Alexi Lalas claims the USMNT’s CONCACAF Nations League debacle has seen them become "boring" while alarmingly hitting "rock bottom".
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Article continues below
Article continues below
- Uncomfortable questions after defeat to Panama
- Also came unstuck against Canada
- Far from ideal preparation ahead of 2026 World Cup
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The United States headed into the last four of another quest for continental glory confident that they could successfully defend a crown that they had captured across three previous editions of the competition. They have, however, endured a humbling fall from grace.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Defeat to Panama in the Nations League semi-finals led to uncomfortable questions being asked of head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his underperforming players. More of those have surfaced following a 2-1 loss to Canada in the third-place play-off.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Supposed star turns such as Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are facing accusations of not caring enough about results and performances at international level, leading to inconsistency creeping in just over a year out from a home World Cup in 2026.
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WHAT ALEXI LALAS SAID
Former USMNT star Lalas has told his podcast when assessing the Nations League flop, which followed a disastrous Copa America campaign in 2024: "I’m trying to stop myself from being numb and apathetic to this team. But, again, what we saw here was yet another uninspired performance, but also a boring performance.
"I cannot tell you the amount of people that after the first loss in this Nations League, to Panama, came up to me and said: ‘Do you they care?’ Talking about the players. Does this team even care? And many people were saying: ‘I don’t think they care’. What we saw against Canada, did absolutely nothing to dispel that. That is a problem. That is a problem for the players, that is a problem for Mauricio Pochettino, that is a problem for this national team."
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