Alarm bells are ringing around the USMNT after embarrassing loss to Colombia

LANDOVER, Md. — In the past, when the U.S. men’s soccer team has played valiantly and lost to a clearly better team, someone might say, “At least …” and have something to point to.

Maybe it would come from manager Gregg Berhalter, as it often has, or the players, or the media, or some fans.

Not this time, though. Not after Saturday’s 5-1 steamrolling by Colombia, when the U.S. gave up two goals early and never recovered. Not with this lack of not just tangibles, but the intangibles that have carried the Americans against superior talent in the past.

None of that was there, and Berhalter was first to admit it.

“Really disappointed, obviously, with the result,” he said. “We’re not framing it as a lesson learned, we’re actually framing it as a wake-up call. A really poor performance against a top team, and I think — I know — if you give a team like that the opportunities that we gave them, you’re going to have no chance to win, it’s never going to happen.”

» READ MORE: U.S. men’s soccer team crushed by Colombia, 5-1, in first warmup game for Copa América

He said his team had “a lack of respect for our opponent and the game of soccer,” which is a serious charge — and it wasn’t even the biggest one he laid down.

“The reason why I’m so disappointed is guys just didn’t do their job,” he said. “It’s about your role, your responsibility — we didn’t do that.”

He reacted not just as the manager, but as a former center back: “Oh, yeah, this is why I’m reacting the way I’m reacting. … It’s a wake-up call.”

Christian Pulisic was the first player to say it, a few minutes later.

“We were nowhere near the level that we need to be at if we want to win games coming into Copa América,” he said. “There is no part of that game — there [are] not many positives to take from it.”

» READ MORE: Is the USMNT playing in the Copa América a big deal? Christian Pulisic sure thinks so.

He wanted to watch the film before getting into specifics, but his initial feelings were clear: “I think we need to start right now and hold each other accountable, because like I’ve been saying, it just has to be better.”

Goalkeeper Matt Turner knew what he’d seen, too, and not just because he had the closest view of all five tallies.

“We shouldn’t be having results like that,” he said. “If we don’t win, there’s a way to lose, and that is definitely not the way. … We know that we can’t accept that level of effort from everybody, all 27 of us [players on this roster] and the coaching staff, if we want to have any success this summer.”

Fans inclined toward tactical analysis can do what they like, but sometimes, a 5-1 loss is simply a 5-1 loss. It was the Americans’ first four-goal defeat in eight years, and the first time they’ve given up five in a game in 15 years.

» READ MORE: After a wild season in Germany, Brenden Aaronson shifts focus to the USMNT and the Copa América

What fixes can be made? Tyler Adams’ absence in the midfield was notable, but understandable since he hasn’t played a full 90 minutes for club or country since coming back from an injury in May.

Pulisic’s preplanned substitution at halftime was also understandable, even if it took the Americans’ best player off the field. It was a reminder that this was a friendly — and Tim Weah’s goal came afterward, which showed the rest of the team has talent.

There’s no easy answer when too many players lack intensity overall.

“At the end of the day, every single player on our team, myself included, needs to be ready to perform at a certain level and a certain intensity,” Turner said. “We didn’t have that today, and that’s the disappointing part for us, and I imagine for the fans as well.”

» READ MORE: Yunus Musah knows he could be the odd man out of the USMNT’s loaded midfield

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker must have had that on his mind as he watched.

When he took the job, his first major decision was whether to bring Berhalter back after the investigation into the scandal with him and Gio Reyna. The players wanted Berhalter to return, with Pulisic leading a chorus that spoke publicly and loudly.

What will happen if Wednesday’s game against even-more-talented Brazil in Orlando is another disaster? What will happen if the U.S. flops at the Copa? Whether one wants Berhalter gone or not, there can’t be much doubt that if a coaching change is to happen, it would have to happen right then for the next boss to have enough working time before the 2026 World Cup.

It also isn’t lost on anyone that the last time the U.S. men got beat by four goals, in a World Cup qualifier at Costa Rica in 2016, Jurgen Klinsmann was fired. Berhalter has spent much of his tenure admirably cleaning up the messes that Klinsmann left behind, but now he has a mess of his own.

The Copa América starts in just under two weeks. It will be over 3½ weeks after that. In the grander scheme of things, that isn’t much time, but in soccer, it’s a lot. And if things keep going like this, it could get ugly fast for Berhalter and his team.