Mauricio Pochettino says US males's gamers ought to aspire to attain like ladies

Mauricio Pochettino started his tenure as U.S. men’s national soccer team coach by saying his gamers ought to aspire to attain as a lot because the American ladies.

“We’re right here as a result of we need to win,” he mentioned Friday at a 48-minute introductory information convention after agreeing to a contract via the 2026 World Cup. “We’re winners. We’re going to compete, and compete is totally totally different than to play. … We’ve many examples subsequent to us we have to observe.”

Whereas the U.S. males have not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002 and have by no means gained the game’s prime event, the American ladies have gained 4 World Cups and 5 Olympic gold medals.

“We have to imagine that we will win, that we will win all our video games, that we will win the World Cup,” he mentioned.

A 52-year-old Argentine, Pochettino can be teaching a nationwide workforce for the primary time, changing into the tenth U.S. coach in 14 years and its first foreign-born chief since Jürgen Klinsmann from 2011-16. He was employed to exchange Gregg Berhalter, who was fired from his second time period on July 10, every week after the U.S. was eradicated within the first spherical of the Copa América.

Emma Hayes, who managed at Chelsea earlier than changing into U.S. women’s coach this 12 months, helped recruit her former membership colleague.

“I did not have to ask,” he mentioned. “She defined all the things.”

Hayes led her first observe on Could 28 and led the People to an Olympic gold medal 74 days later.

Sporting a darkish jacket, white gown shirt with no tie and a pocket sq., Pochettino was flanked by U.S. Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone, CEO JT Batson and sporting director Matt Crocker, who knew Pochettino from their time collectively at Southampton a decade in the past.

“I used to be teasing Poch that it solely took Emma two months to win an Olympic gold medal, so I am curious what he will do in two months,” Cone mentioned. “We need to set ourselves up for with the ability to win any sport that we’re in.”

Talks started in Barcelona in July.

“We spent quite a lot of time with him,” Cone mentioned, “Simply being as open and trustworthy and clear in regards to the good, the dangerous, the ugly of U.S. soccer and what he was getting into as a result of we needed, if he selected to come back right here, we needed him to know precisely what he was stepping into, what he was up in opposition to, the place the alternatives have been. … And Emma performed an enormous half in that.”

Whereas some have proclaimed the present group essentially the most proficient the U.S. has produced, Pochettino was barely extra restrained and mentioned “it is an excellent technology of gamers.”

“We’ve very proficient gamers,” he opined. “After all, the arrogance was a bit however low after the Copa América. We have to present that we play as a collective on the pitch.”

Pochettino arrived within the U.S. on Wednesday, a day after his deal was introduced, and dined at a sushi restaurant on Thursday evening with American soccer stakeholders. He plans to journey with USSF officers to Atlanta subsequent week to seek for housing close to the workplace and coaching advanced beneath development in Fayetteville, Georgia.

His information convention — on Friday the thirteenth, for individuals who are superstitious — was in a Warner Bros. Discovery screening room at 30 Hudson Yards on the far west facet of Manhattan, simply eight blocks from Berhalter’s introduction at Glasshouse Chelsea on Dec. 4, 2018.

Pochettino has led Espanyol in Spain (2009-12), Southampton (2013-14), Tottenham (2014-19) and Chelsea (2023-24) in England and Paris Saint-Germain in France (2021-22), leaving after profitable a French league title.

Pochettino has 637 days earlier than the People’ World Cup opener in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. His first video games can be friendlies in opposition to Panama on Oct. 12 at Austin, Texas, and at Mexico three days later, and his first aggressive matches can be in a two-leg CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal in November.

Pochettino is prone to have his full participant pool out there for simply eight one-week coaching intervals earlier than the workforce gathers forward of the World Cup. The People are skinny at goalkeeper and central protection and have had issue sustaining on-field self-discipline.

Pochettino is bringing alongside his longtime workers: assistant coaches Jesús Pérez and Miguel d’Agostino, and goalkeeper coach Toni Jiménez.

USSF officers mentioned they might afford Pochettino’s wage solely with the assistance of items from hedge fund and asset administration agency heads.

“Except he was prepared to work for a lot much less,” Cone mentioned.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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