As if it couldn’t get any worse for the United States Men’s National team, now rival teams are commenting on their recent downfalls. 

Canada’s USA-born manager, Jesse Marsch, told the media on Thursday that none of his players wanted to miss the Gold Cup.

“Not one guy called me and said, ‘Coach, it’s been a long year, maybe I don’t come.’ Marsch said, “Not even close to that conversation.”

These comments follow USA captain Christian Pulisic’s reveal that he did not join the USA for their two recent friendlies because he did not want to participate in the Gold Cup. 

It seems like the national team did need his star power, as the team lost both of their games to Switzerland and Türkiye. In the case of the Switzerland game, the team lost in an embarrassing 4-0 fashion. 

However, Pulisic is not the only star from the USMNT not on the roster, and some of that has to do with the Club World Cup taking place at the same time. 

Players like Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are both on a team competing in this summer’s tournament. Other star players, such as Florian Balogun, Segeino Dest, and Yunus Musah, are recovering from injuries. 

Now the star-less team is just two days away from the start of the Gold Cup, and optimism couldn’t be any lower. 

The USMNT is preparing for its first match on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has been under pressure due to his team’s rather lackluster results. 

In his coaching tenure with the USMNT, he has a record of 5-5. 

If the USA is eliminated from the Gold Cup early, many questions will be raised about Pochettino’s leadership, as the World Cup, hosted in the USA, is just one year away. 

If there were a time for the stars and stripes to turn the corner, it would be now.