Mauricio Pochettino makes honest admission about USMNT job ahead of World Cup

 Six months into his tenure as head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, Mauricio Pochettino is set to embark on his biggest challenge yet. The Argentine’s side is set to battle it out in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals, starting with a semi-final against Panama on Thursday, with the aim of hoisting the trophy for a fourth time in as many competitions.

Pochettino’s first shot at silverware with the USMNT, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea boss, has admitted that he’s feeling the pressure. However, the 53-year-old added that this is nothing new for him or his team, explaining that every time they take to the field, the pressure to perform is everpresent.

“We are going to feel the pressure as we felt the pressure in the previous games in the field of Miami and Orlando playing friendly games against Venezuela and against Costa Rica,” he said 

With a World Cup on home soil just over a year away, the Nations League represents one of the last opportunities for Pochettino to get to know his team and test them in a competitive environment.

“I think our main objective is the World Cup because that is the truth and because we start in October and not with the possibility to have time to stay all together and for different circumstances we change and it was a possibility to see different types of players, different characteristics and names,” Pochettino admitted.

“That is about winning, yes. If you ask me I want to win, of course, I want to win the [Nations League] because that is going to help us to build our confidence and trust in the way that we are doing the scene.

“But at the same time, we need to be intelligent, to try to discover the best player and to build a strong core of team with the possibility to fight for big things. That mentality is about now, with not too much preparation and not too much being all together, to show there that we want to compete and we care.

“We want to win, it's not an excuse, but I think important for us the objective is the World Cup, and I think we are translating the idea that we need to compete in our best way and win the tournament because I think it's important for the future, for the future in one year, to be ready to compete for a big trophy.”

Standing in between Pochettino’s side and another Nations League final is Panama, who have beaten the U.S. in their last two competitive matchups. Should the USMNT make it past Panama, they’ll face either Mexico or Canada in the final.

To date, the USMNT has faced Mexico in two Nations League finals, including last year, winning 3-2 and 2-0. Their sole final against Canada came in 2023, with the USMNT winning 2-0.