'I have doubts' - Latin America media, personalities not entirely convinced Mauricio Pochettino will deliver for USMNT

Nothing drew more attention than Pochettino’s note that the U.S. needs “to believe we can win, not only a game but that we can win the World Cup.”

“To polish his vision, Pochettino will have just eight FIFA dates before the World Cup that the United States will host with Mexico and Canada,” La Nacion in Argentina noted. “The recent Copa América made clear its defensive fragility and problems with temperament during matches.”

Not only did those who remember him as a Newell’s Old Boys defender in Argentina have thoughts, but so too did many reporters and commentators from CONCACAF nations that will soon be competing against Pochettino’s U.S. squad.

It’s worth remembering that the style of journalism varies in countries throughout the Americas, and it’s fair to say Mexico’s sporting press is generally more adversarial than its counterparts in the rest of North America.

To understand the tone, consider this headline from one of the deans of Mexican sports journalism, ESPN Deportes’ Rafa Ramos. “Who messed up less: Mexico or the United States?” he asked in a column comparing Mexico’s hiring of familiar face Javier Aguirre and the U.S., bringing on Poch.

“It’s a big challenge for Pochettino to manage the United States. He’s popping into a continent he doesn’t know at all,” Ramos writes. “But at the end of the day, everything comes down to a language he speaks well: Soccer.”

He also notes that despite the bright lights on display in New York last weekend, the media gaze he and his colleagues put on Aguirre is much harsher than anything Pochettino will face.

“We already know the United States lives free from pressure” Ramos continues. “If the U.S. loses, there’s not a national tragedy as there is in the press in Mexico.”

The way soccer gets covered in the U.S. is changing, and, as Celso Thomas Castilho wrote in Our Esquina, Pochettino’s connection to Latino fans at home in the U.S. may be far more significant than any sort of attention he gets from Mexico, Argentina or elsewhere.

Castilho recalls former U.S. manager Bora Milutinovic’s playing style which leaned more toward the Latin American style of play than Milutinovic’s native Serbia. Pochettino has a chance to connect to a growing group of Mexican-Americans, Salvadoran-Americans, and other Latino communities.

“Ultimately, will he cultivate ties to the broader Latinx soccer community, from fans to the sporting media?” Castilho asks.

The reception in the U.S. has generally been positive, but former rivals of the U.S. are still raising questions about the appointment of Pochettino to replaced the fired Gregg Berhalter. Claudio Suarez, who has appeared in more matches for the Mexico national team than any player besides Andres Guardado, said it was smart to bring on Pochettino, but he doesn’t believe it will lead to the U.S. finding success at the 2026 World Cup.

“I think it’s good, but honestly I have my doubts if it’ll go well for Mauricio Pochettino because it’s the first time he’s going to manage a national team,” Suárez said on Fox Deportes. “We know his resume. He’s a great manager. You’ve got to see the mentality of the North American team.

“Lately, with Berhalter, they played well but then had their highs and lows, [and] the problem with Gio Reyna. We’ll see if it goes well for Pochettino - also he won’t have any pressure. They’ll let him work. There are no World Cup qualifiers. But there are doubts. I don’t think he’s going to have success, honestly. I have doubts.”

Those doubts were echoed throughout the CONCACAF region. The bold words Pochettino used at his opening news conference made headlines in Honduras, where the manager could have his first CONCACAF away match in November - depending on CONCACAF Nations League results.

“Win the World Cup? The first words of Mauricio Pochettino as new manager” read the headline in Diez.

Elsewhere in Central America, some noted the inability of any team in the region to bring in a manager of Pochettino’s stature. While the U.S. was able to leverage relationships with hedge fund managers and other boosters to help supplement Pochettino’s deal, and Canada manager Jesse Marsch's salary is paid in part by the ownership groups of Canada’s three MLS clubs, resources are harder to come by outside North America.

Futbol Centroamerica noted Pochettino’s reported $6 million salary dwarfs what Guatemala manager Luis Fernando Tena’s annual salary.

“According to information Gerardo Paíz, president of the Guatemalan Football Federation, gave the salary of the Mexican manager as $35,000 a month. Per year, that would be $420,000 - far from Mauricio Pochettino in the United States.”

It’s an expense U.S. Soccer was willing to take on - and one they hope continues to lead to plenty of coverage throughout Latin America. They dream of Pochettino delivering on his word and turning the USMNT into a World Cup contender. That certainly would get everyone in the Americas talking.