The Mauricio Pochettino era of the USMNT officially kicks off on Saturday, October 12th with a match against Panama in Austin, TX.
Attitude Adjustment
One of the baffling issues of the Berhalter era was how the team would show up in particular matches, only to put in a mediocre performance in the next match. In particular, the USMNT would show up in “BIG” matches, the Nations League finals, the matches against Mexico, the World Cup, and Must-Win games. But then, they would lose focus and intensity, particularly in away matches, matches against minnows, and in friendlies. As a result, there were a number of shocking results… a 3-0 v Mexico in a 2019 friendly, 2-0 v. Canada in the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League group stage, 3-0 in a 2019 friendly v. Venezuela, 1-0 away v. Panama in World Cup qualifying in 2021, 2-1 loss in 2023 in the Nations League away to Trinidad and Tobago, 5-1 v. Colombia in a 2024 friendly…
This ultimately culminated in the team losing focus in the Copa America in what should have been a straightforward match v. Panama at home. It started out well enough, but then Tim Weah lost his focus and clobbered a Panamanian player in the back of the head. Suddenly, the USMNT lost a man, ultimately losing the match, then losing the tournament, and then Berhalter lost his job. When the USMNT took the field against Canada and New Zealand, the team looked thoroughly dejected and spiritless. It’s going to be up Pochettino to restore some faith back into this team ahead of the World Cup, with less than 2 years to figure it out.
Integrating Depth
Do you remember what it was like back during the World Cup? Ah, better days, yeah? The team was doing just so much better, shocking the world with a level of organization and precision that nobody really associated with the United States. But think back to those lineups. There was a little bit of tweaking here and there, but there clearly was a set of about 9 or 10 or so players who Berhalter really trusted, who consistently came out on the field, even though some of them had fitness issues. Pulisic, Turner, Adams, Ream, McKennie, Musah, Dest, Robinson, and Weah started all the matches at the World Cup. It was really only forward where, with no clear starter, Berhalter was forced to rotate. Fast forward 2 years to the COPA América and, well would you look at that, it’s really not that different. Excluding Dest (injured), all of these players played major roles in the tournament. This is despite a slew of major problems, including huge time restrictions related to fitness for Adams. Berhalter resisted rotation except where needed, and then struggled to make use of substitutions. When players outside of the core group came in, whether because of injury or substitutions, they often looked out of place.
The reality is that, despite spending a really massive amount of time tinkering and experimenting, Berhalter found a functioning starting group, but struggled to put together a bench that could solve problems or fill holes. Gregg simply did not trust his depth players. The likes of Luca de la Torre and Johnny Cardoso, despite both being regulars in Spain’s La Liga, have not been properly integrated into the team. Berhalter almost never plays de la Torre as a starter, taking him to the World Cup but giving him no playing time at the tournament. Johnny Cardoso has gotten some time, largely due to chronic injury issues to Tyler Adams, but he has been raw and exposed in too many big moments.
With consistent problems with health (Adams in particular essentially played in World Cup qualifying and the World Cup, and almost nothing else), with the massive load of minutes that modern players have to bear, the reality is that the national team need to be able to balance its roster and rotate on occasion, especially in midfield. The reality is that Berhalter never really figured this out. And now it’s Pochettino’s turn to give it a try.
Resetting the Defense
Berhalter ‘s USMNT was largely a defensive coach.
I feel really quite comfortable saying that, and I did for a really long time. You could go and see it with how the US approached the World Cup group stage, conceding just a single goal (a penalty). A big part of that was bringing Tim Ream back to the USMNT and letting him organize things. However, it’s really become apparent that, at 37 years old, Tim Ream has lost a step. He has repeatedly been targeted and exposed. Ream was never the most athletic player, instead making his name with smart positioning and decent passing. But he’s no longer performing at the level, and that is showing to be a BIG problem. Beyond Ream, there is no clear heir apparent. Chris Richards is the most common pairing alongside Ream as of late, but, despite being a Premier League player with Crystal Palace, Richards hasn’t exactly starred with the national team. There are certainly options, with Mark McKenzie (with Toulouse in France) and Auston Trusty (Celtic in Scotland) called up for the upcoming friendlies. But that backline needs sorting out, or else Pochettino’s tenure could well start in a messy fashion.
Those are my big three issues for the USMNT for the new coach to tackle. What do think? Do you think I missed something? Talk about it in the comments down below.
