Pochettino Remains Optimistic About US Team's Performance Ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
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Synopsis
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino calls for patience after the US's recent defeat against Canada, stressing there's still time for improvement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He believes in the team's potential to bounce back and achieve better results in the future.
Key Takeaways
- Mauricio Pochettino stresses patience after a recent loss.
- The US team has time to improve before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- Pochettino urges the team to play with more urgency.
- Captain Christian Pulisic acknowledges the need for change.
- Performance improvements are critical over the next year.
Inglewood (USA), March 24 (NationPress) Head coach Mauricio Pochettino emphasized the need for patience following the United States' 2-1 loss to Canada, highlighting that there remains ample opportunity to enhance performance ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup next year.
Following a disappointing defeat to Panama in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal on Thursday, Pochettino urged his squad to exhibit more urgency and take greater risks in Sunday’s third-place match against Canada. Unfortunately, his calls went unanswered, as the team produced another lackluster display, failing to register a single shot—on or off target—in the first 30 minutes at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
This disheartening performance adds to the frustrations for the cohost of the 2026 World Cup, who will return to the same venue for their tournament opener on June 12 next year.
Despite the recent setbacks, Pochettino, who succeeded Gregg Berhalter after a tumultuous second stint, remains optimistic that his team will be in better shape by then.
"There are many examples from various years of teams that struggled before ultimately excelling at the World Cup," Pochettino stated.
"I want to convey to the fans that they should not be pessimistic; negative feelings are unwarranted. While losing is always painful, we must accept it. However, I refuse to let us fall into pessimism because I believe we have talented players.
"We will find a way to perform, and undoubtedly we will compete, achieving different results than those from Thursday and today," he added.
Pochettino did acknowledge that if no progress is made over the next year leading up to the World Cup, it would indeed be concerning.
"If we find ourselves in this situation a year from now, I will certainly say, 'Houston, we have a problem. S.O.S.' But you will see in a year that if we are discussing this, it indicates a significant issue. This would mean we failed to discover and implement a better strategy to equip the team to play differently. I believe we have time. I prefer that today's events occurred today rather than a year from now," Pochettino said.
United States captain Christian Pulisic remarked that "some things need to change" after Sunday’s loss.
"We are obviously disappointed. We must rebound from this; we are not at our best currently. All we can do now is return and be the best representatives we can at our clubs... and when we regroup, some changes are necessary, and we must improve. We will reflect and identify what needs to change. I do not have all the answers right now," Pulisic stated.
