At times during Saturday’s friendly between the U.S. men’s national team and South Korea, dark storm clouds hung over Sports Illustrated Stadium, perhaps serving as a harbinger of what was to come on the pitch for the American squad.

The United States looked disjointed and out of sorts for much of the match, which ended in a 2-0 loss for the USMNT in their first friendly since the Gold Cup final in early July, and as the pressure mounts heading into next summer’s World Cup.

The U.S. squad, which featured a large number of MLS players, fell behind early and didn’t create much offense during the 90-minute affair, though they found a bit of a jolt in the second half.

But the performance Saturday raised plenty of questions with the World Cup less than 10 months away, especially around the plan that USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has to prepare the Americans for the world stage.

Pochettino said he was “disappointed” with the result, but insisted he was remaining positive and that he told his players “the result will arrive soon,” while also noting he has seen a continuation of improvements from the Gold Cup, where the U.S. fell to Mexico in the final.

Following Saturday’s loss, Pochettino stressed that though no one wants to lose, his focus is on getting results next summer.

“We need to start to win when the World Cup starts,” he said. “Too many examples that teams they win during the [run-up] and then arrive at the World Cup and then they don’t arrive in the best condition.”

“Yes, we’re disappointed when we lose, but at the end of the day, the end goal is to win games in the World Cup,” defender Tim Ream said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on, while also continuing to push the team forward and everybody forward, and trying to make sure that we’re clicking and firing on all cylinders.”

The U.S. struggled to create many chances during the first half, and in the second half they couldn’t find the back of the net when they generated opportunities.

During the first half, the U.S. managed to move the ball well but failed to take many shots, and when it did, only one was on target.

The U.S. finished with five shots on goal.

“I think we started the game in a very good way, but I think we concede in a way that we should not concede,” Pochettino said. “I think we were too passive and providing the space to score, and when you consider those 20 minutes, it was tough, it was difficult, but I think we need to be positive because I seen in the second half the team played very well. We only conceded one shot on target.”

Son Heung-min — a fan favorite among the South Korean contingent and one of the biggest MLS gets since Lionel Messi made the jump to the American soccer league — found the back of the net in the 18th minute to give South Korea the 1-0 lead.

South Korea extended its lead to two in the 43rd minute when Lee Dong-gyeong buried a shot with American goalkeeper Matt Freese out of position.