April 24 – United States Men’s National Team coach Mauricio Pochettino has declared he’ll be prioritising mental fortitude in his squad selection for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
In an interview with the U.S. Soccer Federation, the Argentine tactician outlined his expectations as the team prepares for their last competitive action before the 2026 World Cup.
“The right mindset must be there, because we need to compete for our flag, our country.”
“What we are trying to do as a staff is to optimise every single area of preparation, and the mentality of the players is really important.”
“We need to be intelligent in the way that we are going to select the players and not just choose based on talent alone. We need to have the right characters to be really competitive.”
While Pochettino did not mention former USMNT star, Alexi Lalas’s comments about overpaid tattooed millionaires, reading between the lines you could feel the sentiment.
Pochettino, members of the media, and perhaps most devastatingly, the fan base, had questioned the team’s apparent vacation-mode effort in losing to Panama and Canada during matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood – a home-field advantage that simply was ignored by supporters of the team.
“For sure to start we must compete hard. We must match the intensity of our opponents, because in these tournaments they are always motivated to play against the USA. Of course, we must perform well to win and you don’t always get a result, but for sure in order to win you have to compete.”
“It’s not just about showing up in your home country and trying to play nice soccer. No, you must be proud, you must fight for the people that would love to be in your position, for the millions of kids that are going to see us and dream to be one day where we are.”
“This is the type of responsibility and commitment we need to show in a different way than we did in Los Angeles,” he concluded, setting the bar at “anything better than whatever that was.”
Prior to the Gold Cup, the USMNT will play friendlies against Turkey and Switzerland. However, the FIFA World Club Cup could throw another wrench in Pochettino’s plans, as clubs participating in the revamped competition can keep their players instead of releasing them.
This potentially deprives Pochettino of Christian Pulisic (AC Milan) and Weston McKennie (Juventus) – though after recent performances, some fans might wonder if that counts as depriving or sparing.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1745529327labto1745529327ofdlr1745529327owedi1745529327sni@r1745529327etsbe1745529327w.kci1745529327n1745529327