This was supposed to be the United States men’s national team’s final tune-up for the Gold Cup.
Switzerland visited the USMNT in Nashville on Tuesday night and, well, the United States is completely out of tune.
The Swiss scored four goals in about 20 minutes of play midway through the first half to cruise to a 4-0 friendly win.
The U.S. has lost four consecutive matches under new leader Mauricio Pochettino. Something seems terribly wrong.
Sure, the United States doesn’t have its full allotment of players called up for the Gold Cup. Christian Pulisic highlights the list of stars who aren’t participating with a World Cup summer loading in 2026.
But losing four matches in a row under a new, high-profile manager? That’s brutal.
Tuesday night’s performance was the worst yet. The Swiss sliced and diced the USMNT defense throughout the first half. The visitors could’ve had six or seven.
Now the United States has to find some kind of way to rebound before Sunday, when they host Trinidad & Tobago in San Jose to open the Gold Cup.
It’ll be the last competitive tournament for the U.S. before the privilege of hosting the 2026 World Cup.
It’s a weird year all around for the Untied States program, because there are no World Cup Qualifiers. The hosts get automatic qualification, but that can leave a team seeking out competitive matches with high stakes that aren’t really out there otherwise.
Hopefully, the Gold Cup can wake up the USMNT and start to build some momentum under Pochettino.
He’ll still have a larger talent pool to choose from as the World Cup approaches, but that shouldn’t matter to this extent.
The United States needs to find its heart again, and if it doesn’t happen in the Gold Cup, they’ll already be running out of time.
MORE: Player ratings from USMNT’s miserable defeat
