Mauricio Pochettino reveals why taking USMNT job was harder than expected

The United States has emerged as one of the biggest positive surprises of the 2026 World Cup. The Americans stunned Paraguay with a dominant performance in their opening game and have shown that this is the product of years of work building toward this moment. A sophisticated system, players who fully understand their roles and a team operating like a well-oiled machine.

It wasn’t always like this. Even in the weeks leading up to the World Cup, there were serious questions about the team’s identity and competitive level. US head coach Mauricio Pochettino explained just how difficult it was to reverse that trend, one that now appears to have vanished almost overnight.

“We were naïve when we signed the contract. We underestimated the situation. What we found was worse than we expected,” Pochettino said, reflecting on the state of the US national team when he took over..

Pochettino spoke candidly about those difficult early months with the Stars and Stripes. He also confirmed a long-standing belief surrounding the team: that some players had not been fully committed to representing the national team.

“We thought people would be desperate to help, that everyone would be fully committed, desperate to play for the national team. It was the complete opposite,” the Argentine coach said, admitting he was taken aback by what he found. “It was a huge reality check. We were asking ourselves, ‘What the hell...?’”

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Total belief in the USMNT

The United States’ outstanding start, not only in terms of results but also performances, has turned the team into one of the contenders to make a deep run in the tournament. Pochettino is thinking even bigger, believing his team has a genuine chance to make history by winning the country’s first World Cup.

He pointed to Morocco’s remarkable run to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup before repeating the question that has become something of a mantra for his squad.

“Why not us?”

To wrap up, Pochettino was asked about the possibility of remaining in charge after the World Cup.

“If we want to stay, we’ll have months to talk about it, or days or weeks, because there are still four years until the next World Cup,” he said with a smile. However, he stressed that “this isn’t the time for distractions” and insisted that all of the team’s energy must remain focused on the tournament and supporting the players.

Read: Tim Ream on USMNT journey: “Something special is happening with this team”

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