Pochettino says rebuilding the United States team was harder than expected
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The office that Mauricio Pochettino uses during this World Cup features a terrace with terracotta tiles and a spectacular view of an iconic beach in Orange County and a vast stretch of the Pacific. Surfers constantly ride the popular wave break below the hotel, perched high on the cliff, where the coach and his U.S. team have spent the last few weeks. "It's a bit boring, isn't it?" Pochettino remarked with a smile. "They're waiting for the perfect wave, and it never comes." Pochettino is not a man who understands why anyone would want to wait. He would prefer to create the wave. His energy and hunger drove him from Argentina to a successful playing career in Europe, followed by a swift transition to coaching at top clubs in England, France, and Spain. He has spent his adult life in high-stakes situations, learning to thrive in the constant urgency demanded at the highest levels of football. So, nearly two years ago, when this tireless and energetic fighter took charge of the U.S. national team, he expected to find a squad and a country that shared his desperate hunger for success ahead of their home World Cup. Pochettino and his coaching staff were stunned to discover that this was not the case. "We were very naive when we signed our contract," Pochettino reflected on Tuesday during a roundtable with reporters in his office. "I think what we found after signing was that we misjudged the situation. It was worse than we really thought." Pochettino had never managed a national team before taking over the U.S. Although he understood the inherent obstacles of a job involving limited contact with his players, he did not anticipate the magnitude of the rebuilding that would be necessary for a program that had only enjoyed sporadic success on the international stage. The U.S. had recently been eliminated from the 2024 Copa América in the group stage despite playing at home, leading to the firing of coach Gregg Berhalter. Pochettino claims he inherited a complacent program that did not align with his sense of urgency. "When we arrived here, we took a big hit and were knocked out for a while because we were very excited about it," he recounted. "The World Cup was very close. Everyone was going to want to get involved and want to come to the national team, and it was the opposite." But after Pochettino understood the full scope of the work he had accepted, he got to work creating the culture he needed to see. He identified the players who would be most important for the success of the U.S. team and convinced them to fully commit to the project, which is finally bearing fruit in this World Cup. Pochettino's team has started the tournament with consecutive victories over Paraguay and Australia, with an aggregate score of 6-1. This is a historic achievement for the U.S., which has never started with a record of 2-0 and has only won one knockout match in its entire World Cup history. The U.S. wraps up the group stage this Thursday night against Turkey in Southern California, before hosting a Round of 16 match in Northern California next week. The tactical savvy they have shown under Pochettino, along with a theoretically manageable draw, clearly indicates that the Americans have a golden opportunity to achieve their most impressive World Cup performance since reaching the semifinals in the inaugural tournament in 1930. But according to Pochettino, it took 20 months of hard work to get there. The U.S. lost twice in the CONCACAF Nations League in March 2025, but Pochettino saw progress in building the culture and style necessary for the Americans to thrive on a bigger stage. He persevered with his plans after the U.S. failed to win the Gold Cup without Christian Pulisic in the summer of 2025. He agrees with his players, who have pointed to the fall of 2025 as a turning point for the U.S. team. That stretch included a famously rough friendly with Australia, where Pochettino challenged his players at halftime to raise their level of competitiveness. It also included a team talk last November, where he first used the phrase that has become one of the team's mottos: "Why not us?" "And then they were... 'Why not us?'" Pochettino recalled with a surprised expression. "It became a motto for us, to say: 'We can. If we believe we can, we can do it. If we work hard, we can do it. If we change our mindset, we can do it.'" "Why not us?" is emblazoned on the wall at the back of Pochettino's office, along with numerous quotes and additional phrases handwritten on the wall by the coach: "The heart turns effort into belief, and when everything hurts, the heart keeps us fighting together," and "When people believe in each other, impossible dreams become possible." Pochettino's American chapter has changed him in small ways. He has been surprised by both ends of the American palate, from Chick-Fil-A to Whole Foods grocery stores, and has developed an appreciation for country and soul music: from Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley to Teddy Swims. The football world does not expect Pochettino to stay forever with the U.S. national team, and he has already been linked to jobs at European clubs ahead of this tournament. Pochettino says his coaching staff has not ruled out continuing with the U.S. after the World Cup, but those conversations will wait until they see how far this team can go.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
