USMNT legends, Thierry Henry and more react to USA soccer’s 2-1 defeat to Canada in Concacaf Nations League

The United States men’s national team have hit a new low after losing to Canada in the Concacaf Nations League third-place game. This is the first time that they haven’t won this tournament in its history after Mexico captured their first Concacaf Nations League title on Sunday night with a 2-1 win over Panama.

The USMNT have now lost three of their last five non-January camp matches and with the Gold Cup looming during the summer, the pressure is building both on players and coach Mauricio Pochettino to perform. But as the disappointment grows, so do the murmurs around the team. The reaction went from calling for more time, asking for support for the team to even anger from former national team players.

From USMNT legends like Landon Donovan to current players like Christian Pulisic, there were plenty of reactions from Sunday’s loss, so let’s take a look at some of them.

Mauricio Pochettino 

Following the match, Pochettino spoke about what he’s building with the USMNT and that it could take time to deliver a message to fans.

“I’ve seen some times that teams that were building to play in the World Cup, they were not good until around the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “I want to send a message to the fans, don’t be pessimistic and don’t get bad feelings.”

Pochettino went on to say that the context would be much different if this was how the team was performing just before the World Cup.

“I think we have time because if we will be today in this situation in one year time, for sure, I will tell you, ‘Houston, we have a problem,’ no?” Pochettino said. 

“You will see in one year, if we’re talking about that, it’s because we have a big problem and we were not capable to discover, to try design a better strategy to provide to the team the capacity to play in a different way. I think we have time and I prefer that that happened today than [you] know, in one year.”

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry, Arsenal legend and CBS Sports talent, echoed that there is worry growing ahead of the World Cup in 2026. While some notable players such as Antonee Robinson, Sergino Dest and Folarin Balogun weren’t available for this window, these performances weren’t good enough in must-win matches, prompting Henry to say the following:

Landon Donovan

When this has been previously hailed as a golden generation despite not having experienced major World Cup success, former players like Donovan want to see the team show up and fight for the badge. The retired former U.S. star did not hold back.

“I’m so sick of hearing how ‘talented’ this group of players is and all the amazing clubs they play for. If you aren’t going to show up and actually give a s!%* about playing for your national team, decline the invite. Talent is great, pride is better,” Donovan wrote. 

Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey, CBS Sports talent, didn’t mince words calling this international window a failure as discontent grows. Like Donovan, it’s about fighting for the badge and the team giving maximum effort when they wear the shirt.

“No matter how you looked at it, it was going to be a failure … When I was on the field, I gave you everything I had,” Dempsey said.

Christian Pulisic

While star Christian Pulisic didn’t see much of the ball facing Canada, he did captain the side during the game. Following the match, he spoke about the need to bounce back with big tournaments upcoming to build momentum but also reflected on what leading the USMNT means to him.

“This team is everything to me. I care so much for this team and for this country,” Pulisic said. “I hope people know that about me, it’s truly an honor. So anytime that I get to do it and lead this country, it means a lot to me.”

Taylor Twellman 

There are plenty of questions around the whole landscape of U.S. Soccer that Taylor Twellman begins to poke at while also wondering if this team would fail to qualify for the expanded World Cup if they had to, similarly miss out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also raised some of his own questions.

Jozy Altidore

As someone who has been through some struggles with the USMNT, Jozy Altidore asks for support for the squad. The disappointment is understandable but fan support also goes a long way at the international level.