Disappointing USMNT Crowd Turnout Leads Coach Mauricio Pochettino to Make Honest World Cup Promise 

“Son in round, the back is a chance for Son, he is not going to miss from there.” And just like that, in the 18th minute, Son scored against his former boss at Spurs in the USMNT vs South Korea friendly. Lee Dong-gyeong sealed the deal in the 43rd minute with another goal. When the final whistle was blown, Mauricio Pochettino had lost the match by 2-0 at the Sports Illustrated Stadium, New Jersey. Another defeat for the USMNT at their home ground, or was it?

Had a man with no knowledge of the game looked at the crowd in the stadium, he would have thought the game was in South Korea. It was a red sea in the Sports Illustrated Stadium; reports indicate that nearly 80% of the field was filled with Korean supporters. “Please come more [to the games],” Mauricio Pochettino requested after the game. But that wasn’t the only thing; he made a promise for the 2026 World Cup as well.

In the post-match press conference on September 6, Pochettino said, “We need to start to win when the World Cup starts. (There are) too many examples of teams that win during (the previous) five years and then arrive at the World Cup, and they don’t arrive in the best condition. I was involved in 2002 with Argentina, we were beating (teams for) years and then (at) the World Cup, and we were out in the group stage.” What was this about?

Mauricio Pochettino:

“We need to start to win when the World Cup starts. (There are) too many examples of teams that win during (the previous) five years and then arrive at the World Cup and they don’t arrive in the best condition. I was involved in 2002 with Argentina, we… pic.twitter.com/D7IX1yvhDa

— USMNT Otaku (@USMNTOtaku) September 7, 2025

In 2002, Argentina was made the pre-tournament favorite after a brilliant qualifying campaign and an unbeaten run of 18 matches before the finals dating back to July 2000. The big World Cup match against England saw Mauricio Pochettino fouling Michael Owen inside the box , which the referee awarded as a penalty. David Beckham converted, and the British won by 1-0. Before this, Argentina had made a victory over Nigeria ut the draw against Sweden after this match eliminated them. What else did the USMNT coach say?

Pochettino added, “I think for sure we have talented layers and we are going to be much better and we are going to prove and for sure we are going to arrive in the best condition.” Cannot say a promising player from USMNT and not name Christian Pulisic, can you? Other than him, Diego Luna and a few others are good players, but are they World Cup-ready? Only time will tell.

The coach also promised, “That is my message to the fans. We are going to arrive in a very good condition and with the help (of) with the fans, I think we are going to be very, very difficult to beat.” He seems to be putting up a deal: fans show support to the team by coming to the stadiums, and he is going to build a competitive team for the World Cup.

This story is being updated…

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