USMNT
Get ready for ‘Pochettino Week’ in the United States
The Argentine is expected to be announced early this week and may even be present at the TQL Stadium.
This week is pivotal for the future of U.S. Soccer. Mauricio Pochettino is set to become the new head coach of the United States men’s national team. While the official announcement has been delayed, AS understands that it is expected to be confirmed this week.
The Argentine coach will take charge of a team in a fragile state, almost in crisis mode. His task will be challenging, as the federation has high expectations for what is considered the country’s most talented generation, particularly with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon.
Mikey Varas blames players for poor mentality
The process of bringing in Pochettino has taken time, but it is now nearing completion. He was one of the top candidates on the federation’s list to oversee the team’s restructuring. The federation is so invested in the move that board members traveled to Barcelona early last week to finalise the deal. Pochettino is expected to remain in charge through to the 2026 World Cup.
Just three months after departing Chelsea, Pochettino is preparing to return to the sidelines. The big question now is whether he will be present at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium for the upcoming match against New Zealand.
After the recent debacle against Canada, which saw them lose 1-2, the USMNT urgently needs a win to regain confidence. Their defeat to Canada has only deepened the ongoing sporting crisis, which has been festering since their group-stage elimination in the Copa América qualifiers.
In their previous game, it was Schaffelburg and David who scored to put Canada 0-2 up before de la Torre cut the deficit. However, his goal was not enough and Jesse Marsch’s side took just their second win on US soil in 67 years.
“The mentality is on the players. They know it,” USMNT head coach Mikey Varas told reporters. “We speak the truth to each other. I love those guys. But they know that mentality to fight, to run and to sacrifice, I can’t do that for them. That’s on them. I’m not a psychologist, so I don’t know. I felt that the trainings were intense. They were aggressive. But when the game comes, you gotta get going. And the players are the ones that bring that. Coaches can only get you so far from a mentality perspective.”
The United States men’s team will host New Zealand on Tuesday September 10 at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio with the game scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Eastern Time / 4 p.m. PT.