It might be easy to hear Mauricio Pochettino say that his new players have to “believe” they can win the World Cup and roll your eyes.
It’s the kind of flashy soundbite at first press conferences that ambitious managers often produce.
What more could he say after all those months of international courtship with his new employers, the red wine and the steaks, the unprecedented financial package? “We have to look good in the group stage and maybe reach the round of 16”?
No, the Argentinian is a winner and he talks like one. He is also aware that he faces two jobs with the United States men’s national team: not only the task of transforming the quality of the squad in a relatively short time, but also of changing its mentality.
Asked about the limited time (only 10 international breaks and no tournament) before the US co-hosts the 2026 World Cup, he said: “Everyone thinks there is no time to prepare and be in the best condition come to the World Cup.
Pochettino talks to the media in New York City on September 13 (Timothy A Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
“I’m on the other side. I don’t want to give any excuses. I don’t want to create an excuse for the players to say, ‘Yes, but I don’t have time to buy into the new ideas and the new philosophy.’ No. We are talking about football and the players are so intelligent and talented and can play differently.
“We have time and we really have to believe in big things. Believe that we can not only win a match, but also the World Cup. If not, it will be very difficult. We want players to show up on the first day of training camp and think big.
“That’s the only way to create this philosophy or idea to perform and put your talent at the service of the team. That will be our enormous challenge.”
The group of players he inherits is generally an intelligent, realistic group. They are also used to questions about what progress means for this group. The subject was frequently discussed during interviews before and during this summer’s Copa America.
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“Getting past the quarterfinals,” midfielder Tyler Adams said when asked in June what a positive result would look like. “We have to win, in a pressure situation, in a knockout (match). That will be a big part of measuring our success.”
It may not have been what some fans wanted to hear; a temporary lifting of a war cry that promised silverware during the competition, widely billed as a trial run for the World Cup.
But if Adams was trying to raise reasonable expectations, he was right. As it turned out, winning a knockout match would have been real progress for a team that was beaten 5-1 in a friendly by eventual Copa America finalists Colombia on June 8.
Instead, the US crashed out in the group stage, victims of an individual error by Tim Weah in the defeat to Panama and then of the lack of quality to prevent it from becoming fatal. Tasked with beating Uruguay to progress, they simply didn’t have enough.
Adams and the USMNT were unable to make progress against Uruguay on July 1 (Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
So the scale of the task ahead will come as no surprise to Pochettino. It may sound nice, but talking, as he did, about emulating the serial success of the U.S. women’s national team also seems fanciful.
Deep down, he probably knows that too. So instead, from the very beginning, he publicly challenges his players to stop hiding. No excuses. You don’t have to buy into the story that there just isn’t time.
It’s a gamble for the 52-year-old because the reality is that the story is probably true and he will ultimately be judged by his words and results. The US just lost to Canada and was only able to draw with a New Zealand team 78 places lower in the world rankings this week.
Confidence is low and Pochettino knows that building some kind of collective belief is a crucial part of this team climbing out of the ropes and arriving in 2026 in the frame of mind to win big games.
It’s unlikely he actually believes the USMNT will win the World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in just under two years. But a team often accused of not fighting enough when it really counts needs to start thinking bigger and that’s the point.
The other part of his job is adapting quickly to the very different demands of managing in international football, when the possibilities of building a team that will run through brick walls for you, as he does at his best did at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, were limited. .
“Every time we have the opportunity to be with them we will be very clinical in giving the information,” Pochettino added on Friday. “We have to be smart enough in the way we approach training to get the best out of them.”
But even though he understandably preferred not to alienate some of his new players by listing the squad’s weaknesses in his official unveiling, the other reality is that Pochettino must be ruthless .
He needs to find an elite goalkeeper quickly. He must build a defense with the aggression and cleverness that teams from his South American homeland display.
There also needs to be better balance in midfield, for a side that is well stocked with smart midfielders but lacks consistent creativity. For example, how long will it take him to unlock Gio Reyna’s puzzle?
Then he must find the striking solution that will propel a team that too often left its lines in front of goal during the Copa. Who among the promising group of youngsters who performed well at the Paris Olympics will soon join his line-up?
And he has to do all that, while achieving enough results along the way to bring a partly skeptical American fanbase along for the ride.
So don’t roll your eyes when Pochettino talks about believing the USMNT can win the World Cup. Perhaps instead, close them and say a silent prayer for the divine intervention he may need to achieve all his goals in less than two years.
He’ll need all the help he can get.
(Top photo: Dustin Satloff/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)