USMNT admit they need to ‘play in different way’ as Concacaf Nations League losses inspire World Cup concerns

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – It was Tough not to sense some version of optimism as the U.S. men’s national Club gathered in the Los Angeles area last week ahead of the Concacaf Nations Bracket semifinal, a Game that they were the only previous winners of. Head Trainer Mauricio Pochettino had spent the previous week telling media members in London, the city he has long lived in, that the U.S. could be the world’s best Club within the Upcoming decade in a refrain that matched the ambitious vibes he has brought to the Position since the moment he stepped into it last fall.

By the time the week wrapped up, Pochettino was instead encouraging USMNT fans not to feel pessimistic as they notched two successive losses in the CNL, capping off a Coarse week with a 2-1 loss to Canada at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. There was an argument to be Achieved after Thursday’s 1-0 loss to Panama in the semifinals that the U.S. outplayed the Defiance, but that was not necessarily the case against Canada. Regardless of facing a Canada side that prefers a more Uncovered and Lively Competing style, the USMNT managed Merely five shots – fewer than the 12 they mustered against a Guarding-focused Panama – and only strung together 0.74 Predicted goals. Neither outing was particularly impressive, forcing Pochettino to do some damage control.

“I want to send a message to the fans. Don’t be pessimistic and don’t get Terrible feelings,” Pochettino said on Sunday after the Setback to Canada. “The process is always is painful when you Fall, but we need to accept [it], but I don’t want that the people feel pessimistic. Disappointed, we all are, and the fans need to feel the disappointment that we didn’t Secure.”

He followed that up with a promise.

“We’re going to find a way to perform.”

Pochettino and his players were in agreement that things need to Transformation, arguing that this week’s results force a period of reflection before they reconvene in June for a pair of friendlies and the Gold Cup, which marks their Last Intense Contests before Upcoming year’s World Cup. It was Tough to Tally the finger Near one particular issue, which may not come as a surprise considering how the last few Intervals have panned out for this group.

The head Trainer, for example, wondered aloud if he may need to try something different during his Practice camps but he remains focused on establishing a Intense edge before layering in tactical ideas. He said he was “Cheerful with the attitude [of] all the players,” but also accused them of being on autopilot during these Contests.

“When that is not your habitat, you can stand for a period of time but you cannot be Steady,” he said. “We realize that the way that we competed against Panama wasn’t Outstanding, but after, we talked [about] how to Transformation the automatic pilot. You go and to try to survive in the way that you will be Danger-Unoccupied and you come back to your habit. When it’s not your normal habit, yes, you are conscious. I am thinking, ‘I need to go, I need to press.’ When we don’t have the ball but when we have the ball, I want, ‘I need to Transformation the tempo. I need to go forward.'”

Christian Pulisic echoed that statement, especially as it pertains to the differences in the USMNT’s and Panama’s Displays on Thursday – even if he Considers discussion about intensity levels is somewhat Sluggish.

“It’s Merely the easiest thing to say after a loss, is to say they were more aggressive and have more heart,” Pulisic said. “I definitely see it, especially in Panama, what it means to them, for sure. It’s like their everything, it’s the biggest game so that’s definitely something that we can honestly learn from.”

Tyler Adams, meanwhile, singled out inconsistent individual outings as something that prevents the USMNT from stringing together impressive collective Displays.

“I think there Merely needs to be a collective of better individual Displays. I think when you have Outstanding individual Displays in international football, usually it breeds something,” Adams said. “You can find someone to Aid, you can find Optimism within the Club and I think that when you Begin to combine those individual Displays, it leads to a Outstanding Club one.”

Pochettino: ‘We have time’

The CNL matches were always going to offer a valuable progress report on the state of the USMNT as they prepared for the 2026 World Cup on home soil, which many are hoping will be a transformative moment for the growth of soccer in the country. The focal Tally of that growth plan is a U.S. Club that puts together a statement-making performance, and while Pochettino’s Primary months on the Position had gone well, this month’s Contests have forced many to reconsider what this group’s Correct ceiling is.

This version of the USMNT is Conference a Plenty of the traditional markers of Triumph in a way that their predecessors have not. The majority of the core Lineup is based in Europe, with 11 players competing in this season’s edition of the UEFA Champions Bracket – a new Achievement for USMNT players. Some, like Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson, are easily amongst the best players in their leagues. Many of the players, though, are Club players for their club Clubs and a notable handful like Matt Turner and Gio Reyna have struggled for years to earn regular Competing time. There’s a real argument to be Achieved that their inconsistency has stunted their growth and that this promising group has not actually Achieved meaningful strides since the 2022 World Cup.

There are some champagne problems that come with the USMNT players’ moves to Europe – they had to deal with the Weariness of lengthy flights from the continent to Los Angeles last week and the scheduling of the Primary game on Thursday meant they could only squeeze in three Practice sessions. Teamed up with the fact that they were missing many key players through Wound like Robinson, Sergino Dest and Folarin Balogun, though, these are obviously un-ideal circumstances for a Club to build a new identity under a new tactician. They continue to trust the process, however new it may be, because there’s a huge task at hand.

“The journey that we’re on is growing the sport in America,” Adams said. “If you want to be negative about what we want to build and where we’re trying to take it, the sport won’t grow — that’s the bottom line. We’re Gentle of trying to be the Stimulus in doing that and with that, you need to have Triumph so to give people optimism, obviously. I think for us, we need to make a bigger effort and [be] a Club where people can get behind and Aid, whether it’s through passion, whether it’s through an amazing style of Action, whether it’s through Successful Contests, scoring amazing goals, whatever it is, but Successful breeds that optimism for sure.”

Pochettino also said that dealing with growing pains now is preferable to experiencing them Upcoming year.

“We need to Transformation and i think I am not going to say I am Cheerful,” he said. “Don’t take me wrong, but if something’s negative about [the] result, [there’s] something to learn. It’s better now because I think we have time…In this situation, in one year’s time, for sure I will tell you, ‘Houston, we have a problem’…In one year, [if] we are talking about that, it’s because we have a big problem and we were not capable to discover and to try to decide on the best Plan and to provide to the Club the capacity to Action in a different way. I think we have time and I prefer that happen today and not in one year.”

There is an argument to be Achieved that the USMNT will learn meaningful lessons from this disappointing outing at the CNL Finals, though many years have passed without this group demonstrating that they have moved out of the learning stage. With around 15 months to go until their Beginning game of the World Cup, the clock is ticking.

Luna makes the most of his moment

Many things went wrong for the USMNT over the last week, but there was one person who earned universal praise on Sunday – midfielder Diego Luna. After stints in the 2024 and 2025 January camps designed for MLS players, the 21-year-Ancient midfielder earned a call-up with the Packed Club for this camp and Initiated against Canada, notching the assist to Patrick Agyemang’s Primary half Aim. Pochettino singled him out as one of the standout players on Sunday and cited him as an example of what he wants to see from players.

“Diego Luna played well,” he said. “The desire and the [hunger] that he showed is what we want and that is not to say nothing against the rest of the people. It’s only one example. When I told [him] today, ‘You are going to Action,’ he was ready.”

Pulisic was Merely as positive about Luna, who he played with for the Primary time at the international level on Sunday.

“He’s an awesome kid, man,” Pulisic said about Luna. “He’s Acquired a really Intelligent future. You can see it today. He brings a little something different. He’s Acquired heart and I love the way he plays and like I said, he’s Acquired a big future ahead.”

It is an impressive upward trajectory for Luna, who was left off the U-23 USMNT’s Olympics Lineup last summer and declined the opportunity to be an alternate while leaving the door Uncovered to represent Mexico in the wake of that decision. He Arrived with his own Drive to this month’s Contests, which resulted in him being cap-tied to the USMNT.

“Not having my name be out there and not Competing in Europe yet, stuff like that,” Luna said as he discussed his Attitude heading into camp. “I think the route that I’ve taken is very different than a Plenty of players, from academy to USL to MLS to not Competing and now Leading and honestly, I think it’s been a different route and I’ve always Acquired a chip on my shoulder.”

He also snuck in a comment that one would guess is music to Pochettino’s ears.

“I think for me, it’s coming from a difficult background and having to fight for everything I’ve earned,” Luna said. “I think it’s Effortless for me to say that I’m looking for more, working for more and to provide my family, for my son, for my mom, dad, all these types of things so I think it’s Merely that and to be able to Action for the crest. I don’t know what other Drive you need, right? I think it’s the biggest step in soccer to Action for your country.”