Since the United States is currently Mauricio Pochettino’s R and he is responsible for leading the men’s national team, it comes with the territory. for the World Cup. that next year will be mostly hosted in the US. However, when Pochettino saw a video of Donald Trump entertaining Gianni Infantino at the White House on Friday before last, he felt the dial move a bit further.
Can the United States prevail? At FIFA, Trump questioned his president. There was only one response to that for a man as submissive as Infantino. Pochettino grinned. “Yes,” he continues, “but I was dissatisfied with Gianni’s response.” “You need to consult your fantastic coach, Pochettino,” he should remark, since he can undoubtedly offer a more insightful assessment.
The Argentinean has never been fond of others intruding on his domains. It is a component of his self-belief and machismo. How would he have responded to the query? Maybe with more control over expectations, as Pochettino is aware that the United States falls well short of the top. The sport still has to be developed in the nation.
However, Pochettino is a romantic who sees the possibilities. After leaving Chelsea at the end of the previous season, he discovered that the stars were aligning and luring him in. He recalled a statement made by his former Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy. According to Pochettino, “Daniel always told me that football was about timing,” and this was the ideal opportunity—once in a lifetime—to be presented to him. In August, he agreed to a one-campaign deal with US Soccer. One could wait to return to club management.
According to Pochettino, he was “never involved” in the process that culminated in the FA’s decision to hire Thomas Tuchel in the middle of October. “After we signed with the United States, the FA decided to begin the search for a coach,” Pochettino explains.
Had he thought of England? Because, well, that is just Pochettino, his natural response is to say yes. Usually, he wants to participate in these discussions. However, he believes that his nationality may have been an issue because he is an Argentinean. “The history [between the countries] is undoubtedly present, and that may be contentious … an Argentine man protecting the English flag,” Pochettino asserts. “I adore England.” I feel at home here now. However, I was never placed in that circumstance, thus we do not need to examine it.
Pochettino has visited the United States at a pivotal point in the history of the game, the most thrilling and potentially revolutionary since the country hosted the World Cup in 1994, which resulted in the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1996.
The 53-year-old claims that the US was “always a mystery” to him and that he was drawn to experience other cultures and new things, including seeing an NFL game, which he did at SoFi Stadium while watching the Los Angeles Rams. Additionally, he needs to understand things that do not make sense, like the fact that some of his players did not start playing football until they were twelve. One of Pochettino’s catchphrases is “need to adapt.”
In the long run, US Soccer is prepared to relocate all of its national teams to a specially constructed training facility in Atlanta in April 2026. People will realize then that “football is going to be a major sport [in the US] because it has a home,” according to Pochettino.
“Now, when you travel to the United States [for camps and games], you go to Los Angeles once, and then it is New York, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, or St. Louis,” he continues. Where is the football center? You say, “Wow,” when you see the NFL and baseball training facilities. In football, the question is: “Where will the team train?” Colleges and universities must be consulted.
“Lionel Messi is a huge assistance to us in the MLS. However, building the new training facility in Atlanta has just as much of an influence as having Messi. The US can undoubtedly top the world in five or ten years.
Pochettino often reiterates what has been heard for years: the game has enormous potential in the United States. Because we are hosting the World Cup, he argues, “the pressure will be there for us.”
“And then it’s a country where the mentality is about winning. In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. The players know it’s going to be massive pressure and now our president [Trump] likes to put pressure on, but it’s welcome. That means we are going to feel the adrenaline we need to feel. We are ready to deliver.”
Pochettino’s American employers seem more relaxed than his previous set at Chelsea. When he was hired by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali in the summer of 2023, the club were reeling from a 12th-placed Premier League finish and there were members of staff who feared they had further to fall.
Pochettino would guide Chelsea to sixth and strong runs in the domestic cups, the form consistently good after Christmas. He helped to improve the performance of plenty of players while dealing with numerous injuries; impositions from above, too. Whose idea was it to recruit a specialist set-piece coach from outside Pochettino’s tightly knit circle?
At various points during the season, he did not sound as if he was loving the job and from the outside looking in, it was possible to see it as a doomed professional relationship. To repeat: Pochettino demands control and authority in his areas.
“It is not the time to talk too much, but if you look at everything, from where the team came the season before us and [how we] overcame so many obstacles, it was incredibly fantastic in the manner we were able to bring the team ahead,” Pochettino says. “We gained a lot of knowledge. We may take pride in our final performance.
Pochettino will always be associated with the Premier League after spending eight seasons with Chelsea, Southampton, and Spurs. He has seen Pep Guardiola’s struggles at Manchester City with interest. There has previously been some rivalry between the two; Guardiola’s remark about Pochettino’s Spurs being a “Harry Kane team” backfired. However, the respect has always existed and has never been greater than it is now.
“I firmly believe that Guardiola is a far, much superior coach now,” Pochettino declares. He struggles to become better, but he is now because he is going through things that occasionally [only] we went through at first. Finding the perfect project can be challenging when you first start your coaching career. He is much, far better than when he was among the greatest of the best. He is now a true manager.
There is still a sense of unresolved business at Spurs, where Pochettino managed for five and a half years, doing almost everything but winning a trophy. “I still have the same deepest feelings—I hope to return someday,” he admits. “Not because I am arrogant. It is because I feel like I want to win with Tottenham someday.
It hurt so much since we were so close. The issue was that I made mistakes, and this kind of travel causes a lot of friction for several reasons. The good news is that you can learn from them if you are smart.
It is similar to when a relationship ends. I feel so disillusioned and empty. Not only with everyone, but also with myself, since I failed to manage [enough]. Now, Tottenham is a team that is expected to win. For this reason, I hope to return someday. Six years have passed since our departure, but the club will always hold a particular place in my heart.
On a literal level as well, Pochettino is focused on the voyage and the experience that lies ahead. One important consideration is travel. “They have not given me anything yet. What is the deal? When asked if he appreciates celebrity status in the US, he responds, “The green card.” “We waited in line for an hour and a half the previous time we were in Los Angeles. I can not feel this state, but I am not complaining.
On a literal level as well, Pochettino is focused on the voyage and the experience that lies ahead. One important consideration is travel. “They have not given me anything yet. What is the deal? When asked if he appreciates celebrity status in the US, he responds, “The green card.” “We waited in line for an hour and a half the previous time we were in Los Angeles. I can not feel this state, but I am not complaining. If they ever grant me a green card, I will feel it.
Although the great majority of Pochettino’s team plays for European teams, the bulk of which are in the top leagues, one of the main problems is overcoming the travel time to them and the comparatively low number of hours spent in contact. He claims that his operating strategy is relying on modern technologies.
After losing to Mexico in Guadalajara, Pochettino has won five of his last six games. This week, he has two games left in the Concacaf Nations League finals, one against Panama on Thursday and the other against either Mexico or Canada on Sunday, both at SoFi Stadium. He is working hard to establish the proper connections and energies, as usual. The pressure is just going to get higher. Pochettino loves the intensity.
