After a 2-1 defeat to Turkey further dampened spirits ahead of the coming CONCACAF Gold Cup, the USMNT looks to bounce back in a friendly with Switzerland from Nashville on Tuesday evening.
In their final tune-up match before the start of the Gold Cup on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have plenty to work on as they hope to be at their best when continental play begins.
In the absence of many national-team stars, which has severely depleted the roster of its most talented players, Pochettino hopes the lack of quality will be made up with a focus on desire. The USMNT boss has hung his hat on giving fringe players a chance to shine this summer, hoping the opportunity to prove themselves a year out from a World Cup on home soil will provide an edge on the pitch.
Regardless, the quality was lacking on Saturday as the U.S. fell to Turkey in Hartford, with mistakes proving costly twice in the first half. The U.S. dominated the entire second half as they searched for an equalizer, but an inability to finish chances or create consistent danger proved their undoing.
Switzerland, ranked 20th in the world by FIFA, looked strong as they downed another CONCACAF foe in Mexico on Saturday, with three second-half goals leading them to victory.
PLAYER RATINGS: Follow along with live player ratings, highlights, and commentary of USA vs. Switzerland
USA vs. Switzerland starting lineups, team news
Ahead of their final competitive matches before next summer’s World Cup on home soil, the United States are without a significant number of first-team regulars for myriad reasons.
The likes of Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah were left off the roster at the players’ behest, having asked to rest for the summer. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Gio Reyna are all participating in the Club World Cup and have stayed with their clubs, while Josh Sargent, Joe Scally, and Tanner Tessmann were all passed over for “football reasons” as Pochettino described it.
Meanwhile, Antonee Robinson had knee surgery to solve a chronic issue that has plagued him for months, Folarin Balogun sustained an ankle injury, Ricardo Pepi continues to rehab from a long-term knee injury, Sergino Dest withdrew from the squad to protect his recent recovery from a torn ACL, and Zack Steffen suffered a knee injury in pre-tournament camp. Pochettino also said that Tyler Adams will miss this friendly due to a foot injury, hoping to have him back for once the Gold Cup begins.
Pochettino has made a whopping nine changes to the XI from the match against Turkey, with Max Arfsten and Johnny Cardoso the only holdovers. First-choice goalkeeper Matt Turner is expected to be the main man in net during the Gold Cup, and he gets the start today after Matt Freese was given a chance to play against Turkey.
Players who may have earned another look after quality performances against Turkey include goal-scorer Jack McGlynn and midfielder Luca de la Torre, while Johnny Cardoso‘s costly error may see him replaced in the middle. It could also be a chance to give Sebastian Berhalter a look in midfield.
MORE: How USMNT players rated in Turkey defeat, including one 4/10
USA starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 20. Harriel, 5. Zimmerman, 22. McKenzie, 27. Arfsten — 15. Cardoso, 8. Berhalter, 21. P. Aaronson — 11. B Aaronson, 23. White, 7. Sullivan.
Full USA squad
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Matt Turner.
Defenders: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman, Nathan Harriel, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, John Tolkin, Walker Zimmerman.
Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson, Paxten Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre, Diego Luna, Jack McGlynn, Quinn Sullivan, Malik Tillman.
Forwards: Patrick Agyemang, Damion Downs, Brian White, Haji Wright.
MORE: A full breakdown of the USMNT roster for the 2025 Gold Cup
Switzerland are bloated at the midfield position, but not a lot of them are capable out wide in the 4-4-2. Ruben Vargas, who started on the left side of midfield in their last match against Luxembourg, is out with a hamstring injury, so head coach Murat Yakin will need to find a solution.
Champions League finalist Yann Sommer has retired from international duty, so either Gregor Kobel or Yvon Mvogo will start in goal. Fabian Schar and Xherdan Shaqiri have also called time on their international careers.
MORE: The full 2025 schedule for the USMNT with highlights, recaps, and more
Central midfield is loaded for Switzerland, with Granit Xhaka, Remo Freuler, and Denis Zakaria all over 50 caps while Djibril Sow and Michel Aebischer also have significant international experience. Zakaria did not appear in the Switzerland squad for the Mexico game, and his status remains unclear.
Freiburg youngster Johan Manzambi could make his full international debut after earning his first cap off the bench against Mexico.
Switzerland starting lineup (4-4-2 diamond, right to left): 1. Kobel (GK) — 24. Schmidt, 5. Akanji, 4. Elvedi, 13. R. Rodriguez —18. Jashari, 10. Aebischer, 9. Manzambi, 10. Xhaka, – 11. Ndoye, 7. Embolo.
Full Switzerland squad
Goalkeepers: Marvin Keller, Gregor Kobel, Yvon Mvogo.
Defenders: Manuel Akanji, Aurele Amenda, Lucas Blondel, Nico Elvedi, Ulisses Garcia, Stefan Gartenmann, Ricardo Rodriguez, Isaac Schmidt, Silvan Widmer, Cedric Zesiger.
Midfielders: Michael Aebischer, Remo Freuler, Ardon Jashari, Johan Manzambi, Miro Muheim, Fabian Rieder, Vincent Sierro, Djibril Sow, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria.
Forwards: Zeki Amdouni, Breel Embolo, Dan Ndoye.
USA vs. Switzerland score prediction
The United States were impressive through large stretches of the match against Turkey, even as they failed to profit in front of goal, but the competition will be increasing further against Switzerland.
The Swiss feature a number of dangerous attacking players who can trouble the U.S. back line where Turkey were unable to do so. Additionally, the Switzerland midfield is much better in possession, meaning this could be yet another defeat for Pochettino to mull over coming into the Gold Cup.
Prediction: USA 0-2 Switzerland
USA vs. Switzerland live stream, TV channel
- Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
- Time (ET): 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
- TV channel (English): TNT, truTV
- Streaming (English): Sling, HBO Max
- TV channel (Spanish): Telemundo, Universo
- Streaming (Spanish): Fubo, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo, Universo NOW
Like all USMNT friendlies under the current long-term media rights deal with Turner Sports, this match will be televised on TNT and truTV, which can be found streaming on Sling as well as Turner’s dedicated platform HBO Max.
The match can also be found in Spanish on Telemundo and Universo, which are streaming on Fubo as well as NBC’s dedicated platform Peacock.
