Mauricio Pochettino wants everyone to believe in the USMNT - but will his American adventure result in a World Cup to remember?

In 1994 and 1998, Pochettino didn't receive the call. He desperately wanted it, too. For years, he dreamed of representing Argentina in a World Cup and, for years, he fought for that dream both at home, with Newell's Old Boys, and abroad, with Espanyol and then Paris Saint-Germain. That dream was defined by his early years in Murphy. In those days, working on his family's farm, Pochettino's dreams blossomed. They finally came true in 2002.

Pochettino's first taste of the World Cup was no dream, though; rather, it was a nightmare. Argentina were among the favourites in that 2002 World Cup summer, as they usually are, but they crashed out in the group stage. Pochettino was at least partially responsible as his foul on Michael Owen led to a David Beckham finish from the penalty spot and, ultimately, a 1-0 loss to England that doomed them that summer.

"You arrive at the World Cup, and I remember we arrived in our best condition," he said. "That was in Japan and Korea, and we were in Japan and then we were out. It was one of the most disappointing periods in the national team's history. No one remembers, only me or the players, what we were involved with over those years. We were unbeaten. We beat Germany in Germany, Brazil in Brazil. We beat Spain. Okay, nice, well done, at the World Cup you lose and everyone remembers how bad we were.

"No one remembers the nice days."

There have, fortunately, been plenty of nice days since Pochettino went into coaching. There was the opportunity at Espanyol and the breakout with Southampton. There were those five years where he earned legendary status at Tottenham. PSG gave him a chance to manage icons, while Chelsea gave him perspective into what he'd want to do next.

All of those stops led him to the U.S.. They earned him a certain level of status, too, one that saw him recognised as one of the best coaches in the world. After crashing out of the 2024 Copa America at the group stages, U.S. Soccer needed energy, and they needed someone to provide it. This was no mere coaching hire; this was choosing the face of American soccer heading into the sport's biggest moment stateside.

Whoever took charge wouldn't just draw up tactics, but be an ambassador. In that role, the coach would need to represent American soccer to the rest of the world. They'd also have to help the American game catch up to the rest of the world - and they'd have to do it quickly.

After leaving Chelsea, Pochettino wanted a project, and he found one with the USMNT that would give him a chance to redefine his World Cup memories. When we use the word 'project', though, it isn't used lightly. Even Pochettino wasn't fully prepared for what he was walking into when he leapt into the American game with both feet.

The first game of the Pochettino era was a party. On that October 2024 night in Austin, Texas, there was a legitimate level of excitement in the air. Posters were handed out to fans, evoking the mantra of another legendary American soccer coach, Ted Lasso: "Believe".

There was reason to believe on that night, as the U.S. defeated Panama, 2-0. Fittingly, though, even at the start, nothing was straightforward. Days after that win in Texas, the U.S. went down to Mexico with a heavily rotated side and lost to El Tri, kickstarting a tenure filled with huge highs and extreme lows.

In November, Pochettino's team took down Jamaica in back-to-back games. In January, lifted by a squad full of MLS players, they defeated Venezuela and Costa Rica by a combined 6-1 scoreline. At that time, it seemed that Pochettino was having the time of his life. He was introducing a new generation of players to the national team while rebuilding the confidence of the old guard. All was going to plan.

Then came March of 2025, an international break so infamous that it's still being discussed some 15 months on.

The butterfly effect was massive. That March, the USMNT fell, 1-0, to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals via a last-second goal after dominating much of the game. Then, days later, rivals Canada got the better of them. In the moment, Pochettino was left infuriated by his team's lack of fight.

"We are USA," he said in the moment. "You cannot win with your shirt, or you cannot win if you play here, there or I don't know. You need to show, and you need to come here and be better, and suffer, and win the duels and work hard. If not, it's not going to be enough."

It soon got worse. Ahead of the summer's Gold Cup, star forward Christian Pulisic informed Pochettino that he would prefer to take the tournament off in favour of rest. Yunus Musah said the same. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Gio Reyna, meanwhile, were unavailable due to the Club World Cup, while Sergino Dest, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi were all ruled out with injuries.

Pochettino thus used that summer to reset and remind. Nothing would be guaranteed from that point on, and whatever status players thought they'd earned was officially out the window.

"If you arrive to the camp and you want to spend some nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, visit my family, visit my friend, that is the culture that we want to create?" Pochettino said that summer. "No, no, no, no, no. What we want to do is to go to the national team, arrive and be focused and spend all my focus and energy in the national team.

"If we want to be good in one year's time, we need to think that today is the most important day."

Speaking to reporters in May at U.S. Soccer's new National Training Centre, Pochettino acknowledged that he knew what he was walking into. The places he'd lived and played - Argentina, Spain, France and England - were nothing like the United States. There was a different culture here, for better or worse. One of the key challenges, then, was working within that culture while also rebuilding it at the same time.

"Now we are seeing the real American player," he said as World Cup preparation truly began. "I think the important thing is that now, as a national team, we are competitive. I think we understood, and they understood from when we spent time with them, that we have our culture and philosophy. We came from different countries to settle and to establish the new way to see things here.

"I think it was necessary and was the priority, because if we want to play against all these countries, Brazil, Argentina, I think we need to see that the sport in a different way than we were seeing."

The changes didn't come against Brazil or Argentina, but rather Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti. Then came Costa Rica and Guatemala. The foundations of the culture weren't built in big friendlies, but in the Gold Cup, a wild month-long summer adventure across the United States without many of the team's biggest stars.

It was during that summer that the expectations were reset. Baselines were put in place regarding effort, commitment and dedication. If a player didn't want to meet those baselines, then Pochettino didn't want that player in the national team. So, while many of the names were missing, Pochettino leaned on a group of hungry newcomers and veterans desperate to show the coach how much they cared. That mix got them to the final, where they ultimately lost to Mexico. It also got them back on track.

After losing to South Korea to start their fall slate, the U.S. then went unbeaten against Japan, Ecuador, Australia, Paraguay and Uruguay, winning all but one of those games. The best was saved for last, as the U.S. blasted Uruguay 5-1 to close out 2025.

March humblings at the hands of Belgium and Portugal soon followed, but Pochettino's team have started their World Cup camp in the best way possible with a 3-2 win over African powerhouse Senegal.

Vibes are high in the U.S., at least higher than they have been through much of this cycle. Are they high enough, though, to bring us back to Pochettino's original aim: winning the World Cup?

It's time to let everyone in on a poorly-kept secret: The U.S. probably isn't going to win the World Cup. There are simply too many talented teams in this tournament, too many teams that are battle-tested and don't make mistakes. Even if this team was one of the favourites, the odds are against them, simply because of the amount of quality at the very top.

It's worth remembering, then, that Pochettino's big mandate wasn't to win the World Cup. The main task was to make the U.S. believe that it can. Maybe not this year, maybe not four years from now, but someday - can Pochettino make the country believe that the day could soon come where the U.S. does get to lift the most iconic trophy in the sport?

At its core, this Pochettino era is all about belief. Belief in the head coach and his ability to lead this team into a World Cup. Belief in a group of players widely regarded as a golden generation that can kickstart several more to come. Belief in a program that has been building to this moment for the better part of 32 years, dating back to the summer of 1994, when American soccer put itself on the global stage for the very first time.

To that aim, Pochettino has pushed and pushed the message of belief. He's routinely cited the Miracle on Ice. He's regularly asked, "Why not us?" And, notably, he's come up with a catchphrase.

“Let's be realistic,” Pochettino has told his team, "and do the impossible.” 

Pochettino continues to be bold. Now, in what might be the final days of his American soccer journey, the Argentine coach continues to swing for the fences. Will this boldness turn into something tangible? Only the Soccer Gods can know.

But, until the moment the U.S. finds out, Pochettino is asking America to come along for the ride and believe in him and his team every step of the way.