United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino continues to have his sights set on winning the 2026 World Cup, insisting players must «think big.»
Though the USMNT has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since the 2002 edition — its best result in the modern era — Pochettino maintains the team must aspire to win the tournament when it is co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year.
The Argentine coach cited the example of Morocco, which surprised many on its underdog run to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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«For me, it’s about winning. I think if you don’t win, what does it matter? If you are second, nobody ever remembers,» Pochettino told Andrés Cantor for «Futbol de Primera» in an interview published this week.
«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.»
Since taking charge following the USMNT’s poor Copa América showing last year, Pochettino has continually spoken about the importance of a strong mentality and culture within the national team, constantly working to improve on and off the pitch.
«The storm started when I wasn’t there,» he said. «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.»
Pochettino later referenced a turning point when losing the 2025 Gold Cup to rival Mexico, falling 2-1 on July 6 with goals from Raúl Jiménez and Edson Álvarez, insisting the team has found a way to compete since.
«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,» said Pochettino.
«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.»
Since losing to Mexico, the USMNT has managed a 4W-1D-1L record. Pochettino most recently led the Stars and Stripes to a shocking 5-1 victory over Uruguay, as goals from Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, Alex Freeman and Sebastian Berhalter stunned Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Still, there have been plenty of critiques over Pochettino’s reign with the USMNT.
«There are coaches here in the United States who have criticized me completely unnecessarily. I would never have criticized a coach,» said Pochettino. «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.»
ESPN has reported that the USMNT is set to play European sides Portugal and Belgium in March, in what will be the final two games ahead of Pochettino naming his roster for the World Cup.
