We’re still reeling from the USMNT’s humiliating 4-1 collapse against Belgium in its last World Cup game. Were the USA’s group stage performances just a mirage?

With the largest television audience in the U.S. Men’s National Team history, Mauricio Pochettino’s team failed to live up to the hype and in the process may have lost the millions of casual fans who jumped on the bandwagon.

As Herculez Gomez and Sebi Salazar break down in this episode, Americans love a winner but they really hate a loser. The Duel Nats crew address the biggest questions facing US Soccer after this summer. Who should be the man in charge if Pochettino steps down? Does Christian Pulisic need to be replaced as the face of the team? What other teams around the world should the USMNT look to for inspiration (Morocco? Norway?). It’s an honest, unsparing autopsy of this “golden generation” and a clear-eyed look at where the team goes from here.

***Episode recorded Thursday, July 9th, 2026***

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00:00 - USA: Success or Failure?

03:17 - Casual USA Fans Unhappy with this Team

08:58 - USMNT False Sense of Hope

11:49 - Did Pulisic Quit on the Team?

13:38 - USA Need a New Style of Play

20:48 - Should Poch Return for 2030?

25:07 - Is the USA's Golden Gen a Failure?

27:26 - Pulisic's National Team Legacy

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