With the 2026 World Cup a year away, the United States Men’s National Team is trending in the wrong direction.
For the first time in the tournament’s young history, the U.S. failed to win the CONCACAF Nations League. Not only did they not win, they came in fourth after a “stunning” 1-0 loss to Panama in the semifinals and a historic defeat against Canada in the third-place game.
The loss to Canada has a little extra sting given Team USA’s history with their rivals to the north. According to Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre, it marked the first time the U.S. has lost back-to-back home games to Canada since the teams started competing 100 years ago.
The American squad lost to the Canadians back in September, 2-1, in a friendly. That result alone marked the United States’ first loss to Canada on home soil in 67 years.
The recent struggles has drawn the ire of fans — and legends of teams past. Landon Donovan, who is tied for the most games in USMNT history, took to social media to call the team out for a lack of pride.
“I’m so sick of hearing how ‘talented’ this group of players is and all the amazing clubs they play for,” Donovan wrote. “If you aren’t going to show up and actually give a (expletive) about playing for your national team, decline the invite. Talent is great, pride is better.”
Former USMNT player Alexi Lalas called the loss “rock bottom” for the squad. Like Donovan, Lalas noted the apparent apathy of the American squad, saying he couldn’t count the number of people who came up to him, asking the same question.
“Does this team even care? And many people saying, ‘I don’t think they care,” Lalas said. “What we saw here tonight against Canada did absolutely nothing to dispel that.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino admitted after the game that the team has problems right now, but argued that they have time to fix the problems before the World Cup next year.
However, patience from the coaching staff will do little to quell the ire of fans and former players.
The USMNT will be back in action in June with a pair of friendly matches. The U.S. squad will take on Turkey and Switzerland before the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which starts June 14.
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