The U.S. men’s national team’s 2-0 loss to South Korea on Saturday continued to raise questions about the team’s World Cup readiness — but head coach Mauricio Pochettino is not having it.
On Monday, the USMNT manager spoke with reporters ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against Japan. When asked about the fitness of center back Chris Richards, who came off the bench on Saturday, Pochettino used the opportunity to fire back at critics.
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Pochettino had told reporters after Saturday’s game that Richards had arrived at camp with an “issue” that prevented him from starting. Tristan Blackmon stepped in, making his USMNT debut as a center defender alongside captain Tim Ream, but, given the defensive struggles, Blackmon’s performance was criticized.
“People sometimes create debate and talk with no sense,” Pochettino said on Monday, via The Sporting News’ Kyle Bonn. “This national team and this country has qualified already for the World Cup, so the important thing is to apply common sense. If people want to talk about bullsh**, they can talk about bullsh**, but we feel the responsibility to provide the whole group of players … we need to give the priority for how he (Richards) feels. Because if not, if we take a risk in a friendly game, we maybe create a big problem.”
Pochettino continued to express his frustrations about USMNT critics, who also tend to hone in on and debate the quality of the players on the U.S. roster, and urged fans to be positive when speaking about the team.
“The important thing is that we have a plan, we know what we are doing, we have experience. The important thing is to provide the players the possibility to arrive at the World Cup in the best condition,” Pochettino continued. “Sometimes people want to talk only to analyze the result and want to be negative, and I think it’s a little bit shameful. We need to be positive, because we need to be all together, because the country deserves to be on one side to arrive at the World Cup in the best condition to be a team competitive to make proud our fans. That is the most important thing.”
This is not the first time that Pochettino has used a press conference to provide a lengthy response. In May, amid discussions that the USMNT players were not stepping up to the challenge, Pochettino spoke at length about wanting players to be “desperate to perform.” In July, after the Gold Cup semifinal against Guatemala, Pochettino discussed American soccer culture and praised the passionate Guatemalan fans in the stadium.
This time, with the critics on his heels, Pochettino chose to wax about the future of the team, and to trust in his plan.
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That might be a little hard to do, as it’s been a tough run for Pochettino’s USMNT. The loss to South Korea marked the fifth straight defeat against a FIFA top 25-ranked team. It also raised ongoing questions about the team’s chemistry, as Pochettino experiments with a wide pool of players in the run-up to next summer.
But Pochettino said that the team is treating these friendlies like practices and tune-ups for next summer.
“We have not too much time to work, and I think it’s important to use these games like a training session,” Pochettino said on Monday. “We need to put into practice things that will be important for the future of the team.”
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With the 2026 World Cup nine months away, the USMNT is running out of time to become the imposing squad that fans are hoping for. Tuesday’s matchup against Japan will do a lot to reassure fans that Pochettino is moving in the right direction — or potentially alarm them. But no matter the outcome, it seems that Pochettino will be sticking to his guns on his plan for the team’s future.
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