'Americans want to win' - USMNT's Mauricio Pochettino on heightened expectations for 2026 World Cup, and 'welcome' pressure

U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is preparing his 23-man squad for the CONCACAF Nations League - the USMNT play Panama Thursday night in a semifinal as they look to secure their fourth-straight title in the competition.

However, his gaze is also focused on 2026, with the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico on the horizon. And Pochettino says he's embracing expectations from American soccer fans.

“I think the pressure is going to be there because we are a host,” said Pochettino, speaking to the media in London last week. “It’s a country where the mentality is about winning. In sport, in everything that Americans are involved in, they want to win. That is the culture. Of course, it is going to be a pressure, but a welcome one. That means that we are going to feel the adrenaline that we need to feel.”

Pochetino has said the USMNT is targeting at least a quarterfinal appearance in the World Cup, and added that ambitions for the program's longer-term future are lofty.

"In five or 10 years, for sure we can be No. 1 in the world," he said. "It could be.”

The Argentine was appointed U.S. manager last fall after Gregg Berhalter was removed following the USMNT's embarrassing Group Stage exit from Copa America 2024. However, Pochettino praised Berhalter for creating a "very good mentality and culture" during his time in charge of the program.

"The mentality is there, the discipline is there," said Pochettino, who will be compete for his first trophy in charge of the program in the Nations League - an important one as the big picture of 2026 looms.

“It’s really important that we need to build our own team,” he said. “It’s not only the characteristics of the players, it’s about the discipline and the atmosphere that we want to create in the national team. We need 23 or 26 players who will be happy to be in the squad and want to help the national team from every position. We have to create this good energy. Because if not, it’s going to be tough.”

Pochettino also praised U.S. Soccer for the Atlanta-based state-of-the-art training facility that they announced in 2023. The venue will feature more than a dozen fields across 200 acres of space with world-class facilities. The site is expected to open in early 2026, giving U.S. Soccer the opportunity to utilize the space ahead of the World Cup.

“The eight countries which have won the World Cup all have amazing training centers,” Pochettino said. “Before the World Cup, U.S. Soccer is building an amazing training center in Atlanta and that is going to be one of the most unbelievable training centers in the world. That is going to be the base of soccer. It is the moment where people can see, soccer is going to be a serious sport because it has a home.

“We need to congratulate the federation, and all the donors involved, who are helping to grow the sport, because it’s No. 1 in the world. Because in five or 10 years, for sure we can be No. 1 in the world. It could be.”

The U.S. won the first three iterations of the CONCACAF Nations League finals, defeating Mexico in the 2024 championship game off a Gio Reyna winner.

The U.S. play Panama at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles Thursday night in a semifinal match. The winner will take on the winner between Canada and Mexico Sunday.