Mauricio Pochettino faces numerous hurdles as head coach of the US men’s national team, but the most immediate among them on Thursday was the problem Panama has posed for his squad in major continental tournaments.
Though Pochettino began his tenure with a 2-0 win against Panama on 12 October, Los Canaleros defeated the United States in two previous meetings: 2-1 during group play in last year’s Copa América – a loss that led to Gregg Berhalter’s firing as the United States’ coach – and 5-4 in penalties after a 1-1 draw in the semifinals of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup.
