SAN JOSE, Calif. – A superior Switzerland destroyed a heavily rotated, JV version of the U.S. men’s national team on Tuesday night in Nashville, extinguishing optimism after an encouraging performance against Turkey three days earlier.
While the first half against the Swiss was so bad that it has prompted a bigger picture conversation about the direction of the program under Pochettino a year away from the World Cup, there is still a Gold Cup in front of the United States. Of course, next summer’s U.S. squad will undoubtedly be very different. But the next few weeks could still prove important for the mission to make a deep World Cup run on home soil.
Why? Well, it allows Pochettino to evaluate players who can move the needle in terms of chance creation. The chronic lack of creativity in the final third under former boss Gregg Berhalter continued to be on display when Pochettino’s “A” team lost to Panama and Canada in March. But there’s talent on the Gold Cup squad that can help in that area, especially if Gio Reyna cannot get regular club minutes in the next 12 months.
