry Kane thus dropped deeper into the midfield. Likewise, Carsley afforded Trent Alexander-Arnold more freedom, and the Liverpool star was active as a creative threat for England.</p>



<p>Former England striker Gary Lineker said each of these things answered questions that fans asked of Southgate.</p>



<p>“It’s interesting as well, isn’t it, that perhaps some of the things fans were most disappointed about in the Euros, well, probably three things maybe more,” Lineker said. “But everyone wanted Anthony Gordon to play on the left because we all saw a weakness and an unbalance on that side. And also, that he can run behind players because Kane likes to come short, and you’ve got to have a threat behind, so he did that.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240909_WST_527825_Lee-Carsley-Ireland-1200x675_0d975160.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-527830" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Lee-Carsley-Ireland-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Lee-Carsley-Ireland-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Lee-Carsley-Ireland-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Lee-Carsley-Ireland-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/09/Lee-Carsley-Ireland.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>“The other thing was [Southgate] left Jack Grealish out of the squad which a lot of people were bemused by, and he’s come in and performed really well. And obviously, he never really trusted Trent Alexander-Arnold. In the first game Carsley has come up with all these things and a lot of us are going ‘You see? We told you.’”</p>



<h2>Setting up the future of the sides</h2>



<p>The attack-minded performance of Carsley, in which he effectively pulled the handbrake on what everyone knows is a talented side, gives the incoming head coach something to work with. The replacement knows Southgate’s pragmatic coaching style can lead to success. Now, he sees the potential of otherwise overlooked players.</p>



<p>By comparison, Mauricio Pochettino, the incoming head coach of the USMNT, would have failed to learn anything from Mikey Varas. An uninspired performance against Jesse Marsch’s Canada did not test anything or move players to new positions. Malik Tillman and Jonny Cardoso were the only changes, and they were forced because of injuries to other players in the midfield. Regardless, the onus remains on Pochettino to figure out the successful formula within the USMNT ranks.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Stark differences between Carsley and Varas as interim coaches

Both England and the United States men's national team are in a state of flux with interim coaches in the form of Lee Carsley and Mikey Varas.

featured

<p>Soccer fans in the United States widely celebrated the impending <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/5-things-usmnt-coach-mauricio-pochettino-needs-to-fix-in-his-job/">appointment of Mauricio Pochettino</a>, but they will wait to see him in the dugout. Instead of the Argentine, Mike Varas will serve as the <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40896368/usmnt-coached-mikey-varas-september-friendlies-source" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interim</a> head coach of the USMNT. The former head coach of the USA U-20 national team will lead the side during September’s friendlies. The USMNT hosts Canada in Kansas City on Saturday, Sep. 7. Then, three days later, the USMNT travels to Cincinnati to take on New Zealand.</p>



<p>Granted, Varas will be in this role on a strictly temporary basis. However, even if Mauricio Pochettino formally joins the USMNT before the September international window, Varas will guide the USMNT in those friendlies. Therefore, if US Soccer introduces Pochettino, he will have additional time to acquaint himself with the national team. It would be similar to Emma Hayes watching over the USWNT while she finished her time with the Chelsea women’s team. The only difference was Hayes was actively coaching, while Pochettino has not been in charge of a squad since the conclusion of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign. </p>



<p>Of course, part of the timing issue with Mauricio Pochettino has come from Chelsea. He is still under contract with the Stamford Bridge outfit despite mutually agreeing to leave the side after the end of last season. That has made officially signing him a challenge. <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/what-teams-did-mauricio-pochettino-coach-previously/">Chelsea still owes Pochettino money</a> from his contract. Legally, he cannot sign a contract with US Soccer. Therefore, Varas is serving as the bridge to coach the side in the meantime. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="&apos;Pochettino is still UNDER CONTRACT with CHELSEA!&apos; USMNT move UPDATE! | ESPN FC" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xebtDGOyt6c?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<h2>Mikey Varas has experience coaching USMNT youth</h2>



<p>Varas has had limited time with senior squads. Most of his coaching career has been among academies or youth squads. For example, his last job before the interim role with the USMNT was on the staff as a coach. But that was a promotion from his time as the U-20 head coach for the United States. There, he coached in the U-20 World Cup, when the United States reached the quarterfinals. It eventually lost to Uruguay. Varas spent three years in that role.</p>



<p>US Soccer regularly likes to hire coaches who have experience with the American soccer system. In other words, they like coaches with MLS experience. Varas fits that requirement for an interim coach. He was an assistant for FC Dallas for four years from 2016 to 2019. That came off the back of time in the FC Dallas academy system and the Sacramento Republic youth ranks. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240820_WST_523755_Varas-US-Soccer-1200x675_686fd933.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-523789" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Varas-US-Soccer-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Varas-US-Soccer-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Varas-US-Soccer-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Varas-US-Soccer-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Varas-US-Soccer.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>As the interim head coach of the USMNT, Mikey Varas will do well to bring the players together to help their cohesiveness. The friendlies against Canada and New Zealand do not have much significance for the side’s growth, as it is coming off the back of a disappointing Copa America. However, as this international break comes just a few weeks into the European season, Varas can build the confidence of players representing the United States. Or Varas can call upon some of the players he used during the U-20 World Cup in 2023. Several players from his squad in that tournament recently represented the United States at the Olympics. </p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

Who is Mikey Varas, USA’s interim head coach?

Mikey Varas will be the next head coach of the USMNT, but only on an interim basis while Mauricio Pochettino finalizes his deal.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "Mikey Varas"

Uncategorized

USA vs New Zealand preview: Bouncing back from Canada loss

News

Stark differences between Carsley and Varas as interim coaches

News

Who is Mikey Varas, USA’s interim head coach?