MILFORD, Ohio — There were two plotlines playing out with the U.S. men’s national soccer team Monday morning, one pertaining to the alarming problems on the field and the other to the expected — but still unfinalized — plans to hire a new coach.
At a suburban Cincinnati training complex, the interim staff and two dozen players arrived for workouts ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against New Zealand — a lightweight affair that has suddenly taken on greater importance following a dreadful display against Canada on Saturday in Kansas City, Kan.
Meantime, U.S. Soccer Federation officials were continuing to work through the slow, multilayered process of hiring Mauricio Pochettino as head coach.