With the World Cup a year away, the U.S. men’s soccer team needs a shot in the arm

The pressure on the U.S. men’s national soccer team couldn’t be higher. The world of American soccer has a rare, priceless opportunity arriving a year from now: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted largely on U.S. soil.

But the sentiment around the U.S. men’s national team isn’t one of excitement or optimism. Instead, it has been doom and gloom among fans and pundits alike after a series of disappointing losses and an escalating drama between the team’s biggest star, Christian Pulisic, and its new, top-dollar head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.

“It’s a storm,” veteran defender Tim Ream said last Friday of the negativity. “You can either run from it, you can hide from it, or you put yourself back out there and say, ‘Okay, we’re going again.'”

Even players will admit that it’s been a tough stretch for the national team. Last year’s embarrassing group stage elimination in the Copa America tournament led to the firing of then-coach Gregg Berhalter. The team hired Pochettino to acclaim in the fall, but soon followed that with the U.S.’s first four-game losing streak since 2007.

Two defeats came in March to Panama and Canada, followed by a one-goal loss to Türkiye and a 4-0 pounding by Switzerland last week. All four are the caliber of team the U.S. would likely need to beat in order to advance in next year’s World Cup.

“I don’t think there’s any denying that some of our performances have fallen short over the past year to 18 months,” said defender Walker Zimmerman earlier this month. “It’s something that, us as players, we obviously aren’t satisfied with.”

It hasn’t helped that some of the team’s top players have been absent from the recent games due to injury, like Sergiño Dest. Others’ club teams declined to make them available this summer due to participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, including Weston McKinnie and Tim Weah.

But one conspicuous absence was neither: Christian Pulisic, the 26-year-old star and face of the USMNT — who reportedly chose to sit out in order to rest.

His absence, coupled with the team’s poor showings on the field, sparked criticism from some former national team players, including Landon Donovan. During a TV broadcast of the UEFA Nations League Final between Portugal and Spain, Donovan praised the participation of the 40-year-old Portuguese national team legend Cristiano Ronaldo to make a point about, it seemed, Pulisic.

“[Ronaldo]’s tired. He’s out there grinding,” Donovan said. “And I can’t help but think about some of our guys who are on vacation right now, not wanting to play in the Gold Cup. It’s pissing me off.”

Now, both Pulisic and Pochettino have spoken publicly about Pulisic’s absence, escalating the drama with each response.

Last week, Pulisic appeared on the CBS Sports Golazo America podcast to air his side. Toward the end of the soccer season in Europe, he felt that he was at risk of injury if he continued to play through the summer, especially in the Gold Cup, in which the U.S. could play in as many as six games.

“I had to make the best decision for myself and in the long run for my team, even though some people haven’t seen it that way,” Pulisic said on the podcast. “I did want to be part of at least the two friendlies [against Turkiye and Switzerland]. I did speak with the coaches, and I did ask to be part of the team in whatever capacity they could. They said no. They said they only wanted one roster. But it is what it is.”

At a press conference Saturday, Pochettino responded bluntly.

“Players don’t need to understand or not understand. Players need to listen and to stick with our plan. They cannot dictate the plan,” the coach said.

To earn their place on the World Cup roster, players, including Pulisic, will have to perform well, Pochettino said — not simply say “‘I want to be, I want to play, I want to this, I want to that,'” he added.

“When I signed my contract with the federation, I am a head coach. I am not a mannequin,” Pochettino said.

For the players on the team this month, it has been “a chaotic time,” said John Tolkin, a 22-year-old defender who recently made his fifth appearance with the national team.

“What you see online, all that media, all the opinions, it’s impossible this day not to see it,” Tolkin told reporters Friday.

The absence of Pulisic and other key veterans has meant there are valuable game minutes up for grabs for younger players, like Tolkin, who are eager to prove themselves to Pochettino for a spot on the World Cup roster next summer.

Their opportunity is this month’s Gold Cup, a biannual tournament for national teams in North America, Central America and the Caribbean. This summer’s edition also includes Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. opened play in the tournament Sunday with a dominating 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, the No. 100 team on FIFA’s international rankings.

The star of the match was 23-year-old forward Malik Tillman, who scored two goals.

Afterward, he told reporters that it felt “amazing” and like “a relief” to have a good game amid the external negativity. “After those two friendlies, it’s been a tough, more disappointing period,” he said.

The U.S. has two more games in the Gold Cup group stage — a tilt against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, followed by Haiti on Sunday. A second win would assure the U.S. advances to a knockout round with as many as three more games.

A title in the tournament, with a win or two over quality opponents like Mexico or Canada, could completely change the narrative.

“That’s the blessing and a curse that comes with playing a professional soccer player and ultimately representing a nation,” said forward Patrick Agyemang after Sunday’s win. “For us, each day we take at a time.”