U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino did not have long to bathe in the afterglow of a thumping 5–1 victory over Uruguay—instead he engaged in a war of words with the assembled media.
The very first question in his postmatch press conference about the notion of “regular players” set the Argentine boss into a sour mood on a night he should have savored.
Pochettino had just witnessed the most complete performance of his entire USMNT tenure against the coach he rates above any other. The hosts romped into a 4–0 first-half lead before Uruguay could catch their breath. Giorgian de Arrascaeta pulled one back for the South American outfit on the cusp of halftime but Pochettino’s rampant hosts re-established a four-goal advantage shortly after Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card on 64 minutes.
It was the USMNT’s largest victory against a nation from outside Concacaf since 2012 and the first statement win of Pochettino’s tenure.
One of the most notable aspect of the victory was the fact that it was achieved with such a superficially inexperienced squad. An unexpected starting XI devoid of the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie boasted 155 caps between them, the lowest of any USMNT lineup in two decades.
Yet, when asked about his views on the performance given the lack of “regular starters,” Pochettino bristled.
“I hate the ‘no regular players’ [question],” he sniped. “What does this mean? It’s USA playing, it’s the national team. Stop with that mindset. Every time our decision to pick a starting XI, it’s the U.S. men’s national team playing.”
“If you know me, I hate to talk this way,” Pochettino shot back when confronted with the missing personnel. “It’s so disrespectful. We need to give credit to all of the guys.”
“I am the USA coach. Tell me which ‘regular players’ you are talking about?” he continued. “I don’t understand.”
The tone was so tense Pochettino suggested: “Maybe we need to stop the press conference, I need to go to the dressing room, come back and start the press conference again, because it’s like we lost 5-1!”
Plenty of Positives Pochettino Overlooked
As intent as Pochettino was to overlook them, there were a myriad of positives for the USMNT to take from Tuesday’s comprehensive thumping. The team, even with its irregular personnel, look increasingly comfortable in the back-three system and offer a competent balance of judging when to jump into a press.
Even the set-play routines are paying off, with Sebastian Berhalter’s well-worked free-kick an idea borne on Pochettino’s whiteboard—even if he sarcastically called it a “coincidence” during his postmatch whine.
The U.S. were so dominant against Uruguay that the South American nation began to turn on their once-revered manager Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentine was subjected to expletive barbs from the crowd in Florida and was eviscerated by the Uruguayan press, who labelled him the “toothless magician.” Even in victory, Pochettino reminded everyone that he has some bite.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mauricio Pochettino Couldn’t Help But Fume Despite Historic USMNT Display.
