When manager Mauricio Pochettino said he wanted a “new start, a fresh start” for the U.S. men’s national team in the wake of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, perhaps no one expected that he would take such drastic measures to achieve it.
After all, the Stars and Stripes enjoyed a dreamy run this summer on home soil, even if it ended rather nightmarishly, with a 4–1 thrashing to Belgium in the round of 16. Perhaps it was that fateful Tuesday that convinced Pochettino there is still much work to be done.
