The U.S. men’s national team lost 0-4 to Switzerland on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee. They lost their fourth game in a row. They were losing 0-4 at halftime. In fact, they were losing 0-4 after only 36 minutes.
The last time the U.S. trailed 0–4 at halftime was 1980. 1980! Pre-MLS. Pre-1990 World Cup return. Before hosting in 1994. Forty-five years ago.
Zero goals. Zero shots on target. Zero progress.
U.S. Soccer is paying Mauricio Pochettino $6 million per year, making him the highest-paid national team coach in the Americas and Europe. That’s more than Lionel Scaloni (Argentina, $2.6M), Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay, $4M), Dorival Junior (Brazil, $4M)—all managing traditional soccer powers. Scaloni won the 2022 World Cup.
Pochettino also out-earns Roberto Martinez (Portugal, $4.4M), Julian Nagelsmann (Germany, $5.2M), Luis de la Fuente (Spain, $2M), and Didier Deschamps (France, $4.1M). Martinez just won the UEFA Nations League. De la Fuente won the Euros.
We were told Pochettino would bring pedigree, professionalism, and passion—he’d be a men’s version of what Emma Hayes is building with the women’s team. But what we’ve seen doesn’t even measure up to B.J. Callaghan’s interim tenure.
Yes, most of our expected World Cup starters didn’t play—no Christian Pulisic, no Tim Weah. No Weston McKennie or Yunus Musah. No Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, or Folarin Balogun. All are recovering from injuries. Tyler Adams and Luca de la Torre were on the squad but didn’t feature. Gio Reyna—flawed but brilliant—wasn’t even called in. But a limited team still doesn’t justify these results.
Because Pochettino hand-picked this roster. He chose Brian White and Patrick Agyemang over Josh Sargent, saying they were comparable. He chose Seb Berhalter and Quinn Sullivan over Alex Zendejas and Cade Cowell. His selection in 2025 has been poor… and that’s being generous.
We assume the ‘A’ team will return in the Fall and at the World Cup. But what if they don’t? What if he truly sees White and Agyemang ahead of Sargent? What if he sees Berhalter and Sullivan above Reyna? What if he botches the final World Cup roster?
What if we miss our chance to watch this “Golden Generation” do something special on home soil, because we backed a coach who never delivered a trophy at Tottenham with Kane and Son, or earned European hardware at PSG with Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe at his disposal?
This result leaves me utterly disappointed. Gutted, really. One might start to wonder if Pochettino is even fully invested. Sergiño Dest recently said Pochettino hadn’t yet reached out to him, one of his core players. Does a committed manager do that?
Four straight losses. A historic rout. A team drifting. Something has to change—fast—or we risk wasting this “Golden Generation.”
What Needs to Change at the Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup, which kicks off this weekend with the USMNT facing Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, becomes critical. The roster is set—Pochettino can’t change who he brings in now. But here’s what must change for the USMNT to regain momentum:
1. Establish a Clear Tactical Identity
Through four straight losses, the U.S. has looked tactically lost, shifting formations, rotating players, and showing no clear style. The Gold Cup can’t bring more chaos. It needs clarity and consistency.
With experienced defenders like Tim Ream, Chris Richards, and Walker Zimmerman, and midfielders like Tyler Adams and Luca de la Torre, there’s enough experience and football IQ to implement a structured system.
Many pundits (and fans) have called for a shift to three at the back. Against Switzerland, moving from a back four to three center-backs (with two wing-backs) helped stop the bleeding—the Swiss were held scoreless in the second half. With the US struggling defensively, now is the time to commit to that system. It tightens the defensive seams and provides desperately needed stability.
2. Put the Veterans in Charge
This squad skews young, but there’s a veteran core. The time for experimenting with uncapped players is over.
Let seasoned veterans like Adams, Ream, Zimmerman, Richards, and de la Torre provide calm and organization. With that backbone, the promising youth—Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Paxten Aaronson, and Malik Tillman—can be unleashed creatively on the attack.
McGlynn and Luna have shown flashes of brilliance. It’s time to see if they can do it consistently.
3. Demand More from the Attack
Zero goals and zero shots on target simply cannot happen again.
With Haji Wright, Patrick Agyemang, and Damion Downs up top, there are physical tools—even if this is far from the strongest attacking group. Wright, in particular, has delivered in big moments before. He should be the focal point.
Support him with Luna, Tillman, McGlynn, or Paxten Aaronson. Someone must step up. The team must generate chances, test keepers, and press the issue.
4. Play With Urgency and Pride
The worst part of the Switzerland loss wasn’t the scoreline—it was the apathy. The body language. The lack of tenacity.
Fans can stomach losing. What they can’t accept is surrender.
This Gold Cup must be played with energy and accountability. Every player here has something to prove—whether it’s a young prospect fighting for a place on the roster or a veteran wanting to show they can be counted on. Pochettino must demand urgency. The badge has to mean something again.
The stakes are real. This isn’t just about the Gold Cup. It’s about trajectory. Confidence. Whether Pochettino can unite the locker room—and the fanbase—around his vision.
Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Saudi Arabia are beatable. But not automatic. If the team refocuses, they’ll get out of the group. Can they win the tournament? That’s a much taller order.
But if they can rise to this moment—if they show resolve, pride, and fight—then maybe Pochettino rights the ship. And maybe the nightmare in Nashville becomes just a bump in the road.
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