The U.S. men’s national team returned to the pitch for the first time since losing to Mexico in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final. Still, it continued to struggle, falling 2–0 to South Korea at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ.
LAFC forward Son Heung-min opened the scoring in the 19th minute and provided an assist on Lee Dong-gyeong’s 43rd-minute goal, making the most of playing against his former Tottenham Hotspur head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.
Although the match was sold out, it was primarily supported by South Koreans, creating a hostile environment for the USMNT despite being a home match.
With the loss, the USMNT fell to 10-0-7 under Pochettino, and also posted their seventh loss in their last eight matches against opponents ranked within the top 30 in the world.
Here are ’s takeaways from the match, before the USMNT turn their focus to Japan on Tuesday.
