The United States men’s national team’s summer of experimentation has been extended all the way to the fall equinox, and on Saturday evening against South Korea, so too did the disappointing results. The 2-0 loss against the Taeguk Warriors on a steamy and damp evening at Sports Illustrated Stadium may have provided US head coach Mauricio Pochettino with valuable new insights about his additions to the US player pool, as he said was his goal for this international window. It may have confirmed pre-conceived theories about which players from an MLS-heavy roster can make the step up to the international level. It may have done none of those things. Whichever way, it certainly served as a continuation of a malaise for a team that desperately needs to break out of its slump just 279 days before hosting the first game of a home World Cup that is meant to be transformative.
There was no such malaise for South Korea, even with head coach Hong Myung-bo under heavy criticism at home for the team’s recent stale performances. The capacity crowd in Harrison, New Jersey certainly had something to do with that apparent rejuvenation, with the vast majority cheering for the visitors – a fact that may appear surprising until you consider the town is just down the way from Fort Lee, home to a growing South Korean diaspora. The nation’s traditional “Daehan minguk” chants broke out more than 20 minutes before kickoff, and continued throughout as wild cheers accompanied every thrust from Hong’s counterattacking side.
