Thursday, October 1, 2026
73 ° Clear
73 ° Clear
With the USMNT having already secured top spot in Group D after wins against Paraguay and Australia, Thursday's clash at Los Angeles Stadium carries no weight in the standings. Yet for Pochettino and his squad, the match represents a chance to build momentum and give fringe players valuable minutes.
Speaking ahead of the Türkiye match, Pochettino admitted he was "naïve" about the state of the USMNT program when he first signed his contract in 2024. The Argentine coach revealed he was surprised by the lack of energy and engagement surrounding the team, describing it as a "big punch".
"When we signed our contract, we misjudged the situation. It was worse than we really believed," Pochettino said on Tuesday in a roundtable with 11 reporters at the team's hotel, per ESPN. "I thought people would be desperate to help. It was the opposite."
Since then, Pochettino has worked to rebuild the culture, emphasizing that no spots are guaranteed and everything must be earned. The process took time, but the results are now showing as the USMNT has already reached the knockout rounds with a perfect record.
Pochettino described the rebuild as more like farming than coaching. He compared it to planting a seed, “you see nothing for a while, and then the tree starts to grow,” and said it was hard to explain the plan because progress wasn't visible every few days, the way it might be at a club. Along the way, he leaned on unlikely history lessons. In a team meeting back in November 2025, he told players about South Korea's run to the 2002 semifinals and Morocco's surprise run in 2022, turning "why not us?" into a kind of rallying cry for the group.
He's also noticed a shift in the atmosphere around the team. He recalled how painful it was to watch 70,000 Mexican fans take over the stadium at last year's Gold Cup final, a stark contrast to the energy he's felt from American crowds during the World Cup and the pre-tournament friendlies. One moment that stuck with him in particular was fans in Seattle serenading the team with "Take Me Home, Country Roads," which he says he's now trying to learn the lyrics to.
Despite links with major European clubs, including AC Milan, Pochettino has not ruled out continuing with the USMNT beyond this World Cup. His current contract expires after the tournament.
"We told the Federation we are open," Pochettino confirmed, though he stressed his focus remains on the present. "Now I think it's not the time to be distracted or to talk when all the energy needs to be with my players".
