When I wrote my Concacaf Nations League predictions last week, I expected the USA-Panama game to be a foregone conclusion. I kept thinking in my head that there was no way the United States could blow this game as long as nobody was sent off and they kept their cool.

Well, both of those things happened, but yet it was Panama who moved on into the finals. I knew what Twitter/X would look like before I opened up the app. Everyone either blamed Pochettino or the players. I don’t remember seeing a single fan on that app having a nuanced take on what has happened. 

Then, the third-place match against Canada happened, and once again, the USA underperformed and claimed fourth place in the Concacaf Nations League. Once again, everyone on social media started pointing fingers, and very few were willing to add a bit of context.

I’ll be the one to do it.

This squad has been battered by injuries. Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest aren’t here. Pepi and Balogun are absent. That’s four top-level players who were unavailable for these matches. Valuable pieces to the midfield depth were also out, and as a result, a lot of January camp players were called up in replacement. This wasn’t the USA’s best team. 

But even then, Pochettino, in my opinion, still held some of the blame, but not all of it. Some easy chances against Panama weren’t converted. Pochettino failed to address Panama’s ability to hit on the brake. It took a 94th-minute finish to see Panama through to the next round; they definitely did not dominate, as shown by their 0.70 xG to the USA’s 1.69.

So yes, the USA probably deserved to go through it, but they lacked the killer instinct. Against Canada, the team was deflated, and the result was a mediocre performance against a Canadian side that is in form despite their loss to Mexico.

The USA’s failure in this tournament doesn’t come down to one particular person or circumstance. Rather, it’s the combination of multiple factors that have hindered the national team for days, weeks, months, and even years that led to these results. 

It feels like these players take on national duty with the USA as a way to show off. It doesn’t feel like they play for the badge anymore, especially the ones who are in Europe.

Things will have to change quickly if they don’t want to continue this downward spiral towards the 2026 World Cup…