USMNT vs Switzerland prediction, projected lineups, and how to watch

With the start of the Gold Cup less than a week away, the U.S. men's national team has one more friendly match to use as preparation. Mauricio Pochettino’s squad began its summer schedule with a 2-1 friendly loss to Türkiye this past Saturday. The USMNT will now face Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday night before opening its Gold Cup campaign on Sunday against Trinidad & Tobago.

The USMNT actually had a promising start to its summer, scoring just over a minute into Saturday’s match with Türkiye. But the Americans couldn’t make that goal hold up, conceding twice during a sloppy first-half stretch, then failing to find an equalizer in the last hour.

Switzerland, meanwhile, took down Mexico 4-2 in a friendly match on Saturday. During the fall, the Swiss endured a tough UEFA Nations League campaign, going winless in six matches and getting relegated to Nations League B. However, Saturday’s 4-2 win over Mexico is a good reminder that Switzerland is a quality European side that reached the quarterfinals of the Euros last summer, only bowing out to England in a penalty shootout. 

How to Watch USMNT vs Switzerland

Time: Tuesday, June 10, 8 pm ET

Venue: Geodis Park, Nashville, Tennessee

Tickets: Click here

TV/streaming: TNT, TruTV, Max in English | Peacock in Spanish

USMNT vs Switzerland Projected Lineup

Most fans recognize that the USMNT is using a B squad this summer. Several players who would be virtual locks to start are not with the team. Even with a young team, Pochettino sat some of his more experienced players against Türkiye to give young players some game time before the Gold Cup. He’s likely to rotate the squad again on Tuesday, making the lineup a little hard to predict.

Meanwhile, Switzerland has undergone a changing of the guard in recent months. Since last year’s Euros, veterans Yann Summer, Xherdan Shaqiri, and Fabian Schar have all retired from international duty. However, Switzerland still boasts plenty of familiar names from top European clubs. With no matches until their World Cup qualifying begins in September, look for the Swiss to play something close to their best lineup to help build cohesion ahead of qualifying. 

USMNT Lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)

Matt Turner (GK) - Nathan Harriel - Walker Zimmerman, Tim Ream, John Tolkin - Johnny Cardoso, Luca de la Torre - Haji Wright, Diego Luna, Brenden Aaronson - Brian White

Switzerland Lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left)

Gregor Kobel (GK) - Silvan Widmer, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, Lucas Blondel - Granit Xhaka, Djibril Sow - Remo Freuler, Zeki Amdouni, Fabian Rieder - Breel Embolo

USMNT vs Switzerland prediction

It’s hard to be optimistic about the USMNT’s chances against Switzerland following Saturday’s loss to Türkiye. Defensively, the Americans were the architect of their own downfall. Also, aside from an early wonder strike from Jack McGlynn, they struggled to create a lot of serious goal-scoring chances, often having no idea how to penetrate the Turkish defense.

On the other side, Switzerland had no problem finishing its chances during a 4-2 win over Mexico. Despite an unsuccessful Nations League campaign last fall, Switzerland has only failed to score twice in 15 matches over the past year. Granted, this isn’t the same air-tight Swiss defense we’ve seen in the past. But if the USMNT continues to make mistakes in the back, Switzerland will punish them.

One way or another, the Swiss are bound to find the back of the net at least a couple of times. Barring a surprising performance from one of its attacking players, the USMNT will have a hard time doing the same. Scoring goals looks like it could be a struggle for the U.S. this summer, leading to another disappointing defeat on Tuesday.

Prediction: Switzerland 2, USA 0