'We haven't been bringing it' – USMNT players need to look inward, not to Mauricio Pochettino, to rediscover missing spark
ImagnThe U.S. rightfully has high hopes for the expected next head coach, but the players need to take accountablity
A new coach can make countless differences, and if – as expected – Mauricio Pochettino eventaully takes over the coaching reins for the U.S. men's national team, he surely will.
But at some point, players need to take responsibility.
That's the reality the USMNT is facing after an embarrassing 2-1 loss to Canada Saturday. Their recent struggles aren't simply about coaching. They're also about attitude.
This isn't outside-looking-in speculation, either. This isn't kicking a team when they're down. No, it's an admission straight from the players themselves. More than anyone, those in the U.S. locker room realize that they have continuously been underperforming.
One word thrown around a lot following the unexpected loss – the first by a U.S. squad to Canada on home soil in 67 years – was "mentality" – or rather, a lack thereof. The mindset hasn't been right and the effort hasn't been there. As a result, 2024 has been – by most accounts – a disaster.
A Copa America was squandered, and then a chance to respond in an important friendly – and the chance to impress a new coach – ended in yet another embarrassing moment. This year could have been a big step toward the 2026 World Cup. Instead, it's resulted in very real concerns about this U.S. less than two years out from the world's biggest soccer tournament.
"It's tough to say," Christian Pulisic admitted when asked to identity what's going wrong for the U.S. "It's something that we have to fix, but I really don't have an answer."
How does the USMNT rediscover the mentality that can make this team ready to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in of the world? How do you recapture the fire that has clearly been lost?
Well, for all the understandable anticipation about the reported new coach, it doesn't start with Pochettino. It didn't start with Gregg Berhalter or Mikey Varas or Anthony Hudson or B.J. Callaghan or any of the other U.S. coaches. This must start with the players themselves. Something has to change, and it has to come from within.
