GOAL writers discuss the USMNT’s Nations League disappointment, and where the program goes next after a miserable weekSo, there goes the USMNT’s footballing hopes for the forseeable future. That’s it. Program done. World Cup lost. Move on to 2030, or even 2034, because 2026, on home soil, is a lost cause.Of course, that’s all hyperbole.The USMNT had a very bad week. But there will be some good ones, too. International football exists on a knife edge. There are seldom gray areas to be found. Still, it’s hard to spin back-to-back losses to Panama and Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League with much optimism.Indeed, USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino comes out of this whole thing with more questions than answers. He still doesn’t really know what his best XI is, or which configuration of footballers should start on day one of the 2026 World Cup – he has more than 400 days to figure that out, but the clock is ticking. And with this summer’s Gold Cup likely yielding a depleted squad because of the simultaneous Club World Cup, he is facing a long wait before he is able to put his best side on the pitch.So what can be learned here? Did anyone impress? Has anyone played their way out of the squad? Did Gio Reyna, Diego Luna and others help – or hurt – their cases? A word, too, for Mexico and Canada. El Tri are back at the top after winning Nations League for the first time. A good Mexico is probably good for world football. Canada boss Jesse Marsch will be disappointed that his side lost in the semifinals, but can take joy from a second straight win over the U.S.There’s a lot to analyze, and GOAL US writers break it all down in the latest edition of… The Rondo.
