The growing number of American players featuring for major European clubs won’t immediately guarantee you success on the international stage. That is the message that U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino reaffirmed Thursday night in Los Angeles.
Pochettino was frustrated with the USMNT’s overall performance in Thursday’s 1-0 CONCACAF Nations League semifinal loss to Panama, ending the Americans’ hopes of repeating as tournament winners.
Despite holding a 66%-to-34% advantage in possession, the USMNT offered minimal clear-cut chances to find a breakthrough goal against Panama. A slow start eventually improved, but still was not good enough to break down the stubborn Panamanian backline.
After conceding a 95th minute to Panama’s Cecelio Waterman, the USMNT lacked the needed time to find an equalizing goal. Despite having many of their international stars available for the semifinal, the USMNT did not step up again in a must-win match.
“We are USA,” Pochettino said in his postmatch press conference. “You cannot win with your shirt, or you cannot win if you play here, there or I don’t know. You need to show, and you need to come here and be better and suffer and win the duels and work hard. If not, it’s not going to be enough.”
The USMNT endured multiple periods of sloppiness in the match, lacking the ability to play a final ball, or struggling to clear their lines defensively.
Striker Josh Sargent had a goal waived off due to offsides while also striking the post in the first half. Substitute forward Patrick Agyemang was denied an opening goal twice in the second half, finishing as one of the more impactful performers on the night.
Midfielder Tyler Adams covered plenty of ground, but even had his quiet moments while playmaker Christian Pulisic struggled to make an impact in his 90+ minute showing.
Adams didn’t make any excuses for the USMNT’s performance and admitted the sharpness needs to improve for growth to happen.
“Sharpness for sure can be better,” said Adams. “I’m not sitting here to make excuses about anything. We’re not jet-lagged. We’re not anything: guys play three-game weeks all the time in tough environments in the Premier League, whatever leagues they’re playing in respectively and it’s tough.
“So yeah, I think we have new ideas in our head, and you can tell we’re trying to work through them for sure,” he added. “But yeah, it needs to be better.”
Two players that potentially could’ve helped the USMNT score were unused substitutes Diego Luna and Gio Reyna. Reyna has excelled in previous Nations League action while Luna has enjoyed a positive start to the current MLS campaign.
Although neither Reyna nor Luna featured on Thursday night, Pochettino expects both to play in Sunday’s third-place match vs. Canada.
“We never expect to concede in this moment,” Pochettino said about the late Panama goal. “That is the truth, but [I] agree. We were thinking to give option to play Gio and Diego, but for sure they’re going to have the opportunity [next match].”
The USMNT will not repeat as Nations League winners but desperately need a result against Canada to boost the overall confidence in the squad. A loss though could add to the frustration, especially with the USMNT’s next competitive involvement not until the summer’s Gold Cup.
But at least the U20s blew out Mexico 3-0. Two goals from Fletcher and another from Luke Brennan. Eyestone saved a PK as well.
Interesting!!!
“Low attendance draws Pulisic’s attention”
**… Exactly what we’re talking about. ENTITLED. You’re worried about attendance when you should be worried about YOUR performance.
“While the result was bad enough, another major talking point emerged even before kickoff: the shockingly low attendance at SoFi Stadium”
**…..Hmmmmm I wonder why? Is it because fans don’t need to go to the stadium to witness a heartbreak and that they figured that they can probably just do that from home?
“Even Christian Pulisic couldn’t hide his reaction. As he stood for the national anthem, he glanced around the stadium and let out an awkward smile, seemingly acknowledging the underwhelming turnout.”……
** Maybe that’s because the lack of desire runs both ways between players and fans. If you play like you don’t want to be there then maybe the fans feed off that and realize that they ACTUALLY do not have to WASTE THEIR MONEY to be there to witness the lack of dedication, discipline and fight surrounding their National Team
Mexico supporters are the gold standard for supporters in North America. Always have been. I’m pretty sure USMNT supporters always come off second best in that matchup. When the USMNT plays Mexico anywhere in the US they almost never have home field advantage at least in terms of fan support.
The USMNT game , as mentioned elsewhere, was just the opening act. If CP did not already know this then, young as he is, he has not been paying attention.
The game started at 4 pm local time in LA. It’s as if organizers did not want many of the ticket holders to get there on time.
USMNT “cannot win with their shirt” only….
Well Pochettino, you are just getting to know what ssoooooooo many of us already know. This group of players, with the exception of a few, are entitled, gutless, spineless and mentally soft…… and that’s why they have to be constantly and consistently catered to in order to keep them focused, motivated and engaged……or they’ll fall apart with lackluster performances any time the deck is stacked against them.
The USMNT have now lost to Panama three straight times in a major tournament.
❌ 2023 Gold Cup
❌ 2024 Copa América
❌ 2025 Concacaf Nations League
PANAMA DOES NOT HAVE A SINGLE PLAYER THAT PLAYERS IN ANY OF THE TOP 8 LEAGUES IN THE WORLD (let that sink in)……And the USMNT got buried by a 33 yr old Cecilio Alfonso Waterman Ruiz, a no-name striker that plays for a no-name Chilean club (Coquimbo). Absolutely pathetic. Maybe that’s our problem……..we’re giving these timid entitled players an automatic seat at the table.
We need the attitudes like Hejduk, Dempsey and McBride. Throwing themselves into it. Last night it seemed like they were more focused on petulant facial expressions instead of fighting for it.
I went to Ohio State University, grad in 2013. Use to see Frankie Hejduk at 4th street bar in Columbus, Ohio all the time, they had cheap appetizers. I didn’t want to approach Mr. Hejduk, cause he might not like fans coming up to him when he drinking, having a good time. I miss that era too Hejduk, Bocanegra, Dempsey, Donovan, Pope, Lewis, De Merit, and C. Reyna!
Luna has a bit of it. Adam’s used to and can get some of it back. Maybe those two together in midfield might light some other guys on fire?
Id like to add Jermaine Jones. When he had the ball, it was like a starving dog with a bone; he didn’t give up anything easily, unlike so many of our current players who get out fought all the time.
That’s why I said a long time ago he would be the first person I’d hire on the staff when they got a new coach
they were ALL like that
the TEAM was like
to add other specific names, Jay Demerit, Pablo Mastroeni, Oguchi Onyewu, Cobi Jones, just like the others mentioned…but the ENTIRE team played like that, not just these individuals.
It wasn’t too long ago we saw all of that under GB especially in the early years of his tenure; Poch has barely begun and he’s already having to do this? we’ll see but I wouldn’t call it a good sign, and I wonder what the locker room thinks, not just about this, but about each other, like, hey I was playing hard but so and so wasn’t, crap like that
beachbum,
The more things change, the more they stay the same:
https://sbisoccer.com/2012/09/usmnt-daily-update-how-klinsmann-has-embraced-the-empty-bucket-philosophy-without-actually-playing-i
Apparently, Trump is lining up a winner take all game against Greenland.
I did see some people blaming jet lag. They say game should be on east coast cause closer to fly from Europe to an Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, St. Louis, Columbus, or ATL. Mosquera from Panama, traveled from Saudi Arabia which is further than Europe, and he didn’t seem jet lagged. We had enough talent to win so don’t wanna hear no Robinson, Wright, Pepi, or Balogun. Luna, Fossey, and Reyna were enough. Fossey should have started over Musah.
I mean Nike lately has come out with some atrocious national team jerseys….
+1
Completely agree with the coach. It’s sad. In years past that was what got us over the hump. Our fight, our desire, our togetherness, our mentality was an equalizer and made us competitive even against better teams. I don’t get how playing for ones country cannot drive players to fight like hell to win. You can’t compare the pedigree of the players to past generations, as the current teams experience obviously clears past generations. Player for player, contemporary players are at much higher levels than the USMNT in the past. But in terms of desire, and fight and “doing whatever it takes” to win. Our old teams always played with chips on their shoulders. They dug in. They won duels. Their desire to represent the shirt was palatable. Their grit was at the forefront. Their mentality pushed the team. We need more of that. It’s depressing that it seems like the team lacks those basic qualities. I’m always going to follow and root for the USMNT, and love them, but the USMNT needs more of a killer instinct. We won’t succeed without it.
Well said. Thank you.
Courey,
In March of 2010, the USMNT lost 2-1 to the Netherlands in a friendly. It was the match where DeJong, the “Lawnmower” broke Stu Holden’s leg. That Dutch team featured DeJong and Mark Van Bommel, two notable psychopathic enforcers who were feared by man year. Our Jermaine Jones, in later years had the same kind of reputation in Europe.
In an interview with Arjen Robben before the game he was asked about the USMNT. To paraphrase what he said” The US are very hard to break down but they have little quality. So, we expect to beat them.”
That pretty much sums up the reputation of the USMNT in “years past”.
The key break is most likely happened between 2014 WC and 2017 Couva affair.
In that interim, the next generation, guys like Brek Shea, Jordan Morris, Mix Diskerud, etc. had great hair but failed to step up. The useful 2014 World Cup veterans who were still around in 2017, Jozy, Bradley, Howard, Guzan, Clint, Cameron, etc…,etc. all aged out or were thrown out at the same time.
The result was those guys were unable to mentor the 2022 World Cup team and pass on the “USMNT Way”
.
“Our old teams always played with chips on their shoulders. They dug in. They won duels.
After 2017 in Couva all that attitude went away with the aged-out veterans.
While buoyed by plenty of the young quality (our infamous Golden Generation) that our “years past” teams were missing , our Qatar kids and now the 2026 guys missed being mentored in the “ USMNT chip on shoulder and aggressive attitude.”
Gregg was a World Cup veteran himself but he was unable to transmit those “years past” values to the team from the sideline. Hopefully, Pochettino, also a World Cup veteran, will have better luck.