Mauricio Pochettino's situation is so bad.
The U.S. lost 1-2 in a friendly match against Turkey at Pratt and Whitney Stadium in Connecticut at 4:40 a.m. on the 8th. The loss has led to the United States losing its last three games in a row.
The U.S. got off to a good start. One minute into the match, Jack McGlynn's fantastic left footed shot from the counterattack led the way. Early in the game, the momentum of the U.S. seemed to soar, but it didn't take long. From the middle of the first half, the supernovae in Turkiye began to take the lead in the game.
Turkiye succeeded in turning the tables without difficulty. The equalizer loss process was shocking for the U.S. Johnny Cardoso came down to the penalty box and got a pass from the goalkeeper. It was Casodo, who tried to spray the pass forward, but it hit Arda Güller's body and the ball headed into the net. The goalkeeper couldn't cope because he didn't expect it at all, and he lost the point.
Turkiye, which scored a lucky goal, immediately turned the tables. In the 27th minute of the first half, the U.S. defense was in a hurry in Turkiye's counterattack. Turkiye players attempted inaccurate shots one after another, but the U.S. defense failed to clear it properly, and Kerem Akturkolu did not miss the opportunity.
In the second half, the U.S. led the game, but failed to take advantage of the scoring opportunity and lost the game. Pochettino became the first U.S. coach to lose three consecutive games after three consecutive losses recorded by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2015.
Pochettino was cruising to four wins and one loss in five games after winning 2-0 in his debut against Panama, but he has a bad record of five wins and four losses in nine games with three losses.
There is no choice but to raise doubts about Pochettino's leadership. Pochettino failed in succession at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Chelsea. If the U.S. fails to create a success story, its evaluation will inevitably go down further. Only when we perform well in the World Cup with the United States will we have an opportunity to challenge ourselves as a European big club again.
The next World Cup will be held on the home turf of the United States. The U.S. is definitely not a favorite, but it is a team that cannot be ignored. She has advanced to the round of 16 for the last three consecutive tournaments. The U.S. will hope to reach at least the quarterfinals. This is because the best performance since advancing to the semifinals of the 1930 World Cup is the quarterfinals.
"My goal is to win," Pochettino said. We can't talk about the quarterfinals, the semifinals and passing the group stage. We have to dream big. If you want to do something, you have to dream big. If you can't dream, it's impossible to achieve something good." He pledged to produce a drama at the World Cup with the U.S. However, with this atmosphere, it may fail in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association said in a press release last month that the national soccer team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo will face the U.S. and Mexico in the U.S., the stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. The national team first announced that it will hold a warm-up match at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey at 17:00 local time on September 6 (06:00 a.m. on the 7th in Korea).
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
