Donovan, Dempsey and Henry voice concerns about the latest USMNT setback

There was more disappointment for fans of the men’s US national team this weekend. After being eliminated from the Nations League semi-final at the hands of Panama, on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men fell to Canada in the third/fourth place match at SoFi Stadium.

It wasn’t long before criticism started to roll in with former US stars not holding back as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and also former France great Thierry Henry all showing concern about the team with the 2026 World Cup in North America set to start in just over 14 months.

Donovan took to his official ‘X’ (Twitter) account stating: "I’m sick of hearing how ‘talented’ this group of players is and all the incredible clubs they play for. If you’re not going to come and you don’t care about playing for your national team, decline the invitation. Talent is great, pride is even better."

Later, Dempsey, speaking on CBS Sports' Golazo America, said, “No matter how you looked at it, it was going to be a failure. You have to live up to this game, show more pride, work to get things back on track, and give the best to this fan base that’s behind us.”

“It was weird sitting here because they were telling me, ‘Do it right, say something,’ but I was thinking, ‘You guys do it, they need to fight for you.’ Things aren’t good right now. I’m not on the pitch anymore; when I was on the pitch, I always gave it my all.” he concluded.

Thierry Henry also shows concern

In addition to the USMNT legends, former France striker Thierry Henry also addressed the current state of the team and what’s coming up in the World Cup: "I’m worried about the US national team heading into the World Cup. Will this stadium be full? I’m sure it will be. People will come to support the team, but it’s up to you (the USMNT and former players) to make sure they can resonate with you."

“I don’t see that right now, but the only thing they can do is work and improve, but how are they going to improve without competitive games? They’re going to lose players in the Gold Cup (because of the Club World Cup). There are friendlies, but it won’t be easy," he added.

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