Stars And Stripes Column: Where Does The USMNT Go From Here?

New coach, same results. Yes, Gregg Berhalter was a terrible coach and there isn't anything defensible about him, but he probably is sitting on his couch watching what just transpired during the Nations League loss to Panama and feel vindicated about what he did for the USMNT. It's easy to blame Mauricio Pochettino as he's the current manager, but is he really the reason why they lost? Probably not, but he has to shoulder some of it.

Pochettino has a resume that suggests he's an excellent manager, but leading a national side is completely different than a club. So Pochettino is going to have to adjust a lot and make some decisions going forward. There isn't much time before the World Cup next year, so he is going to have to work fast and tirelessly. A lot can happen, but Pochettino needs to prepare this team to the best he possibly can.

An embarrassing loss to Panama might be a lingering issue of the culture the federation has let stagnate as there has been talk about how some of the players felt too comfortable and were even coddled. That isn't acceptable. If Pochettino is being told to do things by the federation, then it is hard for him to do his job properly. If he is making decisions on his own, then criticism is deserved. Yes, the last roster Pochettino had in the Nations League wasn't the best possible and probably most likely due to injuries thus not having the best players available. If that is the case then the depth of the US Soccer pool is poor and this supposed golden generation is not true. But Pochettino needs to determine that and fast. The same could be said about the Gold Cup side that was selected

Personally, I see a lot of talent here and when healthy I truly believe this crop of players can go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the world. Do I think they can win the World Cup? No, but a deep run? Maybe. The way I see it is that a lot of the homers are probably overrating the players, but the critics are underestimating them. Bear with me.

Looking at the forwards, it oozes a scary attack. The depth here is actually scary good. The likely best two wingers to play are Tim Weah and Christian Pulisic and the best striker is Folarin Balogun. While that might not be as scary as a forward group such as Germany, Spain, Argentina, or Brazil, thats a very imposing front three. Then there's the depth, both Josh Sargent (yeah, I know, but his form still has been good at his club) and Ricardo Pepi provide some serious fire power and there are ways for Pochettino to incorporate both of them. Even players such as Daryl Dike, Brandon Vazquez, Jordan Pefok, Jesus Ferreira, and Patrick Agyemang helps, but Pochettino needs to bring in Damion Downs badly as he showed during the Gold Cup how talented he was. The more depth the better. As for the wingers, there is some talent there too with Malik Tillman, Alex Zendejas, Brendan Aaronson, Diego Luna, Haji Wright, Kevin Paredes, Griffin Yow, and even possibly Luca Koleosho if he decides to play for the US. It's truly amazing to see the country accumulate a lot of talent and depth at the forwards corps as this the best the program has ever seen.

The midfield has loads of talent too. Gio Reyna is always going to be a controversial topic, but he boasts a lot talent and he needs to find his footing now that he has finally transferred. But looking at the players, Weston McKinnie, Tyler Adams, Yunus Musah (yes, he was tried out as a winger and that's a shit idea) and Reyna stand out the most for obvious reasons, but there's tremendous amount of players that add to the depth here. Paxton Aaronson, Johnny Cardoso (yes, Pochettino recognizes him, but he got injured at the wrong time), Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessman, Luca de la Torre, and Benji Cremaschi all have shown how great they can be and for the love of god, can Pochettino just get Richy Ledezma and Rokas Pukstas capped! Those two have shown how good they can be and give Pochettino more options.

In the backs, theres some interesting names. Centerbacks have some really great names such as Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Chris Richards, Mark McKenzie, and Lennard Maloney and even Tim Ream is still a solid option. Pochettino needs to bring in Noahkai Banks and cap tie him in, plus getting Jalen Neal involved. That being said, it's not a strong crop of players. In the fullbacks, Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest, Joe Scally, Marlon Fossey, John Tolkin, Bryan Reynolds, George Bello, Caleb Wiley, and Kristoffer Lund show how deep the backline can be, plus if they can get Nathaniel Brown cap tied, then this makes it even better. It stinks that Reggie Cannon, Shaq Moore, DeJuan Jones, Nathan Harriel, and Max Arfsten are not good enough, but this goes to show the depth here.

Then the goalies. This is really bad. Matt Turner is hands down the best option here, but he even isn't all that great of an option. Patrick Schulte, Roman Celentano, Drake Callender, Matt Freese (what a showing during the Gold Cup), and Chris Brady have shown promise, but not elite like abilities. Zack Steffen has proven a lot lately and Ethan Horvath has proven to be a capable backup, but this is a position that usually the US is strong at is now the weakness. Gabriel Slonina and Diego Kochen are promising prospects, but there's a lot of reasons for a USMNT fan to be concerned.

So, where does the team go from here? The hope is the best players recover from injuries and that Pochettino can figure out the depth. Thats what it boils down to. The team oozes talent and potential. But, we will never know how good this team really will be until they achieve cohesiveness and healthiness. Even with a bad goalkeeper situation, there is ways to compensate. Yes, this side is still a long ways from being an absolute serious contender to win a World Cup, it is not crazy to think they make a deep run.

So, if they can make a deep run, Pochettino needs to figure out a lot of things out. In 2022, there was a lot of reasons for optimism considering how young and talented this group is and what was to come. Now? The optimism is dwindling. Yes, it might be a bit early to criticize Pochettino, but the clock is ticking and he needs to work his ass off to perfect this to the best of his ability. I personally believe that Pochettino and this crop of players can make a deep run in the World Cup, but that confidence that it will happen has increasingly declined per results and lack of leadership and growth.

This USMNT should be dominating CONCACAF especially during a time when Mexico is lacking talent. Yes, Canada is on the rise, but there is more talent and resources for the US to be way more successful. It has to be a mentality issue that this group of talented players have if they continue to flounder. Pochettino needs to shake things up and get more serious about who wants to represent the Red, White, and Blue jersey or else this is another wasted opportunity. Standards need to be set and players need to be held accountable. Pochettino is the right guy for the job, but will he actually succeed? It's not farfetched to think this group of players can bring trophies.

I'll leave with this, 2014 was one of my favorite teams. I LOVED them! I knew they weren't good enough to win the whole tournament, but when they played any match, this team had a chance to win. They may not have been the best side on paper on that day, but I knew this side would compete and give a chance to win. This side? They are good enough to go deep in a tournament, but there seems to be no fight like the 2014 squad showed. On paper, they might be on par or even better than some traditionally strong sides in the world, but the results show something else. With this crop of players, the expectations should be high, but the results don't show it. If things like this continue, this squad will have a lot of apathetic fans and a lot more clamoring to watch replays of the 2014 version.