After building momentum last fall under manager Mauricio Pochettino, two friendlies in the March international window have proven a harsh wakeup call for the United States men’s national team.
The Americans were badly outplayed in a 5-2 loss to Belgium in Atlanta on Saturday, and only marginally better in a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in the second fixture on Tuesday night.
The results extended the United States’ losing streak against European opposition to 10 matches. More concerningly, the combination of player performances and managerial decisions produced more questions than answers with regards to Pochettino’s vision for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup this summer.
Here are three of the biggest unknowns as we tick down toward the announcement of the tournament squad on May 26.
What Is The End Goal Of Experimentation?
Past USMNT managers would have faced the final international window prior to a World Cup looking to nail down minor details around their team’s tactical identity.
We can safely assume that is not Pochettino’s MO.
From switching back into a four-back system in both matches (having played mostly a 3-4-3 this fall), to playing Tuesday’s first half without a true striker on the pitch, it was clear the Argentine was still tinkering in both games rather than leaning into a clear tactical identity.
The question is whether this represents deep fundamental questions about what Pochettino believes is his best strategy, or merely the use of every last moment of lower leverage competition to search for more possibilities on the fringes of an already decided identity. The former would be more concerning. But we won’t really know until the World Cup squad begins tourney prep in early June.
Is Christian Pulisic OK?
Christian Pulisic used to reliably produced at a higher rate for the USMNT than he did for his club sides. But that trend had reversed since Pulisic made his move to AC Milan ahead of the 2023-24 season. And now he’s in one of the longest cold stretches of his career on both stages.
Tuesday’s defeat represented an eighth consecutive USMNT appearance without a goal, tying a career long. For the Rossinieri, he’s gone 12 games without scoring, having last found the goal on Dec. 28 of 2012.
Beginning last summer when Pulisic reportedly passed on Concacaf Gold Cup duty, there has been speculation about a potentially chronic hip issue. Playing 115 minutes over two games for Pochettino suggests Pulisic is relatively healthy at the moment. But his lack of end product doesn’t.
Who Can Work Their Way Back In?
Originally, conventional wisdom suggested whoever earned a March call into the squad would have an inside track to the tournament roster. But other than maybe center back Auston Trusty, none of the fringe inclusions siezed the opportunity over the two matches.
That should give some hope to others who weren’t included. Conventional wisdom says Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams and PSV Eindhoven fullback Sergino Dest are locks to be in Pochettino’s team if they can get healthy from injuries that kept them out this time around. Real Salt Lake attacker Diego Luna might also be more likely to make the squad than miss it, having only played two matches this MLS season following a preseason knee injury.
But after these showings, others might also still believe they can get back into the fold, including Coventry City striker Haji Wright, Club America attacking midfielder Alejandro Zendejas and maybe even Toronto FC forward Josh Sargent.
