Bullied and Embarrassed: Takeaways From Pochettino's Fourth Straight USMNT Loss | OneFootball

The U.S. men's national team were demoralized in a 4–0 loss to Switzerland on Tuesday in their send-off match before the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino heavily rotated his side from Saturday's friendly starting brothers Brenden and Paxten Aaronson in attack. Pochettino also brought in Matt Turner while giving Brian White an opportunity to lead the line.

Tuesday's challenge provided a different test given Switzerland retained much more of the ball and controlled the tempo of the game. Granit Xhaka was free to dictate play with simple switches. Dan Ndoye opened the scoring in the 12th minute and the Swiss never really looked in trouble from there on out. Michel Aebischer scored 10 minutes later and a Matt Turner mistake led to a third 10 minutes after that. Then, Johan Manzambi scored the best of the bunch in the 36th minute.

Four goals in 36 minutes. A training session for the 20th ranked team in the world against a USMNT side that's been demoralized before the Gold Cup. Pochettino's team simply did not compete, nor did they look like they could in the first half.

A chorus of boos rained down on the team at halftime.

Changes made things a bit better, at least in the effort department, but the USMNT still failed to register a shot on target. The pressure and heat is going to turn up now on Pochettino. Gold Cup represents the final tournament opportunity to prepare for the World Cup. He's already without most of his stars for a myriad of reasons. Pochettino cannot afford a slow start. Otherwise, uncomfortable conversations are going to start taking place.

Takeaways from the game below.

A Nightmarish First Half

This was not the same USMNT that faced Türkiye. The drop in perceived quality with players like Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie out this summer to Patrick Agyemang, Malik Tillman and Diego Luna might've worried fans, but that team took risks against a high-octane Turkish attack. They were trying to play and take the game to the opposition.

The team that took the pitch Tuesday night, there was a real drop off in terms of quality. Rotating nine players can do that, but the overall mindset looked completely different too. They were afraid to take risks, play with the ball and were helpless when the Swiss were pulling the strings. The press, whenever put on, looked disjointed and unimaginative.

It was the first time in nearly 45 years that the USMNT conceded four goals in the first 40 minutes of a home match. Any of the positive takeaways Tyler Adams alluded to after Saturday have been overshadowed by the negatives of Tuesday's showing.

The five changes in the second half created some semblance of a team, but the damage was done. Off to the Gold Cup needing to flush one of the worst performances in a long time.

Midfield Remains a Major Issue

Johnny Cardoso and Sebastian Berhalter couldn't get a real foothold in the game against Michel Aebischer, Ardon Jashari and Xhaka. Adams was unavailable on the night recovering from a foot issue picked up over the weekend, but Pochettino doesn't believe it's serious.

Looking lackadaisical, losing their man in situations, it was a bad showing. A sharp contrast to their performance over the weekend. Movement was lacking pace and they looked apprehensive to take similar risks that they took in East Hartford. And, the only change Pochettino made in the double pivot was bringing in Sebastian Berhalter for Luca de la Torre. They were bullied by a more experienced, clinical side.

Adams is going to have to play a major role and lead this team mentally and physically on the pitch this summer. What we've seen outside of the Bournemouth player isn't good enough if they're going to win a trophy.

Pochettino Must Start Three Key Players From Here on Out

The USMNT starting lineup needs to include Malik Tillman, Chris Richards and Adams. That should give the USMNT a spine to build off of to keep the press and offensive play connected in all phases. The jump in simple ability from the first half to the second should be enough of a case study for the coach.

Throw in creative sparks like Diego Luna, a striker like Patrick Agyemang who can hold up play and perhaps they can make some noise in the Gold Cup.

All other positions are up for competition, but Pochettino must have a short leash with anyone challenging for a spot. Any displays similar to what was shown in the first 45 should be unacceptable. Teams in a competitive environment, even if some aren't as talented as Switzerland or Türkiye, will make the USMNT pay. And, as shown from Copa America, one poor result can doom your entire tournament.

Tillman, Richards and Adams have a major opportunity to endear themselves to the country. If they can rally the team and get them going, it'll go a long way after how disappointing their send-off match was.