USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino will be left reassessing his player pool after failing to defend Nations League title, two dismal defeats
LOS ANGELES – There was an odd moment just after the final whistle of the U.S. men's national team's underwhelming CONCACAF Nations League campaign. The players sat slumped, frustrated, perhaps even embarrassed. Behind them, the advertising boards the wrap around the field at SoFi Stadium kept cycling.
Suddenly one ad board flashed:
The subject of that series, Christian Pulisic, meanwhile, stood off to the side, a picture of frustration after a nightmare week for the USMNT. For the first time, there was no celebration at the end of a USMNT Nations League run. They were long gone by the time confetti hit the field for the 2025 champions – yet that Pulisic ad kept scrolling across stadium billboards deep into the night.
There wasn't much to see from Pulisic or the rest of the USMNT in a pair of dismal, humbling performances this week. After three straight CONCACAF Nations League titles, the U.S. is no longer king of the region. This time, it was Mexico that was bathed in confetti under the bright lights of SoFi Stadium, having beaten Panama.
As international breaks go, this was about as bad as it gets. The USMNT was stunned by Panama in the semifinals, ending their hopes of another trophy. The challenge then was to respond in the third-place game against Canada. That didn't happen. The only American smiling as he left SoFi was Jesse Marsch, having just masterminded Canada’s 2-1 win over his home country.
In the grand scheme, sure, a trophy is nice. But for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT, bigger concerns loom. Roughly 14 months from the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup – hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada – the USMNT dropped to yet another low, and the road ahead looks more treacherous than ever. Even with Pochettino, at the helm, this team can't seem to avoid crashing into everything in its path.
Reassessments will be made – from Pochettino on down. Maybe, in time, this will be viewed in retrospect as a necessary wake-up call. That’s Pochettino’s hope, at least.
“In different years at the World Cup, you see teams that were building and they were not good when they arrived,” Pochettino said Sunday night. “I want to send the message to the fans: don’t be pessimistic and don’t have bad feelings. Things can happen, but I see the opposite. The main objective is the World Cup.”
It's been said that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. It's up to Pochettino and a deflated player pool to make determine what that response will be.
“Today, you had the floor and tomorrow, you can be up here,” Pochettino said. “I am very optimistic, a positive guy, even when I'm being angry and upset and disappointed. I want to find the positive things we can take from these two games. Who knows? No one knows how we are going to arrive at the World Cup and perform and, for sure, if these games are going to affect us, they are going to affect us in a positive way.”
Even amid the disappointment, some players took steps toward their World Cup ambitions. Others took steps back. Whose stock rose at the Nations League, and whose fell? GOAL takes a look.
Getty Images SportStock up: Diego Luna
Since he’s the one selecting the team, Pochettino’s opinion matters most. Here’s what he had to say about Luna.
“The desire and the hunger he showed is what we want,” he said Sunday. “That is not to say anything about the rest of the players, it's only one example. When I told him today that he was going to play, he was ready. Playing well or not well, scoring, assisting or not, that's what we want to see. That's the example that we have to take.”
Heading into this camp, Luna had plenty to gain. The Real Salt Lake midfielder is not among the established veterans – he’s a newcomer, fresh off a standout January camp. He responded with another fantastic assist against Canada, along with several moments that showcased the hunger and creativity Pochettino had been calling for all week.
“When they brought me into the meeting, I was smiling,” Luna told GOAL of finding out he would be starting on Sunday. “I was excited and then, from that moment, just nerves, but nerves are good. It's what shows you care about this stuff, but it was just pure excitement and being ready to showcase myself.”
In a moment in which the USMNT was lacking energy and creativity, Luna provided both.
“I think being in camp with all of these guys that are known to be the first team and playing in Europe and all of that stuff, I think it's definitely a big jump just being in camp with them and talking to them," he said. "It's definitely a big step but, hopefully, there's a lot more on the way.”
There should be. Luna may not be starring in Europe, but he’s firmly part of the first team now.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesStock down: Josh Sargent
With time dwindling and his team needing a goal against Canada, Pochettino turned to a striker off the bench. It was Brian White. Josh Sargent watched on as the U.S. chased a goal that would never come.
Heading into this camp, Sargent needed momentum. With a pair of experienced strikers, Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun, clearly atop the depth chart – yet missing this camp because of injury – Sargent needed a good run of performances to turn that two-horse race into a three-horse race.
Though he started against Panama, he played just 68 minutes, hit a crossbar, had a goal ruled out, and continued a goalscoring drought with the national team that stretches back to 2019.
He's bagged goals for fun in the Championship, yes, but USMNT success continues to elude Sargent. More importantly, in a moment in which he could have been called on to be a catalyst against Canada, Pochettino looked elsewhere – indicating that he saw White as a more likely goalscorer.
It's now clear that Sargent is in a fight with White, Brandon Vazquez and Patrick Agyemang – who scored the USMNT's only goal in the two Nations League matches – for the backup role to Pepi and Balogun. And until he can get goals with the USMNT, it'll seem like an impossible fight to win.
Getty ImagesStock up: Patrick Agyemang
Speaking of Agyemang – what a rise it's been for the Charlotte FC striker, who was the only American to find the back of the net in these two games. It wasn't the prettiest, as he banked his shot off Dayne St. Clair, but it surely counts. That's three goals in four caps for Agyemang now, including one with what everyone would consider the USMNT's A-team.
The January camp success was great, but this was his real moment to shine. The goal was good, but so too were some less obvious things. Agyemang got on the ball more often than Sargent did in the first game and often used his physicality to make Canada uncomfortable. That's the thing with Agyemang: he's a different type of striker, one that Pochettino can clearly use.
He'll deserve another look at the Gold Cup as he fights for his own roster spot. It seemed unfathomable just a few months ago but, after this Nations League run, Agyemang is, at worst, in the mix in a crowded striker race.
Getty Images SportStock down: Gio Reyna
His spot here isn't a reflection of his performance, which was so-so. He was no worse than anyone else on the field. He was, however, given so little time to change that fact, which, if you read the tea leaves a bit, seems a reflection of where he is right now.
Prior to the match, Pochettino spoke about getting Reyna up to speed. He has been an important player for the U.S. and could be in the future. Right now, though, Pochettino said he wasn't quite at the desired level, but the U.S. would help him get there.
It amounted to a 21-minute runout in what seemed a must-win game. He got 21 touches, completed 11 of his 14 passes, and got into a little scrap at the end. It was fine, but not enough.
Pochettino clearly doesn't trust him yet, which wouldn't be the biggest concern in a vacuum. The problem is that there is a long list of coaches who haven't trusted Reyna, and one has to wonder why? And, just as importantly, what that means for Reyna. More than ever, it's been made clear that he needs to find himself. He needs a club home other than Dortmund, a place where he can rebuild his confidence.
At the moment, that isn't with the USMNT as it appears he'll have to earn his way back into this team.
