It is literally close to the worst performance ever. What kind of appearance will manager Mauricio Pochettino show when he reunites with Son Heung-min?
On the 11th (Korean time), the United States suffered a 0-4 defeat to Switzerland in a friendly match held at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee. They allowed 4 goals in the first half and collapsed spectacularly.
It was a one-sided match. The United States fell behind when they conceded the first goal to Dan Ndoye in the 13th minute of the first half, and ten minutes later, they allowed a second goal to Michel Aebischer. The side defense was repeatedly penetrated easily. They also lacked luck. In the 33rd minute of the first half, a long-range shot by Switzerland's left back Ricardo Rodriguez was saved by the goalkeeper. However, the rebound went towards Breel Embolo, resulting in another goal.
It didn’t stop there. Just 3 minutes later, the United States conceded a fourth goal from a left-footed shot by 2005-born Johan Mvila. This marked Mvila's debut goal in the national team. As the futile goals continued, boos erupted from the stands. Despite fielding an experimental lineup without many key players, the performance was too feeble.
Ultimately, the United States did not score a single goal in the second half and succumbed to a 0-4 defeat. They finished the June international matches in the worst shape possible ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup starting on the 16th. The United States has fallen into a four-match losing streak in international competitions after losing both friendly matches at home.
In March, the United States suffered a shocking defeat to Panama in the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Nations League, and also lost to Canada in the third place match. This marked the worst record since the appointment of manager Mauricio Pochettino. In fact, during the June international matches, the United States scored just one minute into their match against Turkey on the 8th, but due to a foolish mistake, they ended up losing 1-2.
This marked the first time the United States recorded three consecutive losses since coach Jurgen Klinsmann in 2015. To make matters worse, a defeat to Switzerland has resulted in four consecutive losses. This makes Pochettino the first coach to lead the U.S. national team to four consecutive defeats since 2007. Notably, it's the first four-match home losing streak in U.S. soccer history in 37 years, and it's the third humiliation overall.
Pochettino finds himself in a crisis less than a year into his tenure. He took over as coach of the U.S. national team in September of last year. He had a promising start, winning against Panama 2-0 in his debut and achieving 4 wins and 1 loss in his first five matches. However, following a subpar performance with consecutive losses to Turkey and Switzerland, his record has deteriorated.
Although the United States advanced to the knockout stage in the last three tournaments, if things continue this way, it will be difficult to guarantee passage through the group stage of next year's World Cup, which will be held on home soil. After the match against Turkey, Pochettino shouted, "We must believe. We need to compete like today. We will surely have a chance to win the World Cup," but the reality is grim.
In the September international matches, Pochettino will reunite with Son Heung-min, who was his favorite player during their time at Tottenham. It remains to be seen whether Pochettino, who is under a lot of pressure ahead of this meeting, can withstand it.
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