With less than 10 months until they kick off the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium in LA, the U.S. men’s national team doesn't have much confidence, but manager Mauricio Pochettino remains adamant things will turn around before the tournament begins.
On Saturday, they dropped their seventh of their last eight games against opposition ranked in the top 30, losing 2–0 to South Korea in a largely listless performance, with goals from Son Heung-min and Lee Dong-gyeong.
Looking exhausted and dejected, Pochettino seemed at a loss as well as his record in charge dipped to seven losses in 17 matches, with wins only against primarily weaker nations.
“Overall, I think we were better than South Korea, but in the end, if you are not clinical, it’s difficult,” he said post-match. “Because we created more chances and we had the feeling that we controlled the game.
“I am very disappointed about the result, but I think overall the performance is a massive improvement… I am so pleased in the way that we are evolving, from the Gold Cup today with different players, but also the players start to understand what we expect from them.”
While the U.S. held more possession, they struggled to control the tempo of the game and were caught on South Korea’s counter attacks. At the same time, the American starters struggled to find rhythm, with debutant Tristan Blackmon appearing overwhelmed by his first cap and striker Josh Sargent managing just 17 touches in 64 minutes.
The substitutes and adjustments saw some brighter moments for the U.S. in the second half, but the result only crept to its dejected end, even with a strong chance from Tim Weah in the fleeting minutes.
