Mauricio Pochettino can hold his head high after seeing his U.S. men's national team's performance against Türkiye, but silver linings and positives to draw from don't overwrite the unwanted history he made on Saturday losing three matches in a row.
Things started so well for the U.S. men’s national team on Saturday afternoon, with Jack McGlynn giving his side a 1–0 lead in the opening minute.
It didn’t last long, though.
The USMNT walked away with a 2–1 loss against Turkey, with the UEFA side capitalizing on the American mistakes on a rainy afternoon in East Hartford, Connecticut.
Arda Güler and Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored in less than 2:30 to turn a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 lead for the visitors, but the loss had much further ramifications.
Another moment for that @JackMcGlynn7 goal 😍#USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/uFVR6lKsC1
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 7, 2025
With less than 370 days to go until next year’s World Cup, the USMNT dropped three games in a row for the second time in less than a calendar year.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino became the first head coach to drop three matches in a row in 10 years, with Jürgen Klinsmann the last to do it in 2015.
Saturday’s loss followed a 2–1 defeat to Canada in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League third place match and a 1–0 loss to Panama in the Nations League semifinal back in March.
Previously, the USMNT dropped games to Panama and Uruguay in the 2024 Copa América group stage, before losing to Canada in a friendly. However, those matches were split between previous head coach Gregg Berhalter and interim head coach Mikey Varas.
For Pochettino, it brought his record with the USMNT to 5-0-4, as he struggles to create a winning environment ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup, the second to be held on American soil.
Looking to Avoid Further History
With key European-based players, including Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, out of the USMNT for the entire summer, finding improvement could be challenging for Pochettino’s side. However, there were bright spots in Saturday’s performance in a lineup filled mainly by MLS standouts.
“For the first time for a few camps, there were more positives than negatives,” midfielder Tyler Adams said, as one of the few European players to have joined for this summer’s friendlies and Concacaf Gold Cup. “I think we have a lot of room for growth. If you asked me in March, I would say that we were far away, but after a performance like that, there's a lot more positives that we can take away.”
The U.S. will hope to focus on those positives on Tuesday when it takes on Switzerland in another friendly, aiming to avoid a fourth straight loss—a dismal mark not achieved since a five-game losing streak in 2007 against Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Sweden, and Brazil.
After facing Switzerland, the USMNT move onto the Gold Cup group stage to take on Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Latest USMNT Setback Brings Pochettino's Record to Historic Low.