Alexi Lalas was just one of many former USMNT players who did not hold back his criticism of the Stars and Stripes' embarrassing performances against Panama and Canada.
The U.S. men's national team came into the March international break looking to win its first trophy under Mauricio Pochettino. The current USMNT squad, often heralded as the "golden generation" of American soccer players, had its sights set on lifting its fourth straight Concacaf Nations Cup.
Then, they suffered a shocking 0–1 defeat to Panama in the semifinals and a 2–1 defeat to Canada just three days later in the third place match. From Pochettino's perplexing substitutions to the USMNT's lifeless attack, the Stars and Stripes drew plenty of criticism from Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Lalas.
“I cannot tell you the amount of people that after the first loss in this Nations League, to Panama, came up to me and said: ‘Do you they care?’ Talking about the players. Does this team even care?" said Lalas following the USMNT's defeat the Reds.
"And many people were saying: ‘I don’t think they care,'" he continued. "What we saw against Canada, did absolutely nothing to dispel that. That is a problem. That is a problem for the players, that is a problem for Mauricio Pochettino, that is a problem for this national team."
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“This, I think, is rock bottom. You can only go up. This puts even more pressure and onus, and I guess an opportunity if you look at it, this summer when it comes to the Gold Cup for this team. Winning the Gold Cup has been done many, many times, so winning the Gold Cup is nothing necessarily to celebrate except on the heels of this complete disaster and failure in Nations League it is an absolute must relative to 2026," the former USMNT player said.
Lalas's assessment echoes Donovan's sentiments following the match. The USMNT'S all-time leading goalscorer said, "I’m so sick of hearing how 'talented' this group of players is and all the amazing clubs they play for. If you aren’t going to show up and actually give a s--- about playing for your national team, decline the invite. Talent is great, pride is better."
The USMNT's setback in the Concacaf Nations League comes after the squad crashed out of Copa América 2024 in the group stage. The team failed to show up on home soil last summer and now again, they could not muster a single result in the two biggest matches of Pochettino's early tenure.
The Stars and Stripes looked uninspired in both matches despite having a squad full of players excelling in Europe. Sure, the USMNT missed Antonee Robinson on the left flank, but its inability to even get on the scoresheet against Panama sounded alarm bells ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Before the FIFA World Cup comes to the United States, though, the USMNT must compete in the Gold Cup this summer. As it stands, the Stars and Stripes have a mountain to climb if they want to compete with Mexico, who are now the reigning Gold Cup and Concacaf Nations League champions.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alexi Lalas Buries USMNT, Mauricio Pochettino for Hitting 'Rock Bottom' After Concacaf Nations League.
