"I'm old. In fact, I'm old enough to remember when the U.S. men's national team crashed out against Mexico in the Gold Cup final without much of a fight. I'm old enough to remember when, earlier in that same tournament, a succession of wins from a mostly MLS-based roster had some commentators wondering if these players just wanted it more than their fancy teammates over in the Champions League."
"I'm old enough to remember when every former USMNT member with a podcast melted down because a handful of Europe-based players declined a call-up for the Gold Cup. I'm old enough to remember when, a couple months before that, the fanbase melted down after the USMNT were eliminated by Panama in the Nations League after winning three straight Nations Leagues under the previous managerial regime."
The U.S. men's national team and its fanbase experienced extreme swings in results and reactions over the past 18 months. The team lost the Gold Cup final to Mexico, produced surprising wins with an MLS-based roster, and suffered heavy defeats to Turkey and Switzerland. Fans and former players publicly reacted to Europe-based players declining Gold Cup call-ups and to elimination by Panama in the Nations League. The program replaced Gregg Berhalter with Mauricio Pochettino. A recent 5-1 win over Uruguay resulted largely from exceptional finishing, fortunate bounces, and poor goalkeeping. With seven months before the World Cup, injuries, emergent players, club-form changes, and misleading match results are likely.
Read at ESPN.com
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