Mauricio Pochettino has a theory about pressure, and it comes from a dark place. Argentina entered the 2002 World Cup as favourites. They went home in the group stage. "The energy was so heavy, and we didn't deal with that," he said. That memory is the lens through which he's coaching the United States right now.
Speaking in Atlanta on Friday, Pochettino urged his squad to shed expectation and play loose — drawing, somewhat unexpectedly, on the NFL and NBA as his reference points. He spent time binge-watching American sports after taking the job in 2024, and the takeaway was simple: elite athletes in the US play to entertain, not to survive. He wants the same from his footballers.
Stars echoing the message — but is it real?
Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic, the two most recognisable names in the squad, both backed the coach's line publicly. McKennie said the team "invites" pressure. Pulisic, who has deleted social media from his phone entirely, says he's "oblivious" to the noise. These are the right things to say. Whether a group stage in front of a home crowd, with a nation watching, actually feels that relaxed is a different question entirely.
On paper, the US have reasons to feel confident. Their group — Paraguay, Australia, and either Turkey or Kosovo — is manageable. They play every game on home soil. Pulisic is operating at the highest level of Serie A with AC Milan. McKennie has found a real home at Juventus. The squad depth from European leagues is genuinely the strongest the program has ever assembled.
But context matters. The US hasn't reached a World Cup semi-final since 1930. Ninety-six years. The co-hosting status raises expectations without changing that historical reality. A deep run would be transformational for football's rapidly growing footprint across North America — and the pressure attached to that isn't something a few press conference soundbites dissolves.
What this means for the tournament picture
Betting markets will treat the US as a round-of-16 near-certainty given the draw, but the quarter-final and beyond is where belief has to translate into results. Pochettino's "I am here because I believe we can win" is bold — it also raises the bar for what counts as success. A group stage exit, however unlikely, would be a catastrophe for the sport's commercial momentum in the region.
The freedom message is smart management. Whether it sticks under lights, with 80,000 home fans, and something real on the line — that's the test no press conference can answer in advance.
