USMNT vs. Switzerland: Key takeaways from an alarming loss

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United States Men's National Team fell 4-0 to Switzerland in a chastening defeat Tuesday  that erased all the goodwill it earned from its close-run match against Turkey earlier this week. All four of Switzerland's goals came within the first 40 minutes, and all four came from simple, utterly avoidable USMNT mistakes.

This match was meant to be the USMNT's grand send-off before the Concacaf Gold Cup, but it quickly changed from a party to an emergency as goal after goal proved just how unprepared the USMNT is for its continental competitors.

Take nothing away from Switzerland: The nati were perfection, and they more than earned their win. (The Swiss national team is ranked 20th in the world and should probably be a good deal higher.) Teenager Johan Manzambi, the winger from Freiburg, looked especially stellar.

Here are the key takeaways from a bad night at the office for the USMNT:

Defensive communication is a big problem

The USMNT is trying out many different defensive combinations in the run-up to the World Cup, as well it should — Mauricio Pochettino is wise to experiment during friendlies like this one in hopes of finding his best back line for 2026. We can probably all agree, however, that the USMNT's best back line isn't the one it fielded against Switzerland. Nathan Harriel, Mark McKenzie, Walker Zimmerman and Max Arfsten just couldn't get things together. 

“We need to take the pressure off them,” Pochettino said of his players in the post-match news conference. “It was my decision and my fault.”

Their issue? Communication. All four of Switzerland's first-half goals came from minor messaging failures between the USMNT's back line. For Dan Ndoye's goal, they were simply too high; for Michel Aebischer's, they failed to spot the marauding Johan Manzambi on the far right flank. For Breel Embolo's, they didn't cover their goalkeeper; for Johan Manzambi's, they just didn't do anything, period. It was a damning night for the USMNT's back line.

All hope is not lost, though. When the USMNT put in its heartening performance against Turkey a few days ago, it leveraged Alex Freeman and Chris Richards in place of Harriel and Zimmerman — and that back line looked considerably more composed. If there's any positive to take away from how the USMNT performed in goal against Switzerland, it's that it highlighted just how valuable Freeman and Richards are to the team. Pochettino won't drop those two again.

The USMNT needs to bulk up

Full-back Max Arfsten and winger Brenden Aaronson combined for some slick moves on the left flank in the opening moments of the first half, but both players were continually muscled off the ball by Switzerland's well-drilled defenders. For all the USMNT's sins in the past, it was never a frail team; it could always go toe-to-toe with the best when it came to brawn. Not anymore. The USMNT looked like it had trained for a completely different sport than the Swiss. Some of this was due to inexperience — the USMNT lineup featured several developing players in their early 20s — but inexperience only justifies so much.

Diego Luna remains a bright spot in a sea of darkness

The USMNT was never going to overturn its 4-0 halftime deficit, but when 21-year-old Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake trotted onto the field, he played like a turnaround was fully within his reach. Luna was the only USMNT player who seemed utterly unbothered by the scoreline. He went in for every challenge like it could make or break the game — and for a USMNT fandom that doesn't have much to cheer for, that kind of bold, unruffled commitment is exactly what the team needs to show.

The USMNT will open its Gold Cup tournament against Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, June 15 at 6 p.m. ET in San Jose, California.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.