The United States national team had the opportunity to play two matches against top-level national teams during this FIFA international window, with two results that raise many doubts after registering defeats in both games against Belgium and Portugal.
Concern arises when talking about the offensive-defensive balance, with a tally of seven goals conceded and only two goals scored in the first game.
A statement that could anger many
“Belgium and Portugal both have top-100 players, some players playing in that top 100. I think we don’t have [that],” commented Mauricio Pochettino after the second match, referring to the level of the players they faced.
While it may be an absolute truth, you cannot refer to the talent you have in your hands in that way. It implies that, for Pochettino, his players are not part of that select group of elite talent – something that is worrying with so little time left before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins.
The USMNT will face Senegal and Germany before kicking off the 2026 World Cup, where they will start the competition against Paraguay. These are the last two tests for Pochettino before the moment of truth.
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