KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the coming hours or days, there is a very good chance the U.S. Soccer Federation will finally name Mauricio Pochettino as the men’s national soccer team coach, ending a multilayered process lasting many weeks.
It could not come at a better time.
In the first match since the Copa América debacle resulted in a coaching void, the Americans on Saturday performed like a team in desperate need of direction, inspiration and fresh ideas. A paltry crowd witnessed mishaps and inattention as Canada — a regional rival but hardly a world power — displayed far greater cohesion and ambition in a 2-1 victory over the flailing Americans at Children’s Mercy Park.