An experimental line-up from the United States endured a heavy 4-0 home defeat against Switzerland on Tuesday, casting a shadow over Mauricio Pochettino’s squad as they prepare to host the World Cup in just one year.
This match, originally seen as an opportunity to lift spirits ahead of the USA’s participation in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, unravelled spectacularly in the first half, with Switzerland racing to a 4-0 lead by the 36th minute in Nashville.
The Swiss goals came from Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo, and Johan Manzambi, leaving the disgruntled home fans at Geodis Park to voice their displeasure with boos echoing around the stadium.
For Pochettino’s squad, this defeat marked their fourth consecutive loss, a streak not seen since 2007.
As Pochettino prepares for the Gold Cup, which kicks off on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago, he will be without several pivotal players due to their unavailability.
AC Milan’s star winger, Christian Pulisic, opted out of the tournament for personal reasons, while Juventus teammates Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are sidelined due to the Italian club’s commitments in the FIFA Club World Cup.
These absences compel the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss to delve into the depths of his squad as the US prepares for the World Cup finals to be held next year across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Given Tuesday’s performance, the sooner his European-based talent returns, the better, after observing Switzerland’s dominance in the first half.
Pochettino took responsibility for the selection of an inexperienced line-up that struggled to match the Swiss on the night, stating, “Ultimately, it was my choice for the starting 11. I aimed to give some players a chance, but we never managed to get into the game.“
In an attempt to remain optimistic, US defender Walker Zimmerman stressed there was still ample time for the team to regroup before next year’s World Cup. “It’s easy to take one half and think everything is falling apart, that we can’t rebound from this result.“
Zimmerman further added, “Remember our build-up to 2022—we beat Morocco 3-0 and they reached the semi-finals. Things can change quickly; that was just six months apart.“
He concluded, “This isn’t the end of the world. We acknowledge that this performance wasn’t good enough and recognise the disappointment, but we must flip the script and ensure we never show up like that again.“
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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