Mauricio Pockettino looked gross. Sometimes he will shake his head in despair. Most of the time, he frowned.
The managers of the US men’s national team knew there was a lot of blame to avoid it. Following the second loss of competition in four days in the CONCACAF Nations League Final, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where they were responsible for the US’s unpleasant international window.
Canada deserved the Americans by defeating the US in a late Smash and Grab 1-0 victory on Thursday, with the majority beating the US and deserving a 2-1 victory on Sunday. The Americans had a late chance for the equalizer, but their north neighbors created better chances, carried out better game plans, and gathered excellent strength in matches that only became chippy when they remembered that the US was playing rivals.
Perhaps this was all geopolitical karma for Donald Trump’s intensity of making Canada the 51st state and somehow reclaiming the Panama Canal.
For Americans, there was something in common between their defeat at Sophie Stadium in Los Angeles. Lost pass; the last third of the lack of accuracy. Defensive lapses; and the apparent lack of passion from our manager, Mauricio Pockettino, is forever arguing.
But the more innards were the measurable support of the home team, with a vast strip of large seats at Sophie Stadium, with 70,000 seats. Two times, the US contest felt like underwear. Junior Varsity Games ongoing when fans trickle for the real thing – Mexican Panama Games to be held later. The American outlaw advocate group did their best, but little did fill in the section. This result was a calm atmosphere of a pair of games that should have provided an accompaniment of stake intensity. And it helped prepare the US for even more rigorous testing.
There was a valid explanation of weak support for the US at the venue that will be the closest to their home stadium for the 2026 World Cup. The match against Panama was kicked off at 4pm local time on Thursday. I’ll be with Canada at 3pm (although it’s Sunday). Both games and tickets to enter them were twins in Mexican matches. CONCACAF once again set ticket prices higher.
But it feels like something much bigger is underway. Before Mexican fans eat them all up, nothing prevented our fans from buying more tickets. It feels like the USMNT fan base has lost interest or has gradually been eroded.
Perhaps that’s because American football has also made it a habit to set ticket prices as high as possible for friendly games. The results are predictable. Kansas City’s Friendly on September 7th with Canada saw just 10,000 fans appear, and even the major league soccer venue was half empty. Almost the same thing happened later in that window, with about 15,000 people being built at FC Cincinnati’s home stadium with another 10,000 people.
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Whatever the reason, it doesn’t seem like there’s much momentum yet for this team as it counts down to its country’s second World Cup.
And that’s why these two losses felt so deflated. It wasn’t just that soccer itself ranged from bad to overwhelming. All that bit was off it in the field.
Pockettino felt on his part that he was forced to break through the fourth barrier on Sunday and deal directly with fans and their growing anxiety. This is rarely a good indication, especially if you are keeping the barrels towards the World Cup, where you are hired for the World Cup just six months after your job. “I want to send a message to the fans. Don’t be pessimistic,” Pockettino told reporters after the game. “The main purpose is the World Cup.”
Captain Christian Purischick also confirmed the slump that the program slipped into. “We have to come back now,” he told Paramount+ after the game. “We’re not at our best at this point. When we come back (for the next international window in June), we need to change a few things and improve. Obviously, it’s not good now.
The US men will meet three more times before the 2026 World Cup. This summer I was looking for a pair of friendly matches and a Conca Cuff Gold Cup. Again in November and next March, perhaps for an international window filled with a pair of friendly matches. And it will be the real time.
The Yanks will surely play in front of packed homes for stage matches in the World Cup group from June 12, 2026. Two of them offer very sophie stadium in Inglewood, lost twice in Seattle, and one really loud, home covered support? And how much does the US need that?
