Mauricio Pochettino can hold his head high after seeing his U.S. men's national team's performance against Türkiye, but silver linings and positives to draw from don't overwrite the unwanted history he made on Saturday losing three matches in a row.
Things started so well for the U.S. men’s national team on Saturday afternoon, with Jack McGlynn giving his side a 1–0 lead in the opening minute.
It didn’t last long, though.
The USMNT walked away with a 2–1 loss against Turkey, with the UEFA side capitalizing on the American mistakes on a rainy afternoon in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored in less than 2:30 to turn a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 lead for the visitors, but the loss had much further ramifications.
With less than 370 days to go until next year’s World Cup, the USMNT dropped three games in a row for the second time in less than a calendar year.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino became the first head coach to drop three matches in a row in 10 years, with Jürgen Klinsmann the last to do it in 2015.
Saturday’s loss followed a 2–1 defeat to Canada in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League third place match and a 1–0 loss to Panama in the Nations League semifinal back in March.
Previously, the USMNT dropped games to Panama and Uruguay in the 2024 Copa América group stage, before losing to Canada in a friendly. However, those matches were split between previous head coach Gregg Berhalter and interim head coach Mikey Varas.
For Pochettino, it brought his record with the USMNT to 5-0-4, as he struggles to create a winning environment ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup, the second to be held on American soil.
