
The U.S. men’s national team is in a tough spot after losing 2–0 to South Korea to open the September international window, and face a massive challenge against No. 17-ranked Japan on Tuesday.
Since Mauricio Pochettino took over as head coach, the USMNT has not beaten a team ranked higher than 35th in the FIFA rankings, and grabbing a result from a Japanese side that has already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be challenging.