New United States national team coach Mauricio Pochettino says his squad need to set themselves the highest goal possible — to win the World Cup.
The Argentine, a former Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain coach, was unveiled to the media on Friday after signing his deal this week.
The USA is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada and Pochettino said he believes the target should galvanise the players.
“We need to believe we can win. Not win just a game, but to win the World Cup. We want players to arrive on day one thinking big,” he said.
The USA’s best finish in a modern World Cup was a run to the quarter-finals in South Korea and Japan in 2002. The country finished third in the inaugural tournament in 1930.
“Believe for me is a word that is so powerful. You can have enormous talent, but in football, you need to believe. Believe that all is possible. If we find a way to believe all together, then we can achieve what we want,” he added.
Pochettino said his team should draw inspiration from the US women’s team which recently won Olympic gold under English coach Emma Hayes, who Pochettino knows from his time at Chelsea.
“One of the most important things we need to aspire to is the women’s team. We have Emma, for me, the best coach in the world. They have won everything in the history and we need to match that,” he said.
The US Soccer Federation turned to Pochettino after sacking coach Gregg Berhalter following a poor showing in June’s Copa…
