Latest news with #UnitedStatesMen'sNationalTeam
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
🎥 USMNT star Diego Luna on 'big balls', tattoos and opening a night club
As we wrote about earlier this season, Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna is quickly becoming a rising star both in MLS and for the United States Men's National Team. Praised by USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino for playing on after breaking his nose in a friendly with Costa Rica back in January, Luna's list of admirers is growing by the day and he'll be hoping to feature when the Stars and Stripes take on Switzerland in a friendly this Tuesday. Advertisement Ahead of the game, the 21-year-old caught up with MLS in 'Off The Ball' to get a new tattoo and talk about his recent success. Watch it here... Luna discussed the funny moment he found out about his big balls moment from Mauricio Pochettino coming out of surgery, 'I thought my robe was showing.' The 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year also touched on why he gets tattoos, how he balances his mental health, and his ultimate goal to open a night club. © Bailey Holiver-Imagn Images
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How exciting will the Gold Cup be without Christian Pulisic?
How exciting will the Gold Cup be without Christian Pulisic? | The Cooligans Yahoo Sports contributors Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros react to the United States Men's National Team's 27-player roster and debate whether or not it makes sense for Christian Pulisic to be absent. Hear the full conversation on the 'The Cooligans' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Us men's national team have released their 2027-man roster for the Gold Cup. Advertisement A lot of names missing. Christian Palii, not in it, not in it. Yeah, my man's taking a sabbatical. He got, he's in a hammock, bro. He's got his sunglasses on, flip flops, taking a break. I think apparently if, if he plays 49 more minutes this season, um, it will be the either the most amount of minutes. Played in his career or something like that. They're they're basically saying like, he's a lot of miles on them, got a lot of minutes logged and uh let's just we just kind of give him a break. It does kind of take away from this excitement of the Gold Cup because we're realistically not going to be seeing the best uh USMNT roster of available players. Advertisement The Club World Cup also takes away some of the players, but also being the last real. Competition before the World Cup, you'd want your a squad to get more minutes together and that the fact that that's not happening is a little bit upsetting, especially Christian Ballistic, just you're a leader, you're a captain, you know what I mean? So I kind of want you there. I get it. I get both perspectives. It's hard to be that, uh, harsh or critical about it because you also want him to be healthy at the healthy, and he's having the best run of form in his club career. You want that to continue. Maybe they're getting moved to a team that's in Champions League or at least be even more of a, of a leader at AC Milan. Advertisement So I get it, but it's the leading scorer at AC Milan, bro, can he be the leading scorer during the Gold Cup though? Yeah. The biggest issue about the 2026 World Cup is that we don't have very, we don't have meaningful games to play in to qualify for that World Cup because we automatically qualify. So now it's like getting. That energy and excitement, you know, chemistry, camaraderie, we need to build all of that. And also, to your point, you gotta find the, the fringe players that can either sneak into a more meaningful position or those players that can sneak into the fringe, you know what I mean, that can get themselves in that squad that can add depth, right? Advertisement So, uh, so look, I'm, I'm hoping it all works out for, for Plus, and we don't know if he ends up, uh, moving to a different club because that's also a real possibility, uh, but that's, uh, that's an option this summer, so he, I'm sure he has a lot going on.
CNN
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Mauricio Pochettino Pochettino hopes to build on challenging start as USA coach
It has not been the easiest start to life for Mauricio Pochettino as Head Coach for the United States Men's National Team as the Argentine would have envisaged. Results have been disappointing as the one year to go mark to the 2026 World Cup quickly approaches, a tournament which will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. At CNN's Techwood location recently in Atlanta, Poch sat down with TNT Sports' Melissa Ortiz to discuss a range of topics, starting with the importance of the team's upcoming friendly matches against Türkiye and Switzerland.
CNN
18-04-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Stars, stripes and unfulfilled potential: Clint Dempsey's concerns over the USMNT heading into its home World Cup
It has not been the easiest of times supporting the United States Men's National Team (USMNT) for former captain Clint Dempsey. After crashing out of the group stage at last summer's Copa América, the US was stunned by Panama at the CONCACAF Nations League and then lost to north-of-the-border rival Canada in the third-place match. Mauricio Pochettino's record since he took over the reins as head coach in September 2024 makes for difficult reading: five wins in eight matches with no draws and three defeats – those victories, though, coming against teams ranked well below the US in the FIFA rankings. So, how concerned is the ex-Premier League forward on a scale of one to 10? 'I'm probably like a six or seven right now' Dempsey tells CNN Sports. 'We're the first host country to not get out of Copa América in the group stage and the way that we lost CONCACAF Nations League (is concerning, but) I still believe in this team, and they have a lot of quality, and I think they can turn things around, especially with the coach Pochettino being in charge and what he did at Southampton and Tottenham.' While Dempsey has faith in the team's ability to get back on track, he recognizes some players might feel unsettled after the Argentine manager's recent interview where he revealed a desire to manage Spurs again one day. 'I'm not in the dressing room, but at the end of the day, like when I was growing up, my dream was always to represent my country, it didn't matter who the manager was. 'It is unfortunate that there might be question marks around (Pochettino), but at the end of the day, it's on the players to go out there and perform and represent their country and take pride in that,' Dempsey adds, speaking as an ambassador for American Airlines, an official partner of next year's World Cup. Joint USMNT top scorers Dempsey and Landon Donovan have not shied away from criticizing the current crop of players publicly. They've even gone so far as questioning squad members' commitment to the US badge. Dempsey recognizes his critiques come with an asterisk; the last time he played for the USMNT was a nightmare 2-1 loss to Trinidad and Tobago that resulted in the US failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1986. 'I've been a part of failures. I mean, 2018, we didn't qualify for the World Cup. It was a huge failure. It was a huge step backwards in the wrong direction, and all you can do is what the players did.' That failure triggered the influx of many of today's squad with only Christian Pulisic and Tim Ream remaining from the team that was humbled at the hands of the Caribbean nation. It was that wave of new talent and fresh faces that left some fans calling them 'The Baby Eagles.' The team now boasts a plethora of players who ply their trade at European clubs and who experienced the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup together. 'They fought hard. They qualified for the World Cup (in Qatar). They performed well in the last World Cup, got out of the group, and it looked like a team that was starting to build towards something. But since that World Cup, it looks like we've kind of taken another step back. 'There's been players who are doing really well in Europe. You got Antonee Robinson at Fulham, who's having a great season. You have Christian Pulisic, AC Milan, who's having a great season. You have players like Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. 'I want people to fight for each other. I want there to be competition for spots in the team and maybe things need to be shaken up a little bit in terms of who that starting 11 needs to be,' he tells CNN. While household names abound, the USMNT's historically deep squad no longer exists and a quick fix is difficult. 'I think when you look back at the history of US men's national team, you normally had a goalie that was playing consistently week in and week out in Europe, whether it was Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller or Tim Howard. That's not the case for us at the moment. '(Also) when you think back, we had a number 9 that was solidified (at) that position and could score goals. We don't really have that in our team at the moment.' While the Texas native hasn't been afraid to voice his concerns, he does, however, push back on the idea that Pulisic's captaincy is one of the problems. The AC Milan winger has increasingly faced scrutiny that he may not be the right type of leader for the Stars and Stripes. Former manager Gregg Berhalter preferred to rotate the captain's armband among a leadership group – something that came under scrutiny as performances dipped before his dismissal. And despite Pulisic's 'Captain America' nickname, Tyler Adams was ultimately named captain for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Dempsey, however, sees the merits in multiple locker-room leaders: 'I think the team is not just one person who is a leader. I think there's multiple people on that team that are leaders.' He compares the current debate to his experiences at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, saying, 'Tim Howard was on that team, and even though I was a captain, I saw him as one of the captains. He was one of the leaders as well, so it takes more than one captain to kind of step up and get everybody on track.' Despite lethargic performances against the likes of Panama, Canada and traditional rival Mexico, Dempsey believes the biggest problem facing the USMNT in the run-up to the 2026 World Cup is its strength of schedule. 'I mean, Copa América, that's a big competition… and no disrespect to the CONCACAF Nations League, but it's kind of a new tournament that's been made up in the last few years. 'I think the Nations League is kind of hurt. Around the world in terms of even, you know, the European Nations League, it's just the same teams playing each other over and over again. So (for) me as a fan, I think there would be more excitement around seeing other teams.' No need to start panicking yet, though, USMNT fans. Despite the laundry list of concerns – mentality and passion, Pochettino's potentially wandering eye, a lack of an elite goalkeeper and center forward, and the strength of opponents – Dempsey is adamant 'it's not all doom and gloom.' 'There's quality in the side; it's just getting the best out of them. And when your back's against the wall, just kind of fighting for each other.'
Daily Tribune
25-03-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Pochettino Confident USMNT Has Time to Improve Before 2026 World Cup
TDT | Manama Mauricio Pochettino remains optimistic about the United States Men's National Team's (USMNT) future despite back-to-back defeats in the Concacaf Nations League. After a disappointing 2-1 loss to Canada in the third-place match on Sunday, the Argentine coach assured fans that there is still ample time to make the necessary adjustments ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The defeat against Canada followed a shocking 1-0 semifinal loss to Panama, raising concerns about the team's preparedness under Pochettino's leadership. However, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur manager, who took charge of the USMNT after leaving the Premier League last May, dismissed any long-term pessimism. "It's better to lose now because we have time," Pochettino stated. "If we were in this situation a year from now, for sure, I'd tell you, 'Houston, we have a problem. SOS.'" Despite the recent struggles, Pochettino emphasized his belief in the squad's potential and refused to allow negativity to creep in. "We are all disappointed, and the fans should feel that. But I won't let pessimism take over because I think we have good players. We will find a way to perform, and for sure, we will compete differently." With the 2026 World Cup set to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, expectations are high for the American squad to deliver on home soil. Their next opportunity for redemption comes in June, when they will host Turkey and Switzerland in a pair of friendly matches aimed at fine-tuning their squad. As the countdown to the World Cup continues, all eyes will be on Pochettino to see if he can turn potential into results on the grandest stage.
