The US Men’s National Team had a rough summer. The first team led by already-sacked Gregg Berhalter endured a poor exit within the group stages of the Copa America 2024. Weeks later, though their U23s managed to survive till the Paris Olympics quarter-finals, they were sent home in a crushing manner. While it left yet another trauma inside USMNT players and fans, Christian Pulisic believes the team will be ‘back‘ in no time.

To remind you, 4-0 was the scoreline that saw Marko Mitrović-led team get thrashed by a fiery Morroco at Parc des Princes on August 2. Of course, it’s no acceptable defeat as the Star and Stripes looked lost throughout the game. However, Pulisic believes it’s a part of the process as they look to bounce back from all kinds of setbacks. “Obviously, it’s a difficult score line, tough to take, but we’re going to be back so I’m not concerned. We’ll be okay,” said the USMNT skipper while speaking to OneFootball.

Notably, Mitrović and Co. kept the wrong foot in the summer games, enduring a 3-0 beating from hosts France in the opening group stage fixture. Nevertheless, they were lucky enough to clinch victories in the remaining two matches, a 4-1 win over New Zealand followed by a 3-0 win over Guinea. A second-place finish with six points in Group A saw them make it to the last eight, where sadly, their journey came to an end.

Morocco was eventually knocked out by Spain in the semifinals. Subsequently, France also made it to the final by defeating Egypt. The third-place match saw Moroccans clinch a bronze medal as they thrashed Egypt 6-0. Meanwhile, Theirry Henry-led French side lost the final 5-3 at the hands of Spain.

Though, remarkably, USA U23s at least made it to the knockout stages, much more was expected from the American boys. Regardless, it remains to be seen if the US Men’s National Team is successful in keeping Christian Pulsic’s word. For now, they seem to be deeply involved in the hunt for their new manager.

Pochettino agrees to lead Christian Pulsic and Co. toward resurgence

Following a poor Copa America display, Gregg Berhalter was sacked by the US Soccer Federation. Since then, the position has been vacant with a lot of names on the table to sit on the manager’s chair. However, now, Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to take on the role.

It all started with Jurgen Klopp, who rejected the job by expressing his desire to continue his managerial sabbatical. Further names like LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo and Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy were also linked for the job. Yet, it didn’t go any further than that. Just like Klopp, other big names like Thierry Henry, Gareth Southgate, Mauricio Pochettino, and Herve Renard were also backed to succeed Berhalter. In the meantime, focus intensified on Hoffenheim boss Pellegrino Matarazzo.

But here also, the USSF faced rejection from the American tactician. In short, the hunt to find a replacement for Berhalter hasn’t been good until they found Pochettino. Maybe we could give credit to Team USA for taking time and carefully selecting their next coach. However, in less than two years remain for the US Men’s National Team to host the 2026 World Cup. This makes it even more important for them to show their best. Failure to do so will again see them in hot waters. Will Poch be able to turn the tides?