‘We should aspire to win it’ - Mauricio Pochettino details USMNT World Cup ambitions and hits back at coaches who ‘criticized me completely unnecessarily’

"The storm started when I wasn’t there. So the storm must have been the reason they came looking for us. I sometimes use the analogy that a ship in the middle of a storm needs to change the way it’s being steered, and the new captain has to accept the responsibility that the ship is being taken to a difficult place.”

This may have gotten a bit Eric Cantona-esque from the manager, but he did admit that the challenges in the job were perhaps more apparent than he had suspected. A lot of his rhetoric since he took the job has been about "cultural resets" and problems within the problem. It was no secret that Pochettino was going to be more than just a teddy bear. But what neither side, presumably, realized was just how much things needed to be changed in order for Pochettino to shape the team in his vision. Results take time; the "ship" needed to be steered.

“I think that, based on what we've shown in recent months, I believe that the team, especially after the Gold Cup, has found a way to compete, a way to raise the standards. we always talked about the concepts that are becoming ingrained in the team. And I think that's the strength we're demonstrating and that we want to continue demonstrating, even though these matches are a bit of a test, and an opportunity for many players to fight for a place on the national team, in the World Cup, and logically that always carries a risk of sometimes not working out the way one would like.”

Pochettino has faced consistent questions about his squad selection. He has leaned heavily on an MLS contingent and introduced a number of players who might not have been involved in previous cycles. In total, the Argentine has brought 71 different players into camps and handed out several debuts.

That approach creates opportunities for new faces and also carries the possibility that some players may not remain in the picture long term. Pochettino noted that the strategy has begun to show signs of progress. Aside from the lopsided loss to South Korea, the USMNT have shown improvement since the Gold Cup and are currently on a five-match unbeaten run.

"We make our decisions. We already said no in the previous match, not to call up Pulisic. He was coming back from an injury, it was too risky to bring him. Now we left him in the Gold Cup. He didn't come because he needed rest. We let him rest. Chris Richards played with us in the Gold Cup. The problem is that Palace didn't give him a vacation because they needed him to play. I think there has to be a balance, and the balance is this: he played last month, and this month we’ve let him rest because he came back from many international matches and UEFA Conference League matches, also with his club. And we thought that we could let him rest so he comes back in the best condition in March and for the World Cup."

Pochettino has also dealt with disagreements with European clubs regarding player availability for international duty. He described the situation as a balance handled on a case-by-case basis.

Last summer, Christian Pulisic requested time off during the Gold Cup to recover after a long club season. Pochettino acknowledged the request and agreed to give him a break, and Pulisic returned to the squad once he was fit. Chris Richards, meanwhile, joined the U.S. for the Gold Cup before immediately entering Crystal Palace’s preseason. In response, Pochettino left the defender out of the most recent camp to manage his workload.

"There are coaches here in the United States who have criticized me completely unnecessarily. I would never have criticized a coach. I don't criticize because I know how difficult it is to be a coach. If you tell me, ‘Well, I come from a sport that isn't football, I come from, I don't know, any other sport, that doesn't exist in Europe or South America,’ Well, I can understand your criticism, but to criticize me for not knowing the culture of the United States because we lost two games or lost in the last minute against Panama and against Canada because of this whole situation that we are in the middle of a transformation. I don't know, it seems like taking advantage and exploiting the situation, and not understanding what this sport is about."

One recurring topic when a foreign coach takes over a national team is whether they understand the culture surrounding the program. In Pochettino’s case, some observers questioned whether he grasped the expectations around the USMNT, suggesting his reaction to the Nations League semifinal and third-place losses reflected a lack of familiarity with the U.S. sporting landscape.

Pochettino rejected that characterization, saying the defeats were difficult for him and formed part of a broader rebuilding process. He noted that winning the tournament would have been positive, but emphasized that his priority at the time was addressing what he viewed as structural issues within the team.

"For me, it's about winning. I think if you don't win, what does it matter? If you are second, nobody ever remembers. And I believe we should aspire to win it. Then you tell me you 'reach a semifinal, you reach the quarterfinals, you have a great tournament, and due to different factors, well, you can't win.' I think we have to give ourselves credit and merit, but I think that if you look at Morocco in Qatar, I think they get where they get because they always had the mentality of saying, 'I'm going to go for it, I'm going to win.' Spain (which Morocco beat in the quarterfinals) eliminates many national teams. I think that's fundamental, especially playing in our country. I believe it's important to think big. Having a good World Cup is how you establish football as a permanent fixture."

Pochettino said in his introductory press conference that his goal for the USMNT at the World Cup was to reach a quarter-final. That seemed a reasonable aim at the time - not least because the U.S. will be playing on home soil in just over six months. But Pochettino's tone has changed. He is not, to be clear, promising that the USMNT will win the World Cup. Rather, he has tried to cultivate a winning mentality within the group and instill a belief that they can match up with whoever they go against. Morocco's run to the semifinals in Qatar in 2022 has been a consistent reference point for hopeful sides over the years, and Pochettino has insisted that their belief that they can compete in every game fueled that run.