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The excitement around Pochettino is real—and it should be. This is a coach who has been around the game learning from the best his entire life. He wants to play exciting soccer.
So, ahead of his debut Saturday against Panama and a trip to Guadalajara to meet Mexico, is there a catch?
There are a few knocks on Pochettino that could dampen some of the excitement should they be the reason results don’t go the United States’ way.
First, this is a job that, at the moment, is packed with pressure. Americans desperately want the men’s national team to succeed on home soil in 2026. Yet, Pochettino can only control so much as the manager. This is his first international job, one that will require him to learn skills and techniques he didn’t need at the club level. In a club, the manager is working with his players nearly every day. In the next six months, Pochettino will have this month’s camp, next month’s camp and then games in March to see his top squad.
“Everyone thinks there is no time to prepare to arrive in our best condition at the World Cup. I’m on the opposite side. I believe there’s time enough,” Pochettino said. “Football is like this, touch the right button and start to perform.”
The other criticism that has dogged Pochettino is that he has failed to win the big one. His only league title as a manager was his 2021-22 Ligue 1 crown with Paris Saint-Germain, a title that was earned but is seen as almost a given because of PSG’s financial strength compared to their French rivals.