USMNT must respond vs. Kiwis, but Pochettino hiring delay isn’t helping

MILFORD, Ohio — Almost six years ago, after a young, green U.S. men’s national team got played off the Wembley Stadium field in a 3-0 loss to England’s B-team, Christian Pulisic was asked how the absence of a full-time manager — interim boss Dave Strachan had been at the helm for more than a year by then — contributed to the Americans’ woeful showing in that friendly match.

“It’s going to help a lot when we get a permanent head coach,” the then-20-year-old Pulisic said that night in London.  “A guy who has a real plan and a style of how we want to play.”

Almost six years later, Pulisic and his teammates find themselves in a similar place. Sure, this U.S. squad isn’t wide-eyed and inexperienced anymore. Nine members of the squad that will take on New Zealand in Tuesday’s exhibition in Cincinnati went to the 2022 World Cup. Seventeen were on the Copa América roster earlier this summer. But as Saturday’s embarrassing home defeat to regional foe Canada — it was the USMNT’s first stateside loss to their northern neighbors since 1957 — showed, the drawn-out wait for Mauricio Pochettino to be named the new USMNT coach has contributed to a sense of listlessness within the locker room.

No wonder current interim man Mikey Varas addressed the elephant in the room before even being asked about it at Monday’s pre-match press conference.

“I’ll start by saying, I know there’s a lot of anticipation of our new coach coming in when it’s going to happen, when it’s going to be confirmed,” Varas said. “Right now, we’re just focusing on the next game. I don’t have any information to give in regards to that.”

His players don’t know what the holdup is, either. How could they? Behind the scenes, U.S. Soccer has been preparing to announce Pochettino’s hiring for weeks now. But time after time, that coronation has been pushed back as the former Chelsea manager’s lawyers attempt to extract him from his contract with the Blues, which doesn’t expire until next summer.

The Canada match was the first for the USMNT under Varas, who stepped in for the fired Gregg Berhalter this month after the Americans became the first Copa host eliminated before the knockout rounds. Still, this is not a program that has the luxury of time. The next World Cup is 21 months away. With the tournament co-hosted by the U.S., the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“It can be tough in times like this, but you have to keep going,” Pulisic said on Monday. “We don’t want to just look at this as we’re in between [coaches], so these games don’t matter.

“We need to respond,” he continued. “We need to show that no matter who the coach is, that we’re willing to fight.”

Losing to the Reds was bad enough. The lack of urgency and intensity — of fight — was utterly damning. With regulars Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Antonee Robinson and Tim Weah all missing because of injures or other reasons, the reserves had a rare chance to make a good impression on Pochettino and his staff, who will no doubt study video of the Canada game upon their arrival, if they haven’t already. With one or two exceptions, it was an opportunity squandered.

Tuesday’s visit by the Kiwis provides another. What they do with it is up to them.

“There’s no announcement, we’re still waiting on everything,” Pulisic said. “Right now, all we can do is put ourselves in the best position so that if an announcement is made in the near future, that we’re ready, that we’re confident.

“All we can do,” Pulisic added, “Is focus on the game.”

Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. He was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.

---

---