The United States men’s national team suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Switzerland in a friendly match on Tuesday night, adding to the growing concerns surrounding head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
The game, held at Geodis Park in Nashville, was meant to boost morale ahead of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Instead, it turned into a disaster as Switzerland scored all four goals in the first 36 minutes.
Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo, and Johan Manzambi all found the net, silencing the home crowd and prompting loud boos from the stands.
This marks the USA’s fourth straight defeat — their worst run since 2007 — and raises questions just a year before they co-host the 2026 World Cup.
Pochettino was forced to name a weakened squad due to the absence of key players. Christian Pulisic asked to sit out the tournament to rest, while Juventus duo Weston McKennie and Tim Weah were unavailable because of Club World Cup duties.
“These are my decisions, and I take full responsibility,” said Pochettino after the match. “I wanted to give some players a chance, but we never got into the game.”
Defender Walker Zimmerman urged fans not to panic and said there’s still time to improve before the World Cup.
“It’s easy to overreact to one bad half,” Zimmerman told TNT. “But look at 2022 — we beat Morocco 3-0 and they reached the semi-finals. Things can change fast.”
The USA face Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday in their opening Gold Cup game, hoping to bounce back and regain confidence.
— AFP
