It was just two months ago that the players of the United States men’s national team were walking through the mixed zone in the tunnel of a stadium on the other side of Kansas City and talking about their disappointment at being eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America.
The message that night was one of frustration and the need to find a way to take this team to the next level. Matt Turner spoke of the team holding themselves to a higher standard. Christian Pulisic spoke of the need to take a step back and rediscover their identity, to rediscover their motivation. The words of veteran defender Tim Ream that day were a warning.
“Sometimes we as players aren’t humble enough to understand that we can keep improving and we think we’re the end product,” he said. “And that’s not the case until you’re done playing.”
In other words, no one has made it yet and no amount of hype or potential will get you there. It takes constant dedication to push for those next levels. Justice will be punished.
It would be naive to think that the issues that brought this national team down on such a huge stage would be solved in two months under an interim manager in front of 10,523 fans in a friendly match. (And without regular starters like Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Tim Weah, Gio Reyna, Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson.) But it shouldn’t be too much to expect the team to produce a performance that makes them look ready for the competition. Or to expect the lessons of the Copa America — of the intensity, effort and mentality required to be a top team — to resonate.
Instead, Canada ran on and passed the U.S. team en route to a 2-1 victory, their first win over the U.S. on American soil since 1957. To be fair, the score was in the U.S.’s favor. Simply put, the U.S. didn’t want it and Canada did.
March took a win over the US (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
There’s no beating around the bush. There’s no running away from the performance. It was awful. The U.S. was dominated by a Canadian team that was more dedicated to a cause. The Canadians wanted it more. Canada won 63 percent of its first-half duels and outscored the U.S. 11-1. It was only 1-0 at halftime thanks to Patrick Schulte, who made several key saves to keep the U.S. in the game.
Asked if there was any personal satisfaction in the win, Canadian coach Jesse Marsch, who was a candidate for the U.S. job that goes back to Gregg Berhalter in 2023, shrugged and said an unequivocal yes. “I enjoyed it,” he said.
And he should have done so. The difference in the desire shown between his team and the American team was clear.
“Believe me, I’m not bitter,” Marsch said. “I would rather coach our team, 100 percent, no questions asked. I would rather coach Canada than the U.S. right now. You see the mentality that’s developed. You see the way this team plays. You see how much they love playing for the national team and they’re willing to risk their careers and their lives, in the way they play, to be the best they can be for each other and for the team. And that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
The implication, of course, was that the U.S. wasn’t at that same point of commitment. And Marsh is right. At least he was tonight. It really doesn’t feel far removed from what Ream said at Arrowhead two months ago. This team can’t afford to do anything less than throw themselves into every performance. That’s a requirement for growth and success.
Schulte saved the US from a greater embarrassment, while Ream says she “much more proud to wear the shirt” (Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
US interim manager Mikey Varas held up his hand for trying to implement too much in terms of how he wanted the team to play with just three days to prepare. But he also acknowledged that his responsibility didn’t go far enough.
“The mentality is with the players,” Varas said. “Sorry. They know that. They know that. We speak the truth to each other. I love those guys, but they know that mentality — fight and run and sacrifice — I can’t do that for them. I can’t do that. That’s their responsibility. So at the end of the day, it’s a combination of me and them. All of us together.”
Not every U.S. performance over the past year has had quite the same problems, but Saturday’s result against Canada was symptomatic of a team that, since Qatar, has come across as too comfortable. The 2022 World Cup cycle has been about healing Couva’s wounds and gaining experience. This cycle has been about turning potential — all the hype surrounding this generation — into actuality.
Instead, it too often feels like a red carpet is being rolled out to 2026.
Even on a night when several players had a chance to prove they belonged on the team, and a chance to impress the new coach expected in the coming days, the U.S. somehow underperformed.
How?!
And so, two months later, the answers in the mixed zone were still the same as at the end of the Copa America.
“I think we’ve got to get back to really being a lot more proud to wear the shirt,” Ream said this time around. “And that’s not to say we’re not proud to wear the shirt, but I think there’s a certain standard that we have to hold ourselves to and we haven’t done that and that’s our responsibility as individuals, as players, and it’s got to come from within. You can’t coach intensity. You either have it or you don’t and you either bring it or you don’t and we haven’t done that.”
Mauricio Pochettino is coming. His arrival can’t come soon enough. The hope is that he will inject some enthusiasm. Pochettino is known as a strong manager, maybe he will stir something up in this group. No doubt he will bring a new perspective to the program and a new level of accountability for every player in the group. But like Varas, Pochettino is a coach. His influence can only go so far. Ultimately, it will come down to the players.
Ream was right then and he’s right now. No team can afford to be complacent, but this one certainly can’t. They still have everything to prove. After the Copa America, US Soccer clearly felt that this team needed some kind of shake-up. Saturday’s loss only confirmed that assessment.
(Top photo: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
