Mauricio Pochettino was angry. Not childish angry or stroppy angry.
Instead, Pochettino was egotistically angry. He was sports angry. He sat before the U.S. press pool after beating Uruguay, 5-1, and unleashed the kind of rant that coaches who know they have done a good job go on. He talked about respect. He snapped at a question. He declared, defiantly, that "it’s the U.S. men’s national team playing." The basic premise? People shouldn't question the fact that most of the starting XI on Tuesday night aren't in what most would consider his strongest team. This was, instead, the backups getting it done. Except, don't you dare call them backups.
The best part, for him at least? Pochettino was right. This was the kind of victory that coaches love, that they can hang their hat on. Pochettino went out there, made nine changes, played a slightly different system, and saw his side absolutely batter a top 15 team in the world. Wins, albeit in a friendly, don't come much better than this. All of the right bits were here: goals from set pieces, crunching tackles, constant running, guys coming off the bench, and making an impact. You wanted a hit? Well, here's a squad doing what squads do - 15 men deep and immensely effective throughout.
And, let's face it, this is exactly what Pochettino needed. There has been some serious back and forth on what constitutes success in these matches. The reality is that there is nothing material on the line. But winning is good. Winning curates a vibe. Winning changes perception. And winning, like this, is even better.
Yet there’s a caveat. Pochettino can show off his tactical nous and coaching chops all he wants- and he should. But he now has a real problem. It was the newer faces who delivered. At some point, he’ll need the same level from the players long viewed as the more talented options from afar. And the question now is whether he can actually trust them to do it, or if he’ll keep leaning into his badge-is-bigger-than-the-player approach.
