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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Mauricio Pochettino offered an Americanism after the United States' second straight dismal loss in the CONCACAF Nations League.
“If we would be today in this situation in one year time, for sure, I will tell you, ‘Houston, we have a problem, no?’ SOS,” the Argentine coach said after Sunday's 2-1 loss to Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match.
The U.S. hadn't lost a competitive match to its northern neighbors on U.S. soil since 1957 and it hadn't lost back-to-back matches to Canada since 1980 and '85. But after Pochettino's team followed up its suprising 1-0 defeat to Panama on Thursday night with another clunker, the coach didn't seem worried and tried his best to radiate optimism and problem-solving acumen.
“It’s all a process we need to change, and I don’t want to say that I’m happy — don’t take me wrong,” Pochettino said. "But if (there's) something negative about (a) result, something to learn, it’s better now, because I think we have time."
The defeats took place at SoFi Stadium, where the U.S. plays its World Cup opener on June 12, 2026.
“We were not able to discover and to try and extend our strategy to the team, the capacity to play another way," Pochettino said. "I think we have time. I prefer that that happened today, and not in one year.”
The U.S. is 5-3 since the arrival last fall of Pochettino, the longtime Tottenham boss who also worked at Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. It's difficult to discern any areas of progress for this modestly talented roster under its new coach, but Pochettino believes his brief tenure has been useful for identifying the problems he'll need to solve in the next year.
“I am (a) very optimistic and positive guy,” Pochettino said. “Even when I’m angry and really upset and really disappointed, I want to find the positive thing that we can take from these two games. Who knows? No one knows how we are going to arrive to the World Cup, and then to perform. For sure, (the Nations League result) is not going to affect. If it is going to affect, it is in a positive way, not negative.”
The Americans looked neither sharp nor competitive against Panama, and they improved only slightly against Canada. They had one moment of offensive success when Tim Weah and Diego Luna did the hard work to set up a first-half goal by Patrick Agyemang, who has scored in three of his first four national team appearances, but the U.S. had far more moments of frustration.
The Americans also had just enough moments of defensive disorganization to cost them dearly. Although the U.S. back line was a bit patchwork due to injuries, the defenders couldn't stop Canada's Jonathan David before he fired home the eventual winning goal in the second half.
The U.S. didn't get much out of captain Christian Pulisic, the AC Milan star. Pulisic came off in the 69th minute against Canada.
“Now all we can do is go and be an example at our clubs every day, be the best we can be,” Pulisic said. “That’s how the national team is, and then when we come back, of course some things need to change, and we need to improve. We’re going to look back and see what that is. I don’t have all the answers at the moment.”
Pochettino will get only a few more training camps and one more tournament before the World Cup. That tournament is the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup — and even that won't be a full-team experience, since a few players will be with their pro teams at the simultaneous FIFA Club World Cup.
For all their flaws, Pochettino doesn't publicly doubt his players' burning desire to fix things before their World Cup moment next year. Pulisic and the other American leaders all say they'll work to find the solutions to the multiple problems facing them in the ensuing 15 months.
“This team is everything to me,” Pulisic said. “I care so much for this team, for this country. I hope people know that about me, and it’s truly an honor, so anytime I get to lead this team and this country, it’s an honor for me.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
