USMNT’s Mauricio Pochettino and Canada’s Jesse Marsch sidestep politics ahead of Nations League semifinals

Hey there! The Concacaf Nations League semifinals are upon us, with the U.S. men’s national team’s showdown with Panama kicking things off on Thursday before Canada’s clash with Mexico. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest as the 2026 World Cup host nations gear up for a big week.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Wednesday, March 19
UWCL: Wolfsburg vs. Barcelona, 1:45 p.m. DAZN
UWCL: Manchester City vs. Chelsea, 4 p.m. DAZN

Thursday, March 20
UNL: Netherlands vs. Spain, 3:45 p.m. FS1
CNL: USMNT vs. Panama, 7 p.m. Paramount+
WCQ: Brazil vs. Colombia, 8:45 p.m. Fubo
CNL: Canada vs. Mexico, 10:30 p.m. Paramount+

The Forward Line

Coaches stick to soccer at CNL Finals

The new geopolitical realities of the United States took center stage at Tuesday’s pre-match press conferences at SoFi Stadium, where the head coaches of the U.S. men’s national team, Canada and Panama said they would not use regional conflicts as motivation ahead of this week’s games.

The pivot to soccer comes amidst new tensions between the U.S. and Panama, who will face off on Thursday in the semifinals, as well as the USMNT’s potential opponents in either Sunday’s third place match or final, Canada and Mexico. USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino argued that politics could not be part of the team’s preparation for this week’s matches, a sentiment that was generally echoed by his counterparts.

• Pochettino: “I think motivation cannot be from different political problems, diplomatic problems, that we cannot be involved in. Players cannot be involved in there, cannot think in there. We need to play for us. … We need to play for our country – but always on the pitch. Trying to be better, to beat the opponent, and I think it’s a big mistake if we talk about politics, because I think people are not waiting for us to talk in this way.”

Canada’s Jesse Marsch, meanwhile, toned things down after making headlines last month for his rebuke of U.S. president Donald Trump’s “51st state” rhetoric. Though he admitted his players were aware of the political tensions and of their coach’s comments, Canada’s stars do not intend on becoming “political figures” over the course of the next week. He and Pochettino opted to take a professional but surprisingly genial approach during the CNL Finals, which included a “friendly” chat, as the USMNT boss described it. Marsch hopes that positive tone will extend to the competition as a whole.

• Marsch: “I’m hopeful that this tournament can be the best reflection of our societies, and that we don’t have to waste time booing national anthems and getting caught up in politics, and we can just focus on the players and the teams and supporting the love of the game, the love of the sport and whatever your nationality is, that you [are able to] support your team all the way.”

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  Midfield Link Play

USMNT’s World Cup dress rehearsal

For the USMNT, Thursday’s semifinal against Panama feels like a first glimpse at what this time will look like for their opening game of the 2026 World Cup, which will also take place at SoFi Stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino will work with the majority of the USMNT’s first-choice players, including Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna for the first time after missing the fall games with different fitness issues. The short run-up from the first day of camp to Thursday’s game, though, has not been without its hiccups – Antonee Robinson, Auston Trusty and Johnny Cardoso had to leave camp with injuries and were replaced by Max Arfsten, Brian Gutierrez and Jack McGlynn on Tuesday. It means that Pochettino will have nine players from this year’s January camp at his disposal, offering a unique opportunity for players on the fringe to make a case for themselves with the clock ticking down until next summer’s tournament.

The majority of the USMNT’s probable starters are still in the mix and the prospect of a new look in midfield and attack is still on the table, especially with the return of Adams and Reyna. Robinson’s absence in particular raises serious questions about who will fill in for the reigning U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, who is arguably up there with Christian Pulisic as the most important players on the team. Arfsten automatically enters the picture, but as Chuck Booth writes, regardless of whoever fills in for Robinson, it helps to have to solve this problem a year before the games really count.

• Booth: “This is where depth comes in though because, at the moment, there is no replacement for Robinson on the roster. By the end of Nations League play, either that will be a bigger issue or the USMNT will find a way to cope without him as Pochettino improves the depth of the squad. These are the kinds of things that he’ll need to overcome on the road to the 2026 World Cup, so it’s good to begin those challenges in a competitive match as soon as possible.”

Despite the injury struggles, the challenge of winning a fourth successive CNL title is perfectly in line with Pochettino’s overall goal – preparing the USMNT for a statement-making showing at the World Cup.

• Pochettino: “I think the main objective is the World Cup, because that is the truth and because we start in October and did not have the possibility to be together and for different reasons and circumstances, we change and [have] the possibility to see different type of players, different characteristics. That it’s about to win, yes. If you ask me if I want to win, of course. I want to win the competition because that is going to help us to build our confidence and trust in the way we are doing the thing. At the same time, we need to be intelligent and to try to discover the best players to build a strong team, core of team with the possibility to fight for big things. The mentality is now, with not too much preparation and not too much being all together, to show there we need to compete and we can. We want to win, it’s not an excuse but I think important for us, the objective is the World Cup.”

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  The Back Line

Best bets

• Concacaf Nations League semifinals: Canada vs. Mexico, Thursday, 10:30 p.m.
  THE PICK: Jonathan David to score (+190) – This is a pairing that may historically tilt in Mexico’s favor, but Canada’s upward trajectory coupled with El Tri’s recent plateau means a competitive match could be in store. Canada will look to seize the opportunity to return to the Nations League final for the first time since 2023 and will likely lean on Jonathan David to do so, considering the talisman’s strong form. He has three goals in his last five games for Lille and has 26 goals overall this season for club and country, making him a likely candidate to get on the scoreboard regardless of how this game eventually shakes out.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.   

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