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Our latest check-in with U.S. Hall of Famer Tab Ramos on the USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino era comes with one year left before the USA plays in the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
The USA has just lost home friendlies to Turkey (2-1) and Switzerland (4-0). It kicks off Gold Cup play on Sunday against Trinidad & Tobago. The 16-team tournament will be Pochettino’s second official competition at the U.S. helm after finishing fourth (and last) in the Concacaf Nations League finals last March.
SOCCER AMERICA: What was your reaction to seeing Switzerland take apart the USMNT?
TAB RAMOS: Any team can have a bad performance and, at times, an embarrassing loss but in this case, these two teams did not belong on the same field.
It took me all the way back to when we lost to Czechoslovakia (5-1) in the 1990 World Cup. I cannot think of any other loss in our history that looked like this.
SA: What did you think about Mauricio Pochettino saying “I’m the guilty one here” after the loss to Switzerland?
TAB RAMOS: I think he is saying the right things. He picked the team and the tactics.
As a coach you can never blame the players publicly. You should always know what you are getting into. He decided to accept the challenge of winning with what we have. My two seasons in Houston [with MLS’s Dynamo] were extremely difficult. I knew and accepted they would be and thought I would overcome all obstacles.
SA: While watching the game, were you surprised by his approach?
TAB RAMOS: It was tough to watch, we were just inferior in every area. Probably the new MLS NEXT Quality of Play Ranking System can give the team a better grade for passing, possession and final-third actions in the second half when the game did not matter and Switzerland stopped playing. I can’t.
SA: The USA’s performance against Turkey?
TAB RAMOS: The speed of play at the beginning was good, the players’ movement off the ball was also good. The team looked ready to compete. Credit goes to the coach for that.
It was an encouraging start, but the U.S. national team program has been in such decline for the last six or seven years, that when we give up a goal there is rarely a reaction. Heads are down immediately. The first couple of years we could blame it on how young the team was, but that card can no longer be played
SA: Was there anything positive you saw from the USMNT games against Turkey and Switzerland?
TAB RAMOS: It’s always nice to see young players trying to break through. I enjoy that.
Unfortunately, it’s probably not the right time for so many of them to be on the field at one time.
As a player you have to take advantage of every opportunity, but at this level it is almost unfair to all of them. There is too much responsibility right now.
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SA: Any players who raised their stock?
TAB RAMOS: Jack McGlynn’s goal cannot be forgotten, I know he has been working on being more effective on the attacking third and that certainly helps. In the end, he is more of a No. 8 [box-to-box central midfielder] than he is a wide player, but his left foot is a weapon from distance. He needs to continue to improve to help the team. I’m sure he will.
SA: What are you looking for during the Gold Cup?
TAB RAMOS: We all need a bounce-back after this. The team is better than this. Even if it is against weaker teams, I hope we get some consistency moving in the right direction. Fans are tired. We are all tired of not seeing the team back to the way it was 10-15 years ago.
SA: Your thoughts on the veteran players who aren’t in camp?
TAB RAMOS: Christian Pulisic and Antonee Robinson are the best players. It would be ideal for them to lead the way in every camp because we are getting closer to the World Cup and we don’t have a defined starting 11. But I understand that not every camp has the same importance.
SA: Is there a positive of not having foreign-based stars for the Gold Cup?
TAB RAMOS: I don’t think it matters where players come from. As a national team, we need to have the best available players in camp for all competitions. When some can’t make it, others need to step up. The January camp was created to give opportunities and see new players.
SA: Have you thought about any comparisons between the 1994 World Cup team you played on under Bora Milutinovic to Pochettino’s — both imported coaches — and how they steered the USMNT? For example the use of foreign-based players (of which you were one)?
TAB RAMOS: At the time, I mostly came in for important games so I was not involved in the full lead-up. For the 1994 World Cup, I came in about four to five weeks before, as did Eric Wynalda, John Harkes, etc., so I did not get to know Bora well until he coached me in MLS many years later.
The players who were based in the U.S. were getting 25-30 caps per year because some did not have contracts with clubs. They would understand the dynamic better.
SA: Do you see a way in which this U.S team, its players, can inspire the nation to get enthusiastic about supporting it at next summer’s World Cup?
TAB RAMOS: I think that the fans will be excited to support the team next summer in the World Cup. It will be an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience for them regardless of where the team is at that moment. They will be ready.
SA: Did you and your teammates know it was one year and a few days ahead of the 1994 World Cup kickoff — and consider that an important milestone — when you beat England, 2-0, on June 9, 1993? You assisted on the goals by Thomas Dooley and Alexi Lalas …
TAB RAMOS: I don’t recall thinking that but I do recall thinking that we are going to be a very tough out for teams the following summer. We were growing, getting better year after year, and that England win was a big one.
SA: Do you have any significant memories about how things were for you and your U.S. teammates one year out of playing as a World Cup host team?
TAB RAMOS: The excitement was starting to build, stadiums were getting fuller and we were playing some of the best teams in the world.
SA: In my recent interview with Tony Meola, he made the obvious suggestion that you should be part of the USMNT coaching staff. Have you had any communication with Pochettino?
TAB RAMOS: I wish the current team had Tony in goal. We would be able to forget many of the mistakes players make as he would bail them out as he did for us for many years. As far as me being involved, I think it’s too late. There aren’t many competitive games remaining after this summer.
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