'Made the wrong decision' - USMNT's Cade Cowell's struggles at Chivas continue amid harsh criticism

Cade Cowell’s first season with Chivas continues to fall short of expectations. The 21-year-old USMNT winger has failed to score or provide an assist in 10 appearances out of 16 possible matches during the Clausura 2025.

Despite the mid-season coaching change, Cowell hasn’t managed to convince current manager Gerardo Espinoza, who left him on the bench against Mazatlán last weekend and only brought him on in the 62nd minute against Puebla.

The young American drew criticism after Tuesday night’s performance at Estadio Akron. During a clear goal-scoring opportunity, Cowell opted to take a difficult shot from a tight angle rather than pass to Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who was better positioned to finish the play. The decision sparked heated debate on Fox Sports México, with analysts critical of his lack of awareness and poor judgment on the ball.

Ex-Chivas player and sporting director Eduardo de la Torre simply pointed out: “Cowell made the wrong decision.”

Cowell’s time at Chivas has taken a downward turn during the Clausura 2025. The 21-year-old winger has been relegated to a bench role, starting only three matches this season in Liga MX. While his performances haven’t been entirely poor, they haven’t translated into stats - Cowell has yet to score or assist in Liga MX this campaign.

His lack of impact has also affected his international standing. USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino left him out of the squad for the CONCACAF Nations League Final Four.

The American’s last goal for Chivas came back in November 2024, against Santos Laguna on Matchday 16 of the Apertura. Since then, he’s struggled to provide any offensive spark - a concerning trend for both club and country.

Following the 1-0 victory over Puebla, Chivas head coach Gerardo Espinoza spoke about the decision to bring Cowell into the game.

"If you look at the substitutions, Cowell is not a player you bring on to defend - we wanted him to be aggressive and win duels up front, but we couldn’t put him in the right positions to do that. There was never an instruction to sit back - the opponent plays too."

Espinoza’s squad will fight for their play-in ticket this Saturday when they visit Atlas at Estadio Jalisco. The last two editions of the Clásico Tapatío have both ended in victories for the Rojinegros.