Christian Pulisic and Mauricio Pochettino struggle to reverse course: USMNT’s faces shocking FIFA slide post-CONCACAF Nations League exit with World Cup looming

The USMNT looks increasingly like a project veering off course, just as the clock begins to tick louder towards the 2026 World Cup. Yet, things are going very wrong — and not just on the pitch.

It was supposed to be a reset for the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT). A world-class manager in Mauricio Pochettino, a leader in Christian Pulisic entering his prime, and a golden generation ready to take the final step. Instead, the team looks increasingly like a project veering off course — just as the clock begins to tick louder toward 2026.

Milan‘s best performing player this season stood alone near the halfway line, hands on his hips, eyes fixed on the turf. Around him, Canadian players celebrated their third-place medal like it meant more than it should have. It wasn’t the hardware that stung for Pulisic and the Stars and Stripes — it was what it symbolized: a team that once led the region, now quietly slipping behind.

This wasn’t supposed to be the story, though. When the Argentine boss was unveiled as the new head coach, expectations skyrocketed. A manager with a UEFA Champions League final on his resume, a golden generation of players nearing their primes, and a home FIFA World Cup in 2026 promised a thrilling new era. But with the CONCACAF Nations League Finals ending in failure and just a year until the sport’s biggest stage arrives on American soil, questions are starting to drown out the optimism.

What followed was a chilling realization that the setbacks extend far beyond the Nations League itself. The FIFA Rankings — rarely a hot topic among players or fans — now tell a story that’s impossible to ignore.

Painful free fall from grace even off the field

It wasn’t until well after the matches that the real consequence became clear. When the next FIFA World Rankings are made official on April 2, the U.S. will slide to 19th, the team’s lowest position since before the pandemic, it’s been suggested.

But it’s not just the global picture that is worrying. For the first time since the CONCACAF national team index was introduced in 2018, the US has slid to fourth regionally, overtaken by Mexico, Canada, and even Panama — a team the Americans had previously dismissed as inferior.

The collapse felt particularly jarring because it was supposed to be different under Pochettino. His arrival was seen as a coup — a Champions League finalist entrusted with fine-tuning the nation’s most talented generation in decades. Instead, the identity has grown murky, the defense brittle, and the attack misfiring when it matters most.

No one felt that more than Christian Pulisic, who looked visibly frustrated during both outings. Gone was the confident, free-flowing talisman who had dragged his team through previous Nations League finals. In his place stood a player searching for answers, definitive rest, and most likely, less weight on his shoulders.

Rivals smell blood and skip the UMSNT

While the U.S. stumbled, Mexico pounced. Under the seasoned leadership of Javier Aguirre, El Tri secured its first Nations League title, winning both matches and pocketing a crucial boost of confidence heading into a pivotal year. Their FIFA rise, leaping ahead of the U.S., was fueled not just by points but by belief.

Senegal and Iran, too, capitalized on their own opportunities. Both nations will now sit ahead of Pochettino and his players in the rankings, a psychological blow more than a logistical one. The USMNT, stuck on 1,645.48 points, has watched others simply do what they could not — win. Thus, the sense of supremacy, especially in CONCACAF, seems to have eroded.

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