The United States Men's National Team lost to Portugal, 2-0, Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, its eighth consecutive loss to a European team — the second-longest streak in USMNT history (10, 1954-1973).
The performance was poor enough for head coach Mauricio Pochettino to say this after being outscored 7-2 by Belgium and Portugal over the last two matches: “Belgium and Portugal both have top-100 players, some players playing that top 100. I think we don't have [any].”
My take: Is Poch trying to get fired before the World Cup? He seems like he's had enough, ready to move on. This "team" is a hot mess. Poch's lineups have been inconsistent as he tries to find the right players. There are injuries on the back end, the last place the team can afford them. This was his last chance to view players before he sets the World Cup roster. I have no sense for who he is going to select and I'm not sure how much it matters. The performance just isn't there, even though the quality is. There are two friendlies remaining ahead of the tournament — Senegal and Germany — after the roster is chosen.
THE ASYLUM
USMNT shut out by Portugal
The United States Men's National Team lost to Portugal, 2-0, Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, its eighth consecutive loss to a European team — the second-longest streak in USMNT history (10, 1954-1973).
The performance was poor enough for head coach Mauricio Pochettino to say this after being outscored 7-2 by Belgium and Portugal over the last two matches: “Belgium and Portugal both have top-100 players, some players playing that top 100. I think we don't have [any].”
My take: Is Poch trying to get fired before the World Cup? He seems like he's had enough, ready to move on. This "team" is a hot mess. Poch's lineups have been inconsistent as he tries to find the right players. There are injuries on the back end, the last place the team can afford them. This was his last chance to view players before he sets the World Cup roster. I have no sense for who he is going to select and I'm not sure how much it matters. The performance just isn't there, even though the quality is. There are two friendlies remaining ahead of the tournament — Senegal and Germany — after the roster is chosen.
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