After suffering two defeats in the Concacaf Nations League, United States manager Mauricio Pochettino insisted that his side has enough time to turn things around before the 2026 World Cup.
The U.S. came into the tournament's final phases having won the first three Concacaf Nations League titles. But its quest for a fourth straight championship ended in a 1-0 defeat to Panama on Thursday. This was followed by a 2-1 loss to Canada in the third-place match on Sunday.
Now the U.S. will have just this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup plus four international windows before the World Cup. That isn't much time for a manager who took over the USMNT last September to turn things around.
But Pochettino, who said "we are all responsible about the two results" in the Nations League, thinks otherwise.
"It's better [to lose] now because I think we have time," Pochettino said after Sunday's match. "Because if we will be in this situation in one year time, for sure. I will tell you, 'Houston, we have a problem. SOS.'"
The results were still a body blow to the USMNT's desire to create momentum heading into the World Cup. The Gold Cup takes on considerable importance, given it will mimic the cadence of a World Cup with a group stage followed by a knockout round.
Pochettino said he understood the fans' disappointment about the showing in the past two matches, but sent a message to the fans: "Don't be pessimistic, and don't get bad feelings."
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