Mauricio Pochettino, the head coach of the United States Men's National Team (USMNT), has issued a rallying cry to his squad following the 2026 World Cup draw, insisting they must treat every single group stage match "like a final".
Familiar Foes in Group Stage
The US learned their fate for the tournament on home soil, being drawn into a group with Australia, Paraguay, and the winner of a European play-off between Turkey, Romania, Kosovo, and Slovakia. Interestingly, the Americans will have faced most of these opponents in friendlies in the build-up. They beat Australia 2-1 in Colorado in October and defeated Paraguay by the same scoreline in November, a match that saw Gio Reyna's return to form. Should Turkey qualify, they too will be familiar, having beaten the US 2-1 in a friendly in June 2025.
However, Pochettino was quick to downplay any perceived advantage from these prior meetings. "The reality is that the circumstances will change," he told reporters. "That is why they are going to be completely different games, maybe with different rosters or different players." He emphasised that the intense pressure and global spotlight of a World Cup finals match are incomparable to a friendly fixture.
Drawing on Personal Experience
The Argentine manager, who represented his country at the 2002 World Cup, opened up about the profound emotional impact of the tournament. He revealed that after fulfilling his childhood dream in South Korea and Japan, he sank into a "massive depression" upon returning home, feeling his career's ultimate goal had been achieved.
"Your biggest dream disappears, and then you feel like there's not going to be another possibility to be involved in this," Pochettino explained. "That's the biggest energy I want to transmit to the players. This is the most unbelievable event, and the most unbelievable feeling you can have. We can work on fitness, we can work on tactics, but we need to feel. Put everything in. It's today. We are going to have a country behind us."
Focus Firmly on the Present
With the path now clear, Pochettino stated that his immediate focus is solely on the group stage, dismissing any premature speculation about potential knockout round opponents. He drew a stark contrast with tournament favourites.
"If you are Argentina, the best team in the world, maybe you can look at what's after," he said. "With the USA, the first game is the final of the World Cup. The second game needs to be the final of the World Cup too." This relentless, game-by-game philosophy underscores the high-stakes environment Pochettino is cultivating as the US prepares to host the world's biggest sporting event.
