The past year or so has been a whirlwind for the United States men’s national team with them crashing out of the group stage of the Copa America and disappointing on home soil in both the Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup. The surprising group stage exit at the Copa America was a result that led to the firing of long-term manager Gregg Berhalter and the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino to push the club forward in 2024.
In the “PULISIC” documentary, which is currently streaming on Paramount+, Berhalter opened up about why the team ultimately failed on the most important stage ahead of hosting the 2026 World Cup.
“It was a complete disaster from start to finish,” Berhalter said. “We got a red card in the Panama game, and in the Uruguay game, we had some pretty questionable refereeing. Anytime you fail like that, you’re accountable and you leave yourself open to a potential firing, and that’s coaching at the highest level.”
There are harsh realities that face a coach because the USMNT’s goal is to improve their standing and win every regional competition in their path. Heading into the Copa America, the USMNT had won three consecutive Nations League titles and at least anticipated that they would advance out of the group stage.
“Coaches can be on the tough end of it because they’re the ones who can get sacked quickly, and that’s not the case for players,” Pulisic said.
Berhalter paid the price for his team’s performance at the Copa America, and then it led to Pochettino’s hiring, which was, at first, seen as a breath of fresh air. Tyler Adams stated that having a coach like Pochettino raises the bar while also showing U.S. fans that they have someone they can rely on. Berhalter was a respected coach, but the transition to a new voice was supposed to push the USMNT to a new level.
Except that wasn’t what happened in not only losing in the Concacaf Nations League but also failing to win the third-place game of that competition, facing budding rivals Canada. Spirals then continued with Pulisic opting not to go to the Gold Cup this past summer.
That decision made waves with former USMNT players calling out Pulisic for his decision. When taking into account his workload, it was a decision that had to be made to protect Pulisic after he logged extensive minutes in all competitions for Milan during league and European play, but it’s a decision that still drew criticism.
“I had to make the best decision for myself and look out for myself,” Pulisic said about that decision.
“It’s jealousy, people want to be in his shoes and they’ll find any reason to bring him down, but Christian doesn’t give a shit what anyone says,” his father, Mark Pulisic, said.
If that’s the case, this is a big season for proving those critics wrong, not only for his club but for his country. So far, the USMNT haven’t shown that Pochettino was the right choice to lead the squad, failing to win two domestic competitions and struggling to assert themselves while facing top international sides.
“They’ll say good job if we win, and we’re the worst if we lose. It sucks, but we’re doing everything we can, and I’ve done everything I can during my career to help grow the sport,” Pulisic said.
There’s no bigger moment to grow the sport than for Pochettino to lead the USMNT to success at the World Cup on home soil. With the stage set for success, the USMNT are at a crossroads, and after Berhalter has already shown what can happen if someone doesn’t reach the expectations of a USMNT coach, Pochettino will need to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
