There’s no way to sugarcoat it, the U.S. men’s national team knows an improved performance is needed on Tuesday night against New Zealand.
Only three days after a 2-1 loss to CONCACAF rivals Canada, the USMNT will try and close their September window on a high with a friendly victory over the All Whites. Mikey Varas’ squad lacked fight and intensity in Saturday’s loss in Kansas City, the first for the USMNT at home against Canada since 1957.
Defensive errors from Tim Ream and Johnny Cardoso paired with a lack of fluidity in the final third doomed the Americans at Children’s Mercy Park. Luca De La Torre and Aidan Morris were among the bright spots off the bench in the second half, but ultimately a lot of the USMNT’s stars delivered quiet performances in the result.
Star attacker Christian Pulisic was one of those players who didn’t have much of an impact in the final third, creating just one offensive chance and failing to register a single shot on goal.
The 25-year-old will be expected to lead a rejuvenated squad at TQL Stadium on Tuesday night and admitted that him and his teammates will be ready to fight to get things back on track.
“You’re going to see a team that’s hungry and is not happy about the last result, a team that is going to want to go out and fight and take this game very seriously,” Pulisic said Monday in a pre-match press conference in Ohio. “It’s an opponent who’s not going to give it to us. It’s going to be a tough matchup. We need to be at our best…Hopefully, we have some guys that are really gonna step up.”
The USMNT’s current three-match losing streak is their first since 2015 while Tuesday’s showdown will be the first against New Zealand since 2016. A strong conclusion to September’s window would be a major positive ahead of the potential signing of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach.
