Mauricio Pochettino, Christian Pulisic and the rest of the USMNT’s stars and leaders have 445 days to turn things around and build some positive momentum before the 2026 World Cup kicks off on American soil on June 11.
USA 1-2 CANADA – Highlights, recap & analysis | Player ratings | What we learned
It’s a good thing they have that long, because the latest returns — a 1-0 defeat to Panama and a 2-1 defeat to Canada — were a tough watch for USMNT fans who bought into the idea that the Yanks could make a deep run in a home World Cup next summer. What else are the coach and captain to say in their post-game interviews and press conferences after an international window like this one, but good luck with the messaging getting through.
Pochettino’s message to USMNT fans: “Don’t be pessimistic of get bad feelings”
“Negativity? Where is the negativity? Pessimism, maybe yes, but you see in the World Cup teams that were building were not good until right at the World Cup. I want to send the message to the fans: don’t be pessimistic or get bad feelings. I am an optimistic guy, I try to find the positives even after games like this.”
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“[Diego Luna’s] hunger is exactly what we want. When I told him, ‘You’re going to play today,’ he was ready. That is the example we want to take.”
Pulisic: “We need to turn it around … and build some momentum this summer”
“Obviously disappointed. We have to come back from this, of course. We’re not at our best at the moment.”
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“Now all we can do is go be an example at our clubs every day and be the best that we can be — that’s now national team is. When we come back, some things need to change and we need to improve. We’re going to look back and see what that is. I don’t have all the answers at the moment.”
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“We’ll see when [the Gold Cup] comes around who can be there. Obviously the feeling is not good right now. We need to turn it around and we can hopefully build some momentum this summer, because we really do need it with big, big tournaments ahead.”
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“I like [playing as the no. 10], I like playing in that role a lot. The last two games, obviously I’m just not seeing as much of the ball as I would like so it can be tough at times. But I feel comfortable in the role.”
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