U.S. men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino is thinking big when it comes to this summer’s World Cup. So big, in fact, that he is not only aspiring to win the entire tournament, but has written off finishing second as the fate of those consigned to forgotten history.
Pochettino is pushing for the unprecedented. While the U.S. have historically dominated women’s World Cups, the men’s team has never even reached a final. Only once in the 95-year history of the competition have the USMNT ever gotten to a semifinal—and that came at the inaugural edition back in 1930, when they played just two games before getting thumped 6–1 by Argentina.
The Stars and Stripes failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but managed to get to the round of 16 in Qatar three years ago. After creditable draws with Wales and England, Christian Pulisic bundled in the only goal of a tight contest against Iran to set up a knockout tie with the Netherlands. Louis van Gaal’s imperfect outfit were comfortable 3–1 winners in Al Rayyan.
Pochettino only took over the USMNT in September 2024 and got knocked out of the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in his first tournament at the helm. The Argentine coach steered his adopted nation to the final of the Gold Cup on home soil last summer only to see them comfortably beaten by Mexico.
The U.S. may not even be the best team in North America, but Pochettino is plotting world domination. “For me, it’s about winning,” he told Andrés Cantor in an exclusive interview this week. “I think if you don’t win, what does it matter? If you are second, nobody ever remembers. And I believe we should aspire to win it.
“Then you tell me ‘you reach a semifinal, you reach the quarterfinals, you have a great tournament, and due to different factors, well, you can’t win.’” Pochettino wasn’t having any of that. Instead, he turned to Morocco as an example to follow after they became the first African nation to ever reach a World Cup semifinal in 2022, knocking out Spain and Portugal along the way.
“I think we have to give ourselves credit and merit, but I think that if you look at Morocco in Qatar, I think they get where they get because they always had the mentality of saying, ‘I’m going to go for it, I’m going to win,’” Pochettino claimed.
“I think that’s fundamental, especially playing in our country. I believe it’s important to think big. Having a good World Cup is how you establish football as a permanent fixture.”
USMNT’s Record at World Cups
Pochettino Emboldened by Recent Form
The USMNT have endured mixed fortunes under Pochettino. Eight months into his tenure, the list of damning statistics was endless. However, the former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss has gradually forged a coherent identity out of a roster with plenty of talented players—even if some of their best moments have come without the star names.
“I think that, based on what we’ve shown in recent months, I believe that the team, especially after the Gold Cup, has found a way to compete, a way to raise the standards,” Pochettino beamed.
“We always talked about the concepts that are becoming ingrained in the team. And I think that’s the strength we’re demonstrating and that we want to continue demonstrating.”
READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, REACTION AND ANALYSIS
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Think Big’—Mauricio Pochettino Reveals USMNT’s World Cup Target.
