The U.S. team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Switzerland on Tuesday night, adding more pressure on head coach Mauricio Pochettino just a year before the nation co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The friendly match, played at Geodis Park in Nashville, was meant to serve as a positive send-off for the Americans ahead of the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. Instead, it turned into a painful reminder of how much work lies ahead. By the 36th minute, the Swiss were already four goals ahead, leaving fans in the stadium frustrated and booing loudly.
Switzerland struck early and often with goals from Dan Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, Breel Embolo, and Johan Manzambi. The US defense looked lost during the opening half, unable to match the speed, movement, and composure of their opponents.
This marks the fourth straight loss for Pochettino’s team—something the US has not experienced since 2007. The pressure is clearly mounting on the Argentine coach, who is still trying to find the right mix of players for a team that will be on one of the world’s biggest stages in just 12 months.
Several top players were missing from the squad. Christian Pulisic asked for a rest and was not selected, while Weston McKennie and Tim Weah were unavailable due to Juventus’s involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup. Their absence forced Pochettino to experiment with a younger, less experienced lineup.
“First of all it’s my responsibility the choice of the starting 11. I wanted to give minutes to certain players, but we were never in the game,” Pochettino said after the match.
Veteran defender Walker Zimmerman tried to stay positive despite the setback. “It’s easy to look at one half and think this is all going to pieces, that we can’t come back from a result like this,” he told TNT.
Zimmerman noted that past results don’t always predict future performance, recalling how the U.S. beat Morocco 3-0 in 2022 before the African team went on a deep World Cup run. “So it’s not the end of the world,” he added. “We accept that it’s not good enough and we realize that.”
