The USMNT is a mess. That's the price of the U.S. becoming a 'soccer country' - ESPN

Even with two wins to start the Concacaf Gold Cup, it appears the U.S. men's national team is in crisis.

Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson and Yunus Musah have already asked out of the Gold Cup. A trio of other potential or likely starters, Gio Reyna of Borussia Dortmund, and Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah of Juventus, didn't participate because of the Club World Cup. Then, both Monaco's Folarin Balogun and PSV's Sergiño Dest — perhaps the two players with the highest ceiling-raising potential in the player pool — aren't on the U.S. roster because of injuries.

This was supposed to be the USMNT's last chance to test itself in competitive matches before next summer's World Cup — and a chance to right the wrongs of the 1-0 Nations League loss to Panama. Without something like 80% or 90% of the expected starting lineup next summer, it could have transformed into an opportunity for some fringe players to make a case to play a bigger role in Mauricio Pochettino's plans once the matches matter again.

But then came the friendlies against Switzerland and Turkey: two losses, by a combined score of 6-1, against two teams the U.S. needs to be better than if it seeks a deep run in 2026.

It wasn't just that the U.S. lost these matches — it was what the losses signified. This was a group of players that didn't appear to care. The play was uninspired, as was the attitude of the team's stars.

Former USMNT star Landon Donovan ripped Pulisic's commitment to the national team. Pulisic's dad responded by screenshotting a conversation he had with ChatGPT. The AC Milan star told Donovan to say it to his face and revealed that he had asked Pochettino if he could play in the two friendlies and then skip the Gold Cup. This led to Pochettino