USMNT Missed Key “Mentality” in Historic Loss to Canada

The United States men’s national soccer team faced a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Canada on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Interim coach Mikey Varas expressed concern regarding the players’ mentality following this historic loss, marking Canada’s second win over the USMNT on American soil in a span of 67 years.

“The mentality is on the players. They know it,” Varas conveyed to reporters. “We speak the truth to each other. I love those guys. But they know that mentality to fight, to run, and to sacrifice is something I can’t do for them. That responsibility lies with them.”

Varas admitted he could not pinpoint why the team failed to display the needed mentality during the match. “I’m not a psychologist, so I don’t know,” he said. “I felt that the training sessions were intense and aggressive. But when the game comes, you gotta get going. And the players are the ones that bring that. Coaches can only instill a certain mentality; the rest is on the players.”

This loss follows previous defeats to Panama and Uruguay at the Copa América, marking a troubling third consecutive loss for the U.S. team. This is the first time the team has experienced such a streak since 2015, when they lost to Brazil, Mexico, and Costa Rica. With a looming match against New Zealand on Tuesday in Cincinnati, the U.S. faces the threat of their first four-game losing streak since 2007.

Defender Chris Richards acknowledged the team’s shortcomings, stating, “All over the park today, our mentality just wasn’t quite there.” The comments came after the shift in coaching staff, with Varas stepping up from an assistant role following the firing of former coach Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter’s dismissal followed a poor showing at the Copa América, where the team made history by exiting the tournament at the group stage.

In front of a crowd of 10,523 at Children’s Mercy Park, Canada struck first in the 17th minute when Jacob Shaffelburg seized the opportunity after a pass from Tim Ream deflected off Johnny Cardoso. Jonathan David extended Canada’s lead in the 58th minute, capitalizing on a turnover by Ream in a dangerous position.

The U.S. managed to pull one back in the 66th minute when midfielder Luca de la Torre scored his first international goal. Reflecting on the match, de la Torre commented, “We just weren’t intense enough at times.”

Varas, still in a transitional phase following his promotion to head coach, admitted that he bears some responsibility for the loss. He expressed that his desire to implement new tactical ideas may have contributed to the confusion on the field. “I think with the ball, that’s on me,” he said. “I wanted to introduce some concepts, and after just three training sessions, you can never be sure how they will translate into the game. I asked a lot of them, and if there’s a goal against us, I take that responsibility. Both goals were my fault because when you don’t have enough time to work on tactics and want to play in a certain way, it creates confusion.”

He further explained that the clarity of his tactical ideas needed improvement. “Players need to take responsibility for the quality of their actions. The translation of the ideas wasn’t clear enough. You shouldn’t be static or just pass the ball for the sake of passing. The aim is to accelerate play as effectively as possible.”

Speculation surrounding Varas’s future as head coach is growing, with reports from ESPN suggesting that Mauricio Pochettino is set to become the new USMNT coach, with an official announcement expected soon.

Source: Associated Press