Mauricio Pochettino, USMNT coach, on the World Cup’s new rules: “The soccer we know is going to stop existing”
Pochettino, whose U.S. team takes on Germany in Chicago today, has warned that soccer is in danger of becoming “another sport”.
Mauricio Pochettino says hydration breaks give him more time to make useful tactical tweaks, but the U.S. men’s national team boss says he’s against FIFA’s blanket implementation of the in-game stoppage.
During the USMNT’s World Cup warm-up against Senegal last Sunday, Pochettino could be seen using the pause in play to issue instructions to his team, showing his players match footage on a laptop.
Speaking after the Stars and Stripes’ 3-2 victory in Charlotte, however, the 54-year-old said soccer is in danger of becoming “another sport”.
“Streamlined and simplified”
First used at a men’s World Cup in 2014, hydration breaks were originally brought in by FIFA only for conditions that exceeded “threshold limit values for heat stress”, to allow players to rehydrate amid high temperatures.
However, soccer’s global governing body said last year that all World Cup 2026 matches will pause at the mid-point of each half, regardless of the weather.
In a statement in December, FIFA said this “streamlined and simplified version” of the hydration-break rule would guarantee “equal conditions for all teams, in all matches”.
“It’s not necessary to stop”
Having followed FIFA’s World Cup rule in last weekend’s friendly, Pochettino said it had been “very helpful” to pull up passages of play for his team to watch on his laptop, but said hydration breaks should be used only to protect players against extreme conditions.
“I think it’s very helpful for the players to see actions, [as] you not only tell them what you want them to improve, but when they see the image, it’s really important,” Pochettino told reporters.
However, the Argentine coach added: “I use the water break to try to help my players, but still I don’t like [it].
“Of course, if it is too hot, I think the water break is important because the health of the player [comes] first. But if it’s not too hot and we’re going to play in a stadium where it’s 21, 22, 23º [Celsius, around 70º Fahrenheit], I think it’s not necessary to stop. The players are prepared and are ready to compete for 45 minutes.
“But it’s like plenty of rules today […] rules that for sure I don’t like. They say that they’re going to help the spectacle, but we’re going in a direction that we’re going to change. Because if we add, add and add rules, then the soccer or the football that we know is going to stop existing. And it’s going to become another sport.”
Under previous FIFA hydration-break rules, a mid-half stoppage was only required if temperatures exceeded 89.6°F. This limit was then lowered to 82º during last summer’s Club World Cup in the U.S.
In Charlotte last Sunday, the temperature remained in the 70s, per the Weather Channel. The USMNT’s final World Cup tune-up - against Germany in Chicago today - is forecast to be played amid similar temperatures.
Heat a worry ahead of 2026 finals
During this summer’s World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, many games are expected to be played amid significant heat. Indeed, a recent study by NPR, which analysed two decades of temperature data for each of the tournament’s 16 venues, found that over a third of the finals’ 104 games are “at high risk for dangerously hot, humid conditions”.
These games did not, though, include the USMNT’s group-stage matches - against Paraguay and Turkey in Los Angeles, and against Australia in Seattle. The co-hosts’ three round-robin clashes were each classed as posing a “minimal” heat risk.
USMNT vs Germany: kickoff time, how to watch
The USMNT hosts Germany at Soldier Field today, Saturday, June 6, with kickoff in Chicago scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT. Viewers in the U.S. can watch the friendly on Peacock, TNT USA, truTV USA, HBO Max, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo and Universo Now.
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