ไทย
English
中國人
The future of U.S. men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino remains uncertain, but former USMNT icon Alexi Lalas has made his stance abundantly clear — he believes it's time for Pochettino to part ways with U.S. Soccer.
"You had one job, and you blew it," Lalas told talkSPORT on Saturday.
The high-profile Argentine tactician, who previously managed the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Tottenham Hotspur, was considered a major signing for U.S. Soccer in 2024. He was brought on through the summer of 2026 with the specific purpose of guiding the national team at a home World Cup. Reports indicated he was offered a four-year contract extension ahead of the tournament, though he has yet to put pen to paper.
The Stars and Stripes' World Cup campaign got off to a better-than-expected start, as they topped Group D with a game to spare and secured their first knockout stage victory in 24 years. Pochettino was widely celebrated for the achievement.
That euphoria quickly evaporated, however, when the USMNT suffered a humiliating 4–1 defeat to Belgium in the round of 16. The Americans were never in the contest, committing a string of individual mistakes while Belgium freely carved through the final third. Overnight, the narrative shifted dramatically.
"It was an abject failure," Lalas said of the early exit.
"It's one thing to lose to Belgium, it's another to lose in the manner they did, especially given how they looked throughout the tournament. I don't think the confidence and excitement surrounding this team was misplaced, but they chose the worst possible moment to deliver their worst possible performance. That falls on Mauricio Pochettino and these players."
On Pochettino's future, Lalas added: "I mean, it's not that I want him gone. I just think this cycle has run its course. When it comes to Mauricio Pochettino, you had one job. And it was the game against Belgium. You win that game, and you're in some rarefied air."
"So I think [U.S. Soccer] moves on. I believe he's had a good run, but you had one job, and you blew it. And you live and die by that. Every coach understands that, every manager understands that, and certainly Mauricio Pochettino does."
Tough Love for Christian Pulisic
Lalas also didn't hold back when it came to USMNT talisman Christian Pulisic, widely known as "Captain America."
Expected to be a driving force this summer, the 27-year-old winger started the tournament in impressive fashion. He played a direct role in Paraguay's own goal in the seventh minute before setting up striker Folarin Balogun shortly after the 20-minute mark. His impact was short-lived, however, as a calf injury forced him off at halftime. Pulisic then sat out the subsequent Group D match against Australia, before featuring for just 30 minutes in the defeat to Türkiye.
Though Pulisic returned to the starting eleven for the round of 32 clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he struggled to make his presence felt, managing just a single shot throughout the entire match.
His most underwhelming display came against Belgium, where he was ineffective at both ends of the pitch. He failed to register a single shot or even touch the ball inside Belgium's penalty area, contributing just once defensively. His forgettable outing was compounded by yet another injury around the hour mark, when he caught a defender's leg while attempting a strike. He took himself off and was spotted with his head in his hands on the bench for the rest of the game.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
"Let's be honest. He didn't show up this tournament," Lalas said. "Our biggest player in the biggest moment didn't show up ... some of the criticism comes with being a star. Is it fair? Maybe some of it is. Maybe some of it isn't. But ultimately in this moment, not just a World Cup but a home World Cup, America wanted Christian Pulisic to deliver.
"Not only did he not deliver, he limped off at the end of the game. We later learned there was an injury involved. Fair enough, but in that moment, many Americans wanted to see this player show some fight. He didn't ... the accusations of him being soft, if you will, only intensify when you go out with a whimper rather than a bang."