Boss Pochettino backs US despite loss to Canada

Mauricio Pochettino called for patience on Sunday after the United States slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Canada, insisting there was still time to turn things around ahead of next year’s World Cup. 

After an abject CONCACAF Nations League semi-final loss to Panama on Thursday, Pochettino had called on his team to show greater urgency and take more risks in Sunday’s third place game against Canada. 

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But those pleas appeared to have fallen on deaf ears judging by another lackluster display from Pochettino’s side, who failed to take a single shot — on or off target — in the opening half-hour at SoFi Stadium. 

It marked another dispiriting performance from the 2026 World Cup co-hosts, who will return to the same venue on June 12 next year for their opening game of the tournament. 

Pochettino is confident that by then his side will be in much better shape. “There’s a lot of examples in different years of teams that were building to play in a World Cup that were not good until they arrived at the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “So I want to send a message to the fans ‘Don’t be pessimistic, don’t get bad feelings’. It can happen. But the main objective is the World Cup,” the Argentine added.

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