Since taking charge of the U.S. national team, former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been suffering through a dismal performance. Recently, he has fallen into a streak of four consecutive losses in international matches, marking the first time in U.S. soccer history that the team has lost four home games in a row.

On the 11th (Korea time), the U.S. lost 0-4 to Switzerland in a friendly match held at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a shocking game in which the 16th-ranked U.S. was completely overwhelmed by the 20th-ranked Switzerland at home. The U.S. allowed four goals by the 40th minute of the first half, making the outcome appear decided early, and they were outshot 7-12. Of the seven shots, none were on target.

With this defeat, the U.S. has fallen into a rut of four consecutive losses in international matches. They lost to Panama (0-1) and Canada (1-2) in March, followed by a loss to Turkey (1-2) on the 8th, before losing to Switzerland. This marks the first time the U.S. has suffered three consecutive losses in international matches since Jurgen Klinsmann's tenure in 2015. However, under Pochettino's regime, the poor performance has extended, leading to the worst streak in history.

The results since Pochettino took charge for ten games have also been poor. According to local media, he has recorded 5 wins and 5 losses, which is worse than the 5 wins, 1 draw, and 4 losses recorded by Klinsmann in his first ten games.

Local media criticism is intense. ESPN noted, "The U.S. national team is not even prepared for the World Cup, let alone for the CONCACAF Gold Cup," and reported that "boos erupted from the stands as soon as the first half ended." They added, "The match against Switzerland felt like a practice game between starters and backups."

Pochettino conducted a major squad experiment during the match. He tested many young players that were newly selected, but the results were disastrous. Among the starting lineup against Switzerland, five players had experience in five or fewer international matches. ESPN pointed out, "This choice ultimately became a fatal blow. The U.S. defense collapsed easily."

This four-game losing streak is a rare decline in the history of the U.S. national team. According to ESPN, this is the first time that the U.S. has allowed four goals by the 40th minute in a home game, and it is also the first time they have suffered four consecutive home losses in international matches. In terms of consecutive losses, this is the worst performance since a five-game losing streak under Bob Bradley in 2007, occurring after 18 years.

After the match, Pochettino acknowledged the responsibility for making lineup changes but explained his intent to experiment. He stated, "This was my decision, and I must bear all the criticism. However, it was a process to give every player an opportunity and to check our competitiveness in preparation for the World Cup."

Pochettino is well known for bringing Son Heung-min to Tottenham and achieving success together. He led Tottenham from 2014 to 2019, then worked with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea before taking charge of the U.S. national team in September of last year. The U.S. has a friendly match scheduled against Korea in September.

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